MUNICIPALITIES REJUVENATE DOWNTOWNS
WITH MIX-USE PROJECTS

By MICHAEL BORDENARO, Professional Service Marketing, Chicago

As municipalities surrounding Chicago rejuvenate or enhance their downtowns to adjust to positive demographic and economic changes, it is sensitive design, public/private partnership normally initiated by the municipality, and mixed-uses that has enabled successful developments. Lombard, Northfield, Arlington Heights, Oak Park, and Evanston have all recently completed or are in the process of constructing developments in their downtown areas that share these common themes.

LOMBARD: THE PARK AVENUE APARTMENTS DESIGNED BY INTERPLAN
The Park Avenue Apartments, designed by Interplan Practice of Oakbrook Terrace, will be built near the Central Business District on property at St. Charles Road and Park Avenue that the American Land Companies purchased from the Village of Lombard. The site was the location of a former Village Hall and the Lincoln School. The Village purchased the property from School District 44 and sponsored a development competition. Lombard's Mayor Richard Arnold said American Land Companies, the winning developer, was chosen because they presented best financial figures and demonstrated quality experience in the ability to complete the project successfully.

American Land Companies will construct 64 court apartments in eight two-story 8-unit buildings and a 215 unit 8-story apartment tower. 215 covered parking spaces will be available for the towers and 252 grade level spaces will be available for the court apartments.

The two-story court apartments were designed by Interplan Practice with wood siding and shingle roofs to reflect the single family character in the area. Mayor Arnold said the building mix is appreciated because the low-rise units reflect the adjacent residential buildings and the high-rise fits with the nearby commercial buildings.

To provide continuity between Lombard's past and its future, Interplan Practice will use arches, pediments and other stone pieces from the Lincoln School and Village Hall as exterior sculpture and decorations in the heavily landscaped recreational area, near park benches, in fountains and on signs.

Park Avenue Apartments will provide a new client base for downtown Lombard's 79 businesses and institutions. It is hoped that the project will also create the need for even more retail and personal service businesses.

NORTHFIELD VILLAGE CENTER DESIGNED BY OTIS ASSOCIATES
The first phase of the Northfield Village Center, a three-building, mixed-use development designed by Otis Associates, is near completion. The development is located at 300 Happ Road on property the Village of Northfield leased to Otis Company after the development firm won a competition to create a landmark focal point for the community. The competition was based on the project's financial feasibility and, above all, sensitivity by the designers to the tone and architectural quality of suburban Northfield.

The Village sent 50 developers requests to conceive a plan for a mixed-use project that would meet zoning and financial criteria and pay attention to Northfield's human scale. Otis Associates, a full-service architecture firm, helped win the competition by creating a design which features a plaza in the center of retail, office and residential buildings which are ringed by a narrow band of parking.

At the center of the plaza is a fountain which is circled by park benches and a ring of trees. These elements combine to create a space within a space, which will be enjoyable even when there isn't a need to shop or visit the adjacent offices.

The brick and wood structures around the plaza include a one-story 13,300 square foot retail building; a two-story 18,451 square foot building with retail on the

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first level and offices on the second; and a four-story condominium apartment building with approximately 40 units, ten of which will be made available for the Village of Northfield to rent to senior citizens. Each building has its own unique character but through the use of similar materials and design details they all relate to one another at a human-scaled space.

The steeple-roofed retail building will house specialty retailers, upscale boutiques and food services. The retail portion of the two-story office/retail building will be used for service businesses. And, according to the competition requirements the wood shake roofed condominium apartments were designed for the adult housing market. The residential building, which will be built during the second phase, will have a roof deck that will allow views over the plaza.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, EVANSTON AND OAK PARK WORK WITH RESCORP
RESCORP Development, Inc., subsidiary of The Savings & Loan Network, Inc., is wholly owned by more than 50 Illinois savings and loan institutions. A majority of RESCORP's projects involve downtown developments. The following are descriptions of three such projects.

200 Arlington Place at 200 Arlington Heights Road consists of a seven-story building and an eleven-story building with a total of 409 luxury rental apartments and 41,000 square feet of commercial space for restaurants, shops, and offices.

According to Frank Charlton, Arlington Heights Assistant Village Manager, the project was conceived as the anchor for the new tax increment financing area. It is expected to spur further growth and interest in the district. There are 550 covered parking spaces for residents and commercial tenants in an adjacent four-story, 820-space parking lot being constructed by the City of Arlington Heights in anticipation of the growth. The Village also improved the streetscape with attractive pavement sidewalks, lighting and landscaping.

The $36 million project, initiated by RESCORP, is

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the largest mixed-use development in the Arlington Heights downtown area.

Church Street Plaza at Church Street and Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois will be an eight-story tower with 190 luxury apartments along the facade and on the top three floors. A five-story parking garage will contain 821 parking spaces, 621 spaces for city use and 200 spaces dedicated to residents. According to Evanston Village Manager, Joel Asprooth, the $23 million building project is the result of the need for additional parking in the downtown area and the realization that "it was most beneficial to construct the garage as part of a larger, mixed-use development."

Asprooth said that a request for proposal was written and that responses were judged on the potential for tax revenue, ability to accommodate the parking requirements and not have an unsightly building, the developer's experience in working in an older urban environment and their ability to carry out the project in a timely manner. The pending market rate, mixed-use project will also act as a transition from the downtown to a residential section and was judged on its positive impact on the neighborhood.

100 Forest Place at Lake Street and Forest Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois is a residential and commercial mixed-use development on 3.3 acres adjacent to Oak Park's primary downtown shopping district. The property was purchased by Oak Park after an independent owner was unable to develop the property. Sara Bode, the former Mayor of Oak Park, asked RESCORP to present a financial and design concept for the property.

RESCORP's development includes 90 garden and townhouse residences and 144 apartments in a 15-story tower, a retail component consisting of 9,000 square feet and a parking structure for 234 cars. 100 Forest Place was completed in December, 1986, and achieved full occupancy five months later.

The $20 million development is set in a Tax Increment Financing District. In addition to municipal deferment of the land purchase price, provisions were made for perimeter site improvements and changes were granted in the zoning ordinance to allow above-grade pedestrian plaza and walkways. •

September 1988 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 9