Downers Grove, Darien and Woodridge may all be communities in southeastern DuPage County, but they do vary when it comes to economic development strategies.
“They have real distinctions in their situations and demographics that give them different economic development options,” said Mark Baloga, executive director of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference. “There are going to be distinctions in the type of economic development they will do.”
Downers Grove is focused on revitalizing its downtown after a four-year Main Street reconstruction project. Woodridge, meanwhile, is working with the developers of the Seven Bridges project on expansion plans near the northwest corner of Illinois Highway 53 and Hobson Road. Darien, a largely residential community, is working to develop a town center near 75th Street and Cass Avenue.
Downers Grove
As many local residents are aware, Main Street from Maple to Franklin Streets as well as Curtis Street from Forest Avenue to Washington Street saw a total road reconstruction project between 1998 and 2002 to replace 100-year-old infrastructure.
The lengthy project caused sales declines for some stores and forced some to close for good, several owners confirmed. But a coordinated effort to improve the downtown came about with the reconstruction project.
Downers Grove officials developed a tax increment financing district and a special service area to attract and retain new businesses as well as pay for marketing and advertising the downtown.
One of the village council’s conditions when developing the TIF district was the creation of a downtown organization to promote the area. Linda Kunze is the downtown manager of the more than 6-year-old Downers Grove Downtown Management Corp.
Kunze said the downtown has come a long way and today has 356 businesses, including 40 that opened in 2003. There is currently one storefront vacancy in the downtown.
“Most of our businesses survived [the reconstruction project] and that says a lot about the community,” she said. “Things are really doing very well.”
Another piece of the downtown puzzle that will soon be completed is a five-level, 762-space parking garage near Curtis and Main Streets. Construction began last June and is slated to be completed in July, said Brian Parks, senior engineer with the village’s public works department.
The downtown’s parking availability is on the mind of storeowners such as Philip Thomas, owner of Phil’s Barber Shop, 934 Warren Ave. He said he hopes the garage improves an on-street parking crunch.
That may be even more important with the new development near his storefront. In late February and early March, stores opened within The Gammonley Group’s mixed-use Station Crossing development at Main Street and Warren Avenue.
Some of the new businesses in that development include Let’s Go Bistro, 970 Warren Ave., State Farm Insurance, 960 Warren Ave., Mia Alexandra Salon & Spa and Shoofly Pie Diner, 950 Warren Ave.
Sue Shamie, owner of Shoofly Pie Diner, which serves specialty sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts, said she scouted locations for about 18 months before she signed a lease at Station Crossing.
“Downers Grove is on a push, and this particular location is really conducive to what we do,” Shamie said. “There is quite a bit of foot traffic.”
Farther south on Main Street, other new businesses have opened such as Bally Doyle, an Irish pub at 5157 Main St., Happy Dog Barkery, a dog and cat care company at 5118 Main St., Knitche Inc., a knitting store at 5150 Main St., The Bagby Collection, an antique store, opened in April at 4928 Main St. Emmett’s Ale House is scheduled to open at the end of May at 5200 Main St.
Efforts are now under way by the village council to develop another mixed-use development on a block bounded by Burlington Avenue on the north, Curtis Street on the south, Washington Street on the east and Main Street on the west. The site has a parking lot, a post office and some retail locations.
Joseph Skach, village director of planning and community development, said the village council has asked four developers to put together proposals to acquire and develop the site. Developers are expected to submit their proposals in June.
Darien
The city of Darien doesn’t have a downtown, but city officials are working on a “town center” at 75th Street and Cass Avenue, said Greg Dreyer, Darien’s director of community development.
The 11-acre triangle property is bound by 75th Street on the north, Cass Avenue on the west and Plainfield Road on the south.
Commercial properties and 96 apartment units with 13 owners occupy the site, Dreyer said. City officials began the process for developing the site in 2002 after completing a new comprehensive plan for the city.
Mayor Carmen Soldato in 2003 created a redevelopment commission to work on the project. Last year, the commission and City Council worked on a game plan for the site and declared the property a redevelopment district, which gives it power of eminent domain, Dreyer said.
The City Council and the city’s Redevelopment Commission recently began the process of interviewing two possible developers for the site: The Gammonley Group and TMK Development and Comar Development.
The Gammonley Group and TMK Development have proposed a mixed-use development with 67,138 square feet of retail, 26,280 square feet for four restaurants, a three-level parking garage, a two-story, 21,200-square-foot office building and two four-story, 80,060-square-foot condominium buildings and a 1-acre city park.
No details are yet available on the Comar Development proposal.
Beyond the city’s town center plans, Dreyer said developer Bradford Real Estate Services is working on Marketplace at Darien, a retail center at the southwest corner of 75th Street and Lyman Avenue. The company’s plans call for an Oak Brook Bank branch and three retail buildings to house 10 to 12 retail stores. Construction is scheduled to start later this month, with tenants moving in by October.
Another visible change in the local landscape is construction on a new building for architectural, engineering and construction company Wight & Co. at Interstate Highway 55 and Lemont Road. The firm is relocating its headquarters and 125 employees from Downers Grove to its new facility, which is scheduled to be completed by September.
Woodridge
One of the prominent projects under review by Woodridge village officials is the expansion of Forest City/Harris Group’s Seven Bridges development.
The 400-acre development, which was initially started in the late 1980s, near the northwest corner of Illinois Highway 53 and Hobson Road has already seen $250 million in investment.
It has more than 300 single-family homes, 46 town homes, a golf course, an ice rink, an Edward Health and Fitness Center, condominiums and apartments, a multi-screen movie theater complex, and retail and office space.
Peter Martin, president of Forest City/Harris Group, said its latest project, Main Street at Seven Bridges, would offer more retail, office and residential units and a hotel.
About 100,000 square feet of new retail will be constructed with possibly five to six new restaurants, he said.
And 140 condominiums are proposed for the project.
Martin said his firm hopes to break ground by the end of this year. He said he is confident the market will support the new development.
“We have people knocking on the door,” he said. “We are known over a wide area. We will position ourselves as a destination for family entertainment and recreation.”
Another area of Woodridge that has been successful is International Centre, a 950-acre multi-use business park developed by California-based Catellus Development Corp. that takes advantage of the village’s location at the junction of Interstates 355 and 55.
Michael Mays, Woodridge’s acting director of planning and development, said the park, which opened in 1989, has fared well and has about 50 acres of land remaining for development. A majority of tenants at International Centre use the park as a warehouse and distribution location.
“It’s a good place to do business,” Mays said. “[They have] amenities there for not only doing business, but also for their employees.” Some of those include a nearby bike path and convenient retail and restaurants, he said.
Not far away, Chicago-based Bridge Development Partners is set to begin its second phase of the Woodhill Crossings Business Park, which is south of Davey Road and east of Joliet Road. The first phase put two buildings on 80 acres and the second phase will have two 200,000 square feet of speculative office/warehouse facilities on 45 acres.
