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pPark Forest, the first planned community begun after the
second World War, has garnered attention and awards throughout its short
history. The downtown Park Forest Plaza was one of the first regional malls. New
and novel when built, it served the village and attracted people from across the
country. As the surrounding area developed, newer and bigger malls drew shoppers
and Park Forest’s downtown suffered the consequences. Today, Park Forest is
forging a new image for its downtown … that of the traditional main street. It
has been called one of the most exciting redevelopment projects in America. But,
the project is facing critical choices and lingering questions. "Park Forest's
downtown presents a unique opportunity to look at a growing trend in the Chicago
region — how to revitalize retail malls into new, vibrant downtown
environments," said John Mays, a partner at Gould and Ratner and immediate past
chair of ULI
Chicago.
Looking to strengthen Park Forest’s downtown and help
the village evaluate its next steps, the Campaign for Sensible Growth
and Urban Land Institute (ULI) Chicago
will convene a two-day technical assistance panel (TAP) on July 30 and 31 at the
Park Forest Village Hall. The panel, chaired by Mays, is intended to help the
village evaluate the status of the de-malling project and identify further
options and opportunities. “TAPs are a rare and valuable opportunity for
municipalities and neighborhoods to tap into the insight and advice of a broad
range of community development professionals,” says Ellen Shubart, manager of
the Campaign for Sensible Growth.
“The recommendations form the base of a customized action plan for each
community.”
The
Campaign and ULI have partnered on TAPs throughout the region for the past three
years in diverse communities, including: Richmond, Hanover Park, and Highland
Park. A panel of experts in fields ranging from transportation and land use, to
law and finance is convened in each community to take a close and educated look
at the situation.
Based on
interviews with residents and public officials, and on-site investigations, the
panels present recommendations in a public session at the end of the second day.
Surrounded
by acres of parking lots, Park Forest’s downtown has been a “drive to”
destination for civic, retail and cultural activity.
The village hopes to integrate retail
with new mixed-income housing to create a vibrant mixed-use development that
draws people on foot, bicycle, public transit and by car.
The
Park Forest Village Board has presented specific questions to the TAP.
Included are questions about how to
increase the density and diversity of retail businesses in the downtown, how to
develop vacant parcels, what kind of financial options are available to support
new development and how to best integrate residential development in the new
plans for downtown.
The
Urban Land Institute is a national, nonprofit education and research institute
that is supported by its members.
Its mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in
order to enhance the total environment. ULI Chicago consists of more than 800
ULI members living and working in the Chicago region. One of the first ULI
District Councils formed, today it is one of the largest in the
nation.
The
Campaign for Sensible Growth is an action-oriented coalition of nearly 200
government, civic and business leaders in northeastern Illinois' six counties
(Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will) working to promote economic
development while preserving open space, minimizing the need for costly new
infrastructure and improving the livability of our communities.
WHAT
:
Technical Assistance Panel in Park Forest
WHEN:
Media
availability can be arranged on July 30. Members of the working media are
invited to the final presentation to the community at 3:00 p.m., July 31,
2003
WHERE: Park Forest
Village
Hall, 350 Victory Drive
WHO:
ULI
Chicago/Campaign for Sensible Growth
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