What's down the line during 2009?
A look at the municipal agendas of Palos-Orland
by Meg Sullivan
and Kevin Olsen
staff reporters
At the dawn of a new year, The Regional surveyed municipal officials in Palos-Orland to see what local improvements residents can expect to see forwarded in 2009.
Despite an economic downturn, some local agendas, especially in Palos Heights, are full ones, brimming with projects in the coming year.
Orland Park
Orland Park officials say this year will be a “quiet” one in the Village in terms of new construction, but they hope to make significant progress with crucial road construction projects, further development of the Main Street Triangle and the introduction of a major “green initiative.”
“I’ve been working for the better part of a year on being able to introduce a major ‘green initiative’ for the village on water and energy conservation. But there are still some details to be worked out,” McLaughlin said Tuesday afternoon.
“I do think that a lot of people want to do the right thing, but may not know exactly what to do. We all have to play our part,” he added.
Undoubtedly, the Main Street Triangle project is never far from McLaughlin’s mind.
The Main Street Triangle is envisioned as Orland Park’s downtown — a pedestrian-friendly mixed commercial and residential development at the new Metra commuter station at 142nd Street just west of La Grange Road.
Village Trustees James Dodge and Pat Gira agreed that the biggest project in 2009 would be to work with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to lay out and widen the 143rd Street and La Grange Road intersection, providing easier access to the Triangle.
The 159th Street and La Grange Road intersection was completed this summer and has immensely improved drivers’ experience in the village. The revamped intersection has nine lanes north and south on La Grange Road and seven lanes east and west on 159th Street, with double-left turn lanes at all ways.
“The 159th intersection was much worse and it’s beautiful now,” Gira said. “You don’t fear getting caught in the gridlock. We need to get dual turning lanes, proper layouts and IDOT approval for the 143rd Street intersection.”
She added that the village is working on the intersections one at a time, because counting on state funding for the entire La Grange Road corridor at once is not feasible. “We don’t have enough money to take on too many projects. Orland is blessed in many ways, but we’re not immune [to the economic climate], we have to use this time to plan.”
Dodge said the village has purchased the former Citgo gas station property on the southeast corner of the intersection and may use the building for a construction management office during construction of the intersection.
He said after road construction is complete the village may sell the property on which the building sits and to the east of it for redevelopment.
Dodge said village officials are in the process of selecting a new developer for the Main Street Triangle. “We are down to the final two developers.”
McLaughlin said he also looks forward to progress with the acquisition of the Orland Plaza shopping center, which is a key component of the Main Street Triangle development.
The village owns about 20 acres of the Main Street Triangle site and has initiated eminent domain proceedings to force the purchase of the remaining seven acres, on which stands the Orland Plaza shopping center.
Eminent domain is the power of the state to seize a citizen’s private property, expropriate property, or rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner’s consent.
The Triangle project has been stalled because of difficulties in securing the shopping center property.
Former developer, Related Midwest, pulled out of the project last April after failing to negotiate lease buyouts with the tenants of the shopping center, some of which have leases running through 2020.
Orland Plaza shopping center’s owner, George Gee, rejected the village’s offer of $8.7 million for the plaza last month, saying he wants what he says was previously offered by Related Midwest, which was $12.5 million.
Village officials have said they would like many of the shopping center’s businesses, such as Randy’s Market, Orland Bakery, Bloomingfield Florists, Kosnar’s Drugs, and Norman’s Cleaners to remain in the village.
“We are in active, encouraging discussions with Orland Plaza [shopping center owners]. There are more than a few businesses we would love to stay,” Dodge said.
McLaughlin said that the overall message he would like residents to know is that no one on the Village Board is looking at the acquisition of the shopping center as a way of “kicking businesses out” of the village. “We are trying to improve that area and are working with those businesses to keep them here,” he said.
Dodge said other road construction projects such as the resurfacing of Wolf Road between 143rd and 167th streets are also on the agenda. Residents can also look forward to 104th Avenue being finished by spring.
Though there are not too many new businesses opening in the beginning of the year, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers will open Jan. 12 and Nordstrom Rack will open in April or May in the Orland Park Shopping Center near Barnes and Noble bookstore, Dodge said.
