More than 60 people showed up at the Mokena Village Hall recently to discuss plans to create a downtown business area that is more than a quaint reminder of the rural past.
Consultant Terrence Jenkins of Business Districts Inc., an Evanston-based consulting firm hired to study downtown Mokena, said competition from shopping malls and communities’ lack of centralized planning have contributed to the decline of traditional downtowns.
But a downtown can find a niche “despite the fact that it’s tired, despite the fact that America is in love with malls,” he said.
To compete, downtown business areas have to offer shoppers convenience, service, a unique character and a little fun, he said.
“All it is, is another mall in a competitive mall environment,” Jenkins said.
The study process, which kicked off with interviews, will rely heavily on local input. More public gatherings are planned in December, January and February.
The study area encompasses Front Street from Schoolhouse Road to one block west of Wolf Road and Wolf Road between 191st Street and Boyer Court.
Residents were eager to outline downtown Mokena’s strengths and weaknesses.
One problem, according to resident Alexa Miotti, is that residents of the town’s many new subdivisions may not know where downtown is.
Insufficient access for pedestrians and bicyclists may be another drawback, said James Vanderlaan, a member of the Mokena Elementary District 159 School Board. He said the Old Plank Road Trail, a recreational area that runs through the downtown area in neighboring Frankfort, has boosted business there.
