As people grow older, their focus often turns more inward. And for many aging suburban areas, the focus of future planning and development in each community likewise must be internal.
In the last few years, the city of Wheaton has begun to face the challenge of developing itself inside out. With the city virtually landlocked, officials say Wheaton’s future is tied to redeveloping its past.
City planner Jim Kozik says redevelopment projects have become the focus in the city, as large tracts of land no longer are available. The Danada Square area, located to the south, began development in the 1980s and represented the last of the city’s large parcels.
“It’s easy to subdivide a 500-acre cornfield and put up a new subdivision, but today, we’re looking at industrial lots and teardowns that we’re replacing with new homes,” Kozik said. “Basically, we’re recycling. And when you’re talking about dividing a large single-family parcel and putting two homes on it, there always are a lot of issues.”
Kozik says the city’s last comprehensive plan was completed in 1989 and a revised plan will soon be reviewed by the City Council. Kozik said the new plan contains four key elements.
“Our redevelopment plan has targeted the revitalization of downtown Wheaton, developing east Roosevelt Road to enlarge the housing there and increase commercial space, and provide existing businesses the opportunity to expand,” he said.
“One of our other big focuses concerns the `Union Avenue Corridor,’ where Wheaton College and some of our biggest churches would like to expand.”
Kozik said issues involving density and design of projects continue to plague areas targeted for redevelopment.
“We are getting some pressure from Wheaton College and some of the nearby, larger churches to expand into the neighborhood,” Kozik said. “With the few vacant parcels we have, there are storm water and drainage issues, and if a parcel has been vacant for a while, there’s probably a reason.”
Just to the west of Wheaton College is the downtown area where redevelopment is well under way.
Wheaton’s plan has followed similar concepts found in nearby communities like St. Charles, Schaumburg and Roselle, where new residential properties have been built, helping to drive new and existing retail development.
Wheaton’s projects include Waterford Place, begun in 1996. It features three buildings containing a total of 110 condominiums that sold out in May.
The Waterford project includes 1,100- to 2,000-square-foot units, priced from $150,000 to $240,000. Units were sold to a mix of residents including everything from first-time home buyers to empty-nesters.
Ray Franczak of developer R. Franczak & Associates in Des Plaines called the recently completed Waterford Place project “a great example of public and private cooperation.”
“Wheaton has been very proactive and is doing what it can to revitalize the downtown area,” Franczak said. “Our project is a great testament to that.
“We’ve done other projects like this in Skokie, Arlington Heights and Des Plaines, but the thing about Wheaton is that everyone — the trustees, the mayor, and staff — are all on the same page.”
Franczak said he has seen other communities where redevelopment plans haven’t worked and credits Wheaton’s vision in creating a tax increment financing (TIF) district years ago and using it correctly.
“There are towns that are just looking now at creating a TIF district and they’re way behind the eight-ball,” he said. “Others have not used a TIF district as it should be — to assemble parcels. The development doesn’t just happen because you have a TIF. There must be incentives to develop property as well.”
Carla Spielman, downtown manager for the Downtown Wheaton Association, who heads a group of property and business owners, said a matching grant program has been instrumental in providing incentives for new and established businesses.
“We have an economic restructuring committee that reviews applications for Downtown Wheaton Association grants,” Spielman said. “In May of 1998, we began offering up to $5,000 in matching grants that must be used for structural changes. We recognized that many of our older business properties have problems that are difficult to address and expensive to fix.”
Spielman said studies conducted internally and by outside firms indicated that a lot of niche markets remain unfilled in Wheaton. Those markets include children’s and baby stores, more variety in men’s and women’s clothing, home decorating and additional restaurants.
Among the new offerings are the ethnic Thai A-Roiy and La Mia Dolce restaurants, a Starbuck’s coffee shop slated to open by the end of the year, new ownership of the Wheaton Bagel Shop, and the showcase Hale Street Sea Food Grill, which will feature a wine tasting room offered by neighboring Roselle’s famous Lynfred Winery.
“In terms of eateries, we’ve done very well in the past year,” Spielman said. “Recruiting new businesses isn’t any easy task. Many of our properties are older, and it’s not just a matter of renovating a decor. There are electric and plumbing issues, and you’re dealing with a lot of first-time business planners. It gets costly.”
Spielman said both the Downtown Wheaton Association grants and facade grants offered by the city have helped offset some of the business expenses.
Economic development director Anne Wollensak said the city’s facade improvement grants are “modest contributions that were timed properly” and “primed the pump” in terms of resurrecting business interest in Wheaton.
“There has been wonderful participation and owners are serious about reinvesting in a big way,” Wollensak said. “So far, things have far exceeded our expectations. The market here was always good. This part of the county is so strong, we knew that given some opportunity, businesses could be successful.”
Wollensak said it was important the city recognize that many goods were being purchased at larger chains, leaving a market for specialty shops and services.
Another project that will undoubtedly drive new retail ventures downtown is Wheaton Place, a joint project of Centrum Properties and Joseph Freed Homes. It includes 43 condominiums and 10,000 square feet of retail space.
A new municipal parking facility has already been built which contains a separate parking area for condominium owners and the rest for municipal use.
The L-shaped Wheaton Place building has been praised in public meetings for its design, as it wraps around and hides the parking garage, creating a beautiful street front.
David Dewey, director of residential development for Joseph Freed, said one- and two-bedroom units will be offered, priced from $150,000 to $208,000.
“We have a one-bedroom Webster with 995 square feet, with one bath and also a couple of two-bedroom models, the Stevenson and the Fitzgerald,” Dewey said. “Both are 1,480 square feet in size, and have two bedrooms and two baths. The only difference is the layouts.” Another one-bedroom unit, known as the Hawthorne, also will be available. It offers 1,265 square feet of space and is priced around $160,000.
Construction should be completed by the end of the year. Dewey said over half the units are gone, and expects a sell-out by the end of the year.
La Salle Bank, the lending institution for the project, will occupy half of the 10,000 square feet of retail space. The bank’s current Wheaton location near Wesley Street and Seminary Avenue will be torn down and replaced by another project Dewey says is still in the conceptual stage.
“The proposed project calls for 33 town homes most likely priced between $200,000 and $300,000,” Dewey said. “Sizes will range from 1,800 to 2,600 square feet, with two or three bedrooms, and parking for two cars.”
Brick exterior with limestone detail will be used and some units will include basements. Dewey said the project should be finalized and begin construction next spring, with completion by the end of the year.
In reviewing Wheaton’s progress downtown, Wollensak says a “level of confidence has been created in new people coming in on Front and Hale Streets” but there is still work to be done.
“We still have work to do on Main Street regarding some redevelopment there,” she said. “I think we need to look at how we can tailor the facade dollars for Main Street, and work with property owners as we have with those to the west.
Confidence in Wheaton’s downtown eroded after a number of key occupants departed, including the Du Page county court house, which moved near the western boundary of the city.
The newness of the Danada Square area located to the south likewise drew people away from downtown, a trend Wollensak now sees as definitely changing.
“Danada Square draws people from a wide area, including Naperville, Lombard, and Aurora,” Wollensak said. “I look at this as a cyclical thing.
“We once had the county court house and other things, and when they left, some of the interest in downtown went with them. As tired as the saying gets, we’ve had to reinvent ourselves. We had the right tools. So many places don’t have a real downtown, but we didn’t have to market anything. We chose to be authentic.”