McLaughlin said he hopes to work with surrounding mayors to oversee the improvement of the 159th Street “auto dealer row” between 80th and 94th avenues. “I want to find out if there’s something more we can do to make it more attractive. All the communities working together can make the area more beneficial to the area, for example, how to bring more people to the George Dunne Golf Course in Oak Forest, that’s a beautiful course.”
Gira said Orland Park residents could also look forward to expanded Metra train service in February 2009, as the trains will begin operating on weekends to and from downtown Chicago.
Palos Heights
Palos Heights will both look to the future and celebrate the past in 2009 as the city marks its 50th anniversary.
Along with the new NorthPointe development proposal that is expected to be voted on within the next month, the city will get a new CVS Pharmacy, and could see the expansion of the existing Jewel-Osco by the end of the year.
Jewel is in the midst of consolidating pieces of property and negotiating to expand its store at 7127 W. 127th St. Mayor Bob Straz said the plan would be for the new Jewel to be constructed directly behind the existing store. The smallish, outdated Jewel-Osco will then be tore down once construction is completed.
“Everything I’ve heard is going good with this,” Straz said.
“I hope we will have the Jewel site re-done,” Alderman Jean Gnap (1st Ward) said. “We are on the waiting edge to see when it will start.”
Another commercial development that is expected to be completed by the end of 2009 is the construction of a CVS Pharmacy at the northeast corner of Southwest Highway and Route 83. Straz said CVS is still getting all its contracts before construction begins. Alderman Jack Clifford (2nd Ward) is hopeful construction will begin by spring.
Gnap believes the location is a great site for a CVS. She said it is on the way to the hospital and in a locale where there are not a lot of services for people. She also expects it to boost business for neighboring and future stores.
City officials continue efforts to update commercial areas. This included the façade improvement program, which allows businesses to reinvest in the exterior look of the building with a matching grant from the city up to $20,000, or $10,000 in reimbursements. Straz expects applications for the grant program to start coming in when spring comes around.
The City Council will also continue to work with Houseal Lavigne Associates on commercial areas design guidelines, which will state what future businesses in Palos Heights should look like.
“Is it going to look substantially different in Palos Heights by the end of the year? No, but areas in Palos Heights will look different. Everything is for the good and welfare of the people in Palos Heights,” Clifford said.
The municipal swimming pool may be receiving an overhaul this year. The city is awaiting word if it will receive a large grant to renovate the pool that made a remarkable turnaround in revenue and number of admissions last year.
“The future is looking good for our pool,” Gnap said. “We have done everything to get that grant. We deserve the grant if we get it.”
The city is expecting to hear on the grant sometime in April.
This year will also see the full implementations of two parks in the city; Walsh-Westgate Park and the Art Park. Walsh-Westgate was completed toward the end of 2008, but Gnap said it has not been “christened” yet because of the cold weather. The park, located at Ridgeland Avenue and Shadow Creek Drive, features a playground, fitness stations, a bean bag toss and a putting green.
The Art Park, a project Mayor Straz has been working on with volunteers for more than a year and a half, is expected to be opened sometime in the middle of the year. The park, due west of the Palos Heights Fire Protection District at 123rd Street and 72nd Court, will feature art exhibits and sculptures from local artists. Straz said the park has received monetary pledges from various businesses and thinks the structure of the park will be ready by summer, even if all the art exhibits are not placed.
“It gives us another park and a nicer atmosphere in the downtown area,” Straz said. “It brings fine arts to Palos Heights and increases the quality of living.”
The arts will not be the only thing celebrated in Palos Heights in 2009 as the year marks the 50th anniversary of the city. An anniversary committee was created in June to plan events for the city’s golden anniversary.
The festivities will kick off April 16 with an anniversary opening ceremony at the Lake Katherine auditorium where 50 people will come up and place a candle around a cake, commemorating the 50th year of the city. On June 20, the anniversary committee will sponsor a 1950s street dance in Southwick Commons with special guest oldies disc jockey Dick Biondi. Some businesses in the retail strip will lower their prices to what things would have cost in 1959. There will also be movies from 1959 shown at Community Park throughout the year with a new film projector the city purchased last year.
The anniversary committee will be part of the Independence Day celebration in the city. The main event will come Nov. 7 at Palos Country Club. There will be a semi-formal ball dance with a live band and a memorial room with old photographs from the early years of the city.
