Darien Downtown Plan Dead: Mayor

DARIEN, IL — Darien's mayor said Monday a plan to develop a downtown at the northwest corner of Cass Avenue and 75th Street is "dead." That's because Darien School District 61, which owns the property, is not interested, he said.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese said the school board was reluctant to sign a memorandum of understanding for the city to perform an appraisal and hire an architect to develop a concept.

In January, the mayor expressed support for the city's 2006 comprehensive plan, which called for developing land near the intersection. Marchese's proposal would have used the 12 acres that make up Lace Elementary School, the Old Lace Schoolhouse Museum and Safety Village for a new housing and retail development. From the beginning, Marchese said the project would die if the school district decided against it.

The mayor said the development could have consisted of condos, luxury apartments and retail, including a mall. He said he had spoken with a developer who said the mall could have featured two or three restaurants and that it would be "a wonderful idea" to include the Lace Elementary building in the plan.

"The naysayers said we were going to tear down the school. None of that was true. The motive was to create a new area for the city and increase our sales tax base," Marchese said. "We will move on with other projects in the city."

Marchese said he and Darien City Administrator Bryon Vanna would meet with District 61 officials to learn why the school board rejected the idea.

Vanna told the council that the district informed him no one on the school board was willing to vote for the memorandum of understanding.

Marchese has noted the dropping enrollment at Lace Elementary. The mayor said if Lace shut down, then up to 16 classrooms could be added to Mark DeLay Elementary. District 61's enrollment has dropped by 20 percent since 2002.

At a council meeting last month, two parents questioned the downtown proposal, saying it would hurt local students. The idea also was criticized on social media.

A half century ago, residents of four residential subdivisions formed an association that ended up founding Darien. Because of that history, Darien has no downtown.