Tinley Park plan commissioners have rejected a proposal to create an entertainment district on the village’s south side to try to attract more tourism-oriented businesses to an area that has lagged in development.
Commissioners voted 5-2 Thursday night against the 630-acre district, with the opposition related to a tall sign along eastbound Interstate 80 that advertises an outdoor music theater under its former name and that the new sponsor of the theater is not interested in using.
The Plan Commission did approve revisions to the village’s sign ordinance, making it more restrictive, which is linked to the issue of the I-80 sign and its future. That sign is the only commercial sign in Tinley Park not located on the business property that it advertises.
As part of the entertainment district plan, the district would be promoted on the large sign between Harlem and Oak Park avenues. The sign promoted First Midwest Bank’s six-year sponsorship of the 23,000-seat music theater that ended this year. Hollywood Casino is the new sponsor and does not intend to lease the sign, village officials said.
The Plan Commission’s recommendation regarding forming the Rich Township Entertainment District is likely to be rejected by village trustees, who appear to favor it as a way to spur further tourism-related development in Tinley Park.
The district would be bordered by 183rd Street to the north, Harlem Avenue to the west, Vollmer Road to the south and Ridgeland Avenue to the east. Besides the music theater, the Tinley Park Convention Center and the Odyssey Fun World amusement center are within that area.
The proposed district would not offer more tax breaks for developers beyond those offered now, which village officials consider substantial. But it would place restrictions on the types of businesses allowed there to ensure that they complement the existing entertainment-oriented businesses.
Village Planning Director Amy Connolly said growth within the proposed district has stagnated because of it being in Cook County but near Will County, which has a much lower property tax. She described the area as the “most economically depressed area in Tinley.”
Commission Chairman Rita Walker agreed, saying “look at those lots that are just sitting there,” referring to about 130 vacant acres, not all of which are buildable. Alluding to previous actions by the village to try to stimulate business growth in the downtown area and elsewhere, Walker said “this is just doing something for another part of our town that needs a boost.”
Connolly said that without Hollywood Casino leasing the privately owned sign, it does not comply with the sign ordinance, being an off-premise sign. She said having the sign only advertise businesses in the entertainment district, would put the sign in compliance and help increase interest in the district.
Leading the opposition during Thursday night’s two-hour discussion was Commissioner Bob McClellan, who insisted that the I-80 sign should be able to be used by any business in the village rather than just those in the entertainment district.
“It will be one of the most visible signs in a 20-mile stretch on I-80,” McClellan said, and should not “limit the opportunities for other businesses.”
But Walker characterized as “overkill” allowing any business to advertise on the sign. She and Commissioner Tom “Doc” Mahoney supported establishing the entertainment district.
Commissioner Mark Mobry said he would like the village to acquire the sign and “get the (advertising) revenue from it.”
Oak Brook-based Intercontinental Real Estate and Development owns the I-80 sign and wants to convert it to an electronic sign. Intercontinental owns approximately 40 percent of the land within the proposed entertainment district, according to Connolly.
Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
