Two months after the director of Lincolnwood’s Parks and Recreation Department left to pursue a new job, the village will lose its longtime community development director to retirement at the end of the month.
Since he was hired as the village’s first-ever economic development director in 1995, Tim Clarke continued working for Lincolnwood for the next 21 years, his title changing over to community development director in 2000 when the late former mayor of Lincolnwood Madeleine Grant created the village’s first Community Development Department in 2000.
During his two decades with the village, Clarke was instrumental in helping the village establish four tax increment financing (TIF) districts, which have pushed the village closer toward some if its economic goals, including the opening of the Lowe’s store on Touhy Avenue.
In his final years with the Community Development Department, Clarke has been overseeing the still-progressing redevelopment of the former Dominick’s store on McCormick Boulevard, the on-and-off-again plans to build a massive downtown area in place of the former Purple Hotel site, and other projects like the opening of a Binny’s liquor store in the former Lincolnwood Produce building on Lincoln Avenue.
Clarke, who held positions with both Cook County the city of Evanston before coming to Lincolnwood, is credited with serving as the staff liaison to the village’s Economic Development Commission and in a support role to the Plan Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Ahead of his last meeting with the Village Board coming up on Jan. 19, Clarke reflects on his career with the village and discusses how the village’s commercial landscape has changed during the past two decades.
Q: What will you miss most about your job?
A: The people who live in the community and my fellow co-workers.
Q: What are the biggest changes you’ve seen take shape in the village’s commercial landscape over the years?
A: When I started working here, the community wasn’t as warm to retail as it is now. I remember hearing people say that Lincoln Avenue was meant to be just a bank and office district, and that all the retail belonged in (Lincolnwood Town Center). Now there’s a lot more openness to retail.
Q: What were some of the challenges you faced during your career?
A: The challenges of getting businesses to open in a town are very fundamental. Parking has always been a challenge in Lincolnwood, however, because many of the commercial properties were developed in the 1960s and weren’t designed to meet the parking needs of today. Back then, relying on a car was a fact of life, but there were less cars because only one person per family typically had a car.
There are also some challenging properties in the community that are too small for today’s retail needs. The angled street on Lincoln Avenue presents some development issues.
Q: What were some of the most impactful projects you worked on over the years?
A: I worked on a property enhancement program, and also helped the village secure several TIF districts that resulted in substantial projects coming to the community. I also led the Touhy-Crawford Improvement Project and a citizens’ committee for developing Lincoln Avenue that eventually led to changes in the zoning code.
Q: Why was now the right time for you to retire?
A: I’ve never been one of those people who focused on retiring. It’s just been a confluence of events, especially since last year since my daughter had her first child. That gave me a different perspective about how I spend my time. They live in Ohio, and I’d like to be able to spend more time with her.
Working for the village means late meetings almost every week, and the grueling days started to wear on me. It’s exciting in some ways, but it’s sad to leave all the people you’ve come to know and like and love. These 21 years went by very fast.
Q: Aside from Ohio, any other places you’d like to visit during retirement?
A: I want to do a lot of traveling so I can experience other environments. I love the redwoods in California and Oregon. I’ll initially take some time and re-energize, and after that we’ll see what doors will open at the end of the day.
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
