To keep Oak Lawn vibrant and modern, village officials have faced complex decisions in planning landscaping, dealing with developers and local businesses, and keeping residents comfortable with the changes.
The rejuvenation of downtown, along 95th Street from 51st to 54th Avenues, has brought larger businesses, new life for small businesses, significant streetscape changes and additional revenue from sales taxes.
“Trends are changing,” said Oak Lawn Mayor Ernest F. Kolb. “Businesses are no longer just looking at the malls. Developers want stand-alone stores. They want popular stores in small areas that are well placed and well built.”
The downtown reformation actually began in the 1980s. The first major construction started when the state widened 95th from two lanes to four. The additional traffic lanes, though, eliminated diagonal parking, Kolb said.
In 1986 Oak Lawn officials targeted the dilapidated Brandt Building and an abandoned gas station on the south side of 95th near Tulley Avenue.
The 103-year-old building, which housed a tavern and later the gas station, was purchased for about $1.5 million and razed.
“It took about six years to consolidate the real estate there, and then we sold it to Harris Bank. They developed it,” said Joseph J. Faber, the village manager and finance director. “It was our hope to make that area aesthetically attractive.”
In 1997 Harris Bank wanted the site for a branch office, and the developer, Northern Realty Group Ltd. in Chicago, worked with the bank to buy the land from the village for $1.5 million.
The bank built a strip mall adjacent to the Metra train stop. Other tenants included Starbucks and Hollywood Video.
The developer zeroed in on Oak Lawn after doing a site search throughout the south suburbs.
The 95th Street site was appealing because Oak Lawn provided strong demographics and a dense, stable population, said Michael Shields, executive vice president of Northern Realty Group.
“We liked the site for several reasons: a hardworking populace, heavy traffic, a reasonable distance from the Loop and an ambitious village government with real vision,” Shields said.
Developers often look at a town’s infrastructure, how it recognizes change and upgrades its streets while accommodating residents and businesses, Shields said.
Caribou Coffee, Panera Bread and Krispy Kreme also are looking at moving into Oak Lawn.
“Some older towns may be appealing with their quaint shops,” Shields said. “But you also have to consider practical things, like convenience and parking.”
By the mid-’90s, village officials had planned a distinctive downtown look, with the help of the consulting firm Trkla, Pettigrew, Allen & Payne Inc.
The old village hall complex was razed and replaced with a village green.
The green, which includes a gazebo and a veterans memorial, is just north of the Oak Lawn Public Library, 9427 S. Raymond Ave.
The new Village Hall, 9446 S. Raymond, which opened in 1995, is just west of the library. It houses the administrative offices, Police and Fire Departments and a 911 communication center.
The Village Hall complex and village green cost about $9 million. The state provided $1.5 million in grants. Fees from cable companies using village rights of way funded the balance, Faber said.
By 1998 the sidewalks had been renovated.
They’re wider and feature double-globe street lamps. Bookend-like flowerpots line 95th from 51st to 54th.
During the holiday season, this section is ablaze with lights. In the summer and fall, free concerts including the summer series and festivals such as Fall on the Green are offered.
“We’re trying to bring the family feel back to the center of town,” Kolb said.
Traffic density, both pedestrian and vehicular, and what the town center is like, including the kinds and number of businesses, are integral considerations for developers.
The library has been a magnet for families, who also shop and eat in the vicinity, said James Webb, Oak Lawn’s community development director.
“The pulse of our town is turning,” Webb said. “We’re getting younger families with kids.”
While businesses thrive on heavy traffic, office complexes are considered only destinations and thus can be located in lighter traffic sections, away from downtown.
Transportation also became an issue as the town grew and developed.
During the 1980s, the commuter train line made only one stop each way at Oak Lawn on weekdays.
Now the Metra line, which runs from Orland Park to Union Station in Chicago, offers seven trains in and out of Oak Lawn each weekday.Within the next two years, weekday service is expected to increase to 24 trains each way. In addition, weekend service is being planned..
At the same time, something needed to be done about commuter parking.
Commuters were parking in hodgepodge fashion in an abandoned coal yard at 51st south of 95th.
In 1983 the city acquired the lot from the Brandt family for $430,000, then paved and marked it for 400 cars.
Because of the increase in train service and commuters, the village recently bought a site north of the Harris Bank strip mall for about $385,000 to provide parking for 120 cars.
Metra paid the village about 75 percent of the cost of the two and the remainder came from state grants, Faber said.
The expansion of 95th and the increased Metra service have helped downtown Oak Lawn.
But more parking and access to downtown businesses were necessary if Oak Lawn was to compete with nearby Chicago Ridge Mall in Chicago Ridge and Evergreen Plaza in Evergreen Park, Kolb said.
The redevelopment of 95th “has had a huge effect on our small business people,” he said. “We’ve got to provide parking for these stores so they can exist. And if we can beautify the area, it will be an asset to the community.”
With the rejuvenation of the downtown over the last decade, some businesses were relocated to other parts of Oak Lawn.
A safe company, tavern, real estate office and dry cleaner were among those assisted by the village when they had to move to new sites.
Sales taxes from the village’s 1,100 businesses have added to the town’s coffers, rising to $10.4 million in 1999 from $7.5 million in 1991, Faber said.
Part of the money has been used for streetscape improvements. In addition, the equalized assessed valuation for the community has risen to $777 million in 1999 from $583 million in 1991.
“We also try to keep up with our infrastructure,” Kolb said. “For example, we try to repair streets on an annual basis. If we don’t keep up our neighborhoods, it’s the worst thing that can happen.
“When the streets are repaired, that alone adds about $10,000 value to houses.”
The population of Oak Lawn has been increasing. In 1990, the U.S. Census showed the village had 56,183 residents. Officials estimate that will increase to 58,500 when the 2000 census figures are released. “There have been a lot of other towns around the state that have been dying because they don’t change,” Webb said. “When the malls went up around here, we decided to make this a place to live, work and shop.”
While change often can be difficult to accept, especially for long-time business owners who must uproot, Oak Lawn officials believe the long-term goal will benefit everyone.
“Our goal now is, `What is the best use of our town?’ and `What is good for the community?'” Webb said.
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For more information on Oak Lawn, visit the Web site www.lincolnnet.net. Click on Communities; scroll down to Oak Lawn in the list, then click on View.
