In Oak Park, Development Slogs On

On Thursday, we on some of the public projects planned by the village of Oak Park, where leaders say they're on track to hit targets outlined in the Downtown Master Plan, a 20-year guide for development.

Today, we'll take another look at the progress on some of the village's other plans, plus a look ahead what's up for retail space. According to village data, here's where Oak Park stands in terms of their goals over the next 20 years:

Housing units

Goal: 1,200 new
Built: 330, with 270 more coming when Lake and Forest is completed in 2014.

Civic and Cultural Development

Goal: 20,000 square feet
Built: None

Office Space

Goal: 121,000 sqaure feet
Built: None

Public Squares

Goal: 40,000 sqaure feet
Built: small pockets on North Marion Street

Retail

Goal: 207,000 square feet
Built: 45,000 so far, and 25,000 possible at Lake and Forest development.

At Monday's village board meeting, trustees were prepped on what’s on the drawing board for bringing in new retail.

Business development folks will "strike a balance between popular national brands and carefully selected independents, said Loretta Daly, the village’s business service manager. Target, and Crate and Barrel topped the list of stores that respondents to a recent survey wanted the village for the site.

Whether Oak Park can attract them is uncertain.

Other sites around town are ripe for development now, or at least in the near future. They include the Lake and Forest site and the "Clark Street development," which would put a new multi-story, mixed use building at Harlem and South Boulevard, Daly said.

Because of the visionary planning — and Oak Park's proximity to mass transit — village officials are optimistic that Oak Park will come out ahead.

“We’re in a strong position visa-vis other communities in terms of changing preferences and demographic shifts," Village President David Pop said. "We are poised to take advantage of the situation when the economy improves."