The year also marks the 65th anniversary of the library, the 60th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce, the 50th anniversary of St. Alexander Parish, the League of Women Voters of the Palos Orland Area and Trinity Christian College and the 25th anniversary of Palos Fine Arts.
Palos Park
Similar to many communities, Palos Park’s 2009 may hinge on how much funding the village can come up with.
There are a number of projects in the works, but many depend on available money. At the top of Mayor John Mahoney’s list for 2009 is the implementation of a bike, pedestrian and equestrian plan in the village. The village has formed an ad hoc committee as well as hiring someone from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to formulate a bicycle path plan for the village.
Mahoney believes a plan will be in place within the next few months. The village will then work on designating bike lanes throughout town and begin to look for funding to build trails that can eventually connect to the 26-mile Calumet-Sag bike trail that’s currently in the engineering phase.
“Building trails is expensive. Palos Park can’t take on the costs on our own,” Mahoney said. “We want to be environmentally friendly and have infrastructure projects for the next generation.”
A major project that has consistently been on the village’s radar is the development of a green downtown area at the Metra station. Village officials met with the plan commission on Tuesday night to discuss updating the comprehensive plan. After the meeting, officials should have a much better understanding on how to move forward with a project like this.
Mahoney said when the comprehensive plan is being reviewed, each official needs to first ask, “What makes our town unique and how can we enhance it?” There are few opportunities in the hilly village for large commercial developments. The village is bounded on two sides by forest preserves. Mahoney would like to keep the character of Palos Park intact and always keep it in high consideration when determining how to move forward.
“The key this year is to investigate if we can come up with a downtown center,” village Building Commissioner James Pavlatos said.
The Village Council paid the City Design Center $19,000 at the end of 2007 to develop the village’s downtown business district plan. The City Design Center is a research center in the College of Architecture and the Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The completed plan is expected to show which sites are best for commercial development and what types of businesses belong where, Pavlatos said.
“We are all looking for growth even though the economy is struggling,” Commissioner Pavlatos said. “We should be pro-active, look for growth, annexation, commercial development and expansion and try to incorporate parcels along 123rd and 131st, so we can continue our progress.”
Mahoney said restaurants McDivots and Francesca’s Vicinato will undergo expansion projects this year. He also hopes to welcome a couple new restaurants at the Village Courtyard, across the street from the Metra Station on 123rd Street. He said the landlord is still working on getting all the permits and finishing construction.
With the trend of keeping Palos Park a unique town, Pavlatos said he would like to investigate building a museum park in the village. He said the park could be constructed on Route 83 just west of Southwest Highway on the north side of the street. He said the village already purchased land there a few years ago.
He said the area could be developed with some commercial property to go along with a possible not-for-profit art museum. He wants it to become something similar to Palos Heights’ Lake Katherine, where people can come to meet and enjoy nature and the museum.
The village is also still looking to develop a park on a 5-acre site along Will-Cook Road, but would need to secure funding for the park first.
The site, which is mainly green space just north of the 240-acre Holy Family Villa property, is expected to be developed into a park similar to the Village Green, Pavlatos said. A soccer field, baseball diamonds and playground equipment for youngsters are among the possibilities for the site.
Sometime in the next few months, Pavlatos will have a new tree ordinance to help protect the some 6,000 trees in the village from being taken down due to new construction.
Pavlatos has the goal of creating a long term solution instead of a quick fix to the destruction of trees.
The existing tree ordinance permits all trees located within 30 feet of new single-family residential construction to be removed by a licensed firm without penalty. Any tree outside of the 30 foot buffer can be removed without penalty if its diameter is less than 16 inches. Trees greater than 16 inches need to be tagged and protected during construction.
Pavlatos is attempting to change the ordinance to protect all trees with a diameter greater than four to six inches outside the 30 foot buffer. More than half the trees in Palos Park have a diameter less than 12 inches. The ordinance will also call for a chain-link fence to be erected at the 30 foot buffer to prevent construction going through the boundaries and cutting down additional trees that should be protected. He is also planning on implementing larger penalties and fees to developers that do not follow the updated tree ordinance. Besides fines, the penalties could also include supplying new trees to a tree bank for every tree illegally cut down.
“I expect we will get that done this year,” Mahoney said of the ordinance. “It’s critical because construction can result in taking down a lot of trees. We need to minimize destruction and keep Palos Park the way it is intended to be.”