The small stores that take root occasionally in Oak Forest have done little to build a solid retail base or lower property taxes, but that may change after adoption of a sweeping redevelopment plan by the City Council.
The Gateway Corridors project, which was unanimously passed by the council Tuesday night, will target the city’s main entrances and thoroughfares for retail development and beautification.
The goal is to attract motorists and Metra commuters to the city’s stores, restaurants and other services, rather than let them continue to speed by to Tinley Park and Orland Park retail establishments.
The redevelopment includes Cicero Avenue between 149th Street to the north and 167th Street on the south, as well as 159th Street from Oak Park Avenue to Cicero. A major focus is the intersection at 159th and Cicero.
“I’m relieved it happened,” said Mayor Patrick Gordon of the vote to approve the plan. “It’s a big step, and I’m looking forward to getting our hands dirty and starting to shop for developers and hopefully, by spring, starting with some of the projects.”
Gordon and Bob McNeil, director of community development for the city, have been working with architectural consultants from Ziolkowski, Porter, Damato and Associates of Chicago for months, holding public meetings to ask residents what types of services they want.
The plans, which have yet to be made call for a transportation hub at 159th and Cicero near the Metra station with a mixture of retail stores, specialty shops, restaurants and service-oriented businesses.
Throughout the redevelopment area, landscape, signs and facade improvements and possibly even street furniture are planned. Officials said they hope to extend the beauty of the Cook County forest preserve, which is to the north and east of intersection, by adding green space, trees and planters.
“We’re looking at the project to create a sense of place for people who use the corridor on a daily basis, to provide a sense of arrival for people who are newcomers and to provide a sense of community by giving the town a focal point … a center of community life,” McNeil said.
In addition, the city is talking to officials of Arbor Park School District 145 about possibly buying Arbor Park Middle Scchool, 15900 Oak Ave., so the property could be part of a redevelopment. If that happens, the city would fund construction of a new school at another location.
City officials hope a national senior housing developer might want to buy the property and put retail shops on the ground floor. But the deal between the city and school will only work if the developer is willing to buy the property and wait until a new school is built, so students can remain in their current location in the meantime.
“We continue to be optimistic,” said Supt. Jim Upchurch of District 145. “This is just a tremendous opportunity for our community and the school district.”
The city is also hoping to bring a few big box stores to 40 acres at 167th and Cicero, but that plan is up in the air as well. The area and its 17 homes would need to be annexed from unincorporated Cook County, and residents recently hired a lawyer to stymie the maneuver.
“The rest of the plan is something they need to go ahead with but they shouldn’t be thinking of annexing an area they don’t own,” said Paul Nevell, a longtime resident of the area.
City officials have also been meeting with Metra officials about building a new station and adding tiered or underground parking to the area. They also hope to persuade the owners of Wille Concrete Mixing and Distribution Plant near the Metra station to move in the next few years, so the property could be used for redevelopment.
Gordon said the city and its consultant would be starting landscape and streetscape improvements in the new future, using tax-increment-financing district funds, as it looked for developers. TIF funds are also being used to attract developer to the area. Gordon said construction could start in the spring of 2004 or 2005.
