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player ready...The push to give Palatine`s downtown a face lift is about to go national. Village trustees are expected to give the final go-ahead Monday to solicit proposals from across the country for redesigning the old village center.
More than 18 firms will be mailed guidelines for bidding on the project, intended to create a new look that will revive the downtown area as a true focal point of the village, said community development director Richard Kozdras.
The entire effort is expected to take up to 10 years. But the first step is critical, officials say.
”It will be impossible to have a successful project without an outstanding design to begin with,” said Martha Bell, a local architect who leads the Downtown Redevelopment Commission.
The need for such a project is clear.
”Many people in Palatine right now don`t realize there is a downtown,”
Bell said. ”They may not have found reasons to visit (it). We`d like to change that so the cultural life of the village is centered in one spot.”
The bounds of the downtown area are roughly defined by Colfax Street on the north, Washington Street to the south, Plum Grove Road on the east and Cedar Street on the west.
”It`s just not as recognized as it should be,” said Kozdras. ”It`s the largest shopping area in the village. It is a major activity center now. It just doesn`t have that recognition.”