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Berwyn TIF and Superblock

(6 posts)
  • Started 5 years ago by ChrisHajer
  • Latest reply from CandiGrace

  1. ChrisHajer
    Member

    I started this thread to direct some of the Berwyn talk from some of the other threads.

    I saw the dead tree version of the Berwyn Suburban Life today and it mentioned that a developer has been chosen for the superblock site. The Berwyn Center LLC proposal was selected. The newspaper's website does not have the story yet, and the Berwyn website does not have the minutes from the January 9th meeting up yet.

    The Berwyn Development Corporation website:
    http://www.berwyn.net/bdc/

    I found the boundaries of their four TIF districts in this PDF:
    http://www.berwyn.net/bdc/documents/DesignGuidelines11.30.05.pdf (caution, 14.5MB file)

    Berwyn Theatre Area/Cermak Road
    —¢ Established 1987, Amended 1997
    Boundaries: EW Harlem - Lombard, fronting NS Cermak Road
    *Average Daily Traffic Counts 28,000

    Ogden Avenue Corridor
    —¢ Established 1993, Amended 1995
    Boundaries: EW Harlem - Lombard, fronting NS Ogden Avenue
    *Average Daily Traffic Counts 26,000

    South Berwyn/Depot District
    —¢ Established 1997
    Boundaries: NS on Oak Park Avenue between 31 and 34 Streets and
    EW along Windsor and Stanley - between Ridgeland and Home Ave.
    *Average Daily Traffic Counts (unavailable)

    Roosevelt Road Corridor
    —¢ Established 1997
    Boundaries: Lombard - Maple Avenue, fronting along the South side of Roosevelt only.
    *Average Daily Traffic Counts 22,000

    Harlem to Lombard is as wide as Berwyn is, in total, isn't it? The last TIF goes west only to Maple, which is one street east of Harlem (so it does not include McDonalds or the Shell there on the SE corner of Harlem and Roosevelt.)

    Also related, this past week Salerno's moved from inside Cappucino's (south side of Roosevelt 1/2 block inside the TIF) to the north side of Roosevelt which is Oak Park. I wonder what the story is there? Maybe they just needed more space.

    Found this in the linked PDF:

    A focus on cooperative development efforts with the Village of Oak Park, which includes the properties on the northern side of Roosevelt Road, has led to a study of the street as a whole, as well as the north-south “sub-areas— that make up the whole.

    Posted Sunday Jan 14, 2007 00:26 #

  2. KimJ
    Member

    Wow. Berwyn has been busy with TIF's.
    Does anyone know how well the schools are doing over there?
    Those traffic count numbers are unbelievable.

    Posted Sunday Jan 14, 2007 04:20 #

  3. MikeT
    Member

    Does Riverside have hard traffic count numbers? I guess I am talking about on streets that feed commercial --on forest, Longcommon, quincy, burlington, harlem, ogden.

    miket

    Posted Sunday Jan 14, 2007 16:00 #

  4. ChrisHajer
    Member

    City (Berwyn) picks Superblock developer -- again

    ...The group made preservation of the historic American State Bank building the cornerstone of its plans, hoping to put a unique restaurant into the space. The group said it hase had interest in the space from national and local chains. Company officials did not return calls for comment.

    The remainder of the Superblock would be developed with a four-story mixed use building and two-story parking garage. The first floor of the new building would offer almost 10,000 square feet in new retail space, with three stories of 45 condominium units above. ...

    http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/story.php?sid=78460&pub=3

    Posted Sunday Jan 14, 2007 18:12 #

  5. Catherine
    Member

    The good news is that they chose not the highest bidder, but the best bidder, after a transparent process: the one that has retained famed preservationist architect Gunny Harboe as its consultant, showing that old and new do not have to be enemies. From 12/24 of the same newspaper:

    "While the council did not indicate a preference during the meeting, the corporation's Cermak/Roosevelt TIF commission's original ranking identified Berwyn Center LLC as its clear preference of development group.

    ...

    One of the major strong points of the group, as identified by members of the TIF commission, is the team's inclusion of historic preservation architect, Gunny Harboe. Harboe has concentrated much of his work on restoration on buildings including Chicago's Rookery Building, the Chicago Board of Trade and the Carson Pirie Scott/Sullivan Center.

    "The intent is to retain as much of the historic fabric (of the bank building) as possible, and to only intervene when we absolutely have to," Harboe told the council Dec. 19. "

    I wrote to the Village Board on this project suggesting we might retain this architect as the master architect called for by the TOD, if implemented, but have received no acknowledgement of my transmission.

    Posted Tuesday Jan 16, 2007 12:04 #

  6. CandiGrace
    Member

    Catherine - consider this your acknowledgement :) We got your transmission. Of course, you realize we can't discuss it or take action on it until it next appears on our agenda :)

    Posted Tuesday Jan 16, 2007 12:42 #

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