ALSIP
Lumberyard owner intends to rebuild
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Alsip village officials said they are pleased that the owners of Fox Home Center Fox Lumber and Supply plan to rebuild the portion of their business that was destroyed by fire on Mother’s Day.
The family owned business has been in Alsip for 45 years, trustees said.
At a Village Board meeting this week, trustees formally expressed gratitude to employees from the village Fire, Police and Public Works Departments for their efforts during and after the fire.
Owners John and Mike Laird opened for business in a temporary trailer the morning after the five-alarm fire, said Alsip Fire Chief Charles Geraci. A total of 145 firefighters from 25 departments responded to the blaze, which consumed a showroom and some outdoor lumberyard storage, he added.
Barbara Dargis
BLUE ISLAND
City hopes to attract ‘big-box’ businesses
Blue Island City Council members Tuesday night approved creating a special taxing district to attract new retail and commercial development to the city’s north side, including some hoped-for “big-box” stores.
The 140-acre swath of land stretching from the southeast corner of 119th Street and Vincennes Road, is being targeted as a new retail and light industrial center for the city.
Some of the land is now marred by boarded-up businesses, most showing for-sale signs in their overgrown yards.
Mayor Donald Peloquin said initial plans are to relocate two large industrial buildings, now located on Vermont Street near the city’s downtown commuter train station, to the new area. The Vermont Street land will then be used for new condominium and retail development.
The special taxing district will allow developers to pay for infrastructure improvements with the tax money earned from the rising value of the land. That money ordinarily would go to the city and other taxing bodies such as school districts.
Carmen Greco Jr.
OAK FOREST
Rezoning advances development plan
Moving ahead with plans for a transit-oriented development, Oak Forest city officials Tuesday night rezoned a former school site for a commuter parking lot and approved a plat for condos and retail businesses at 159th Street and Cicero Avenue.
The commuter lot is planned for 3.5 acres on the former Arbor Park Middle School property, 15900 Oak Ave. It was zoned for business and residential, but required a change to only business, according to city officials. With room for almost 500 parking spaces, it will become the primary commuter lot, supplanting the current lot near the train station.
Last week a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting drew comments and concerns from about 15 residents who live near the site about traffic congestion, lights that might shine in their windows and having to face a concrete lot instead of a school with a grassy area and ballfield.
But representatives of Rosemont-based Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd., which is designing the lot with advice from the city and residents, said physical barriers, signage and police enforcement will be used to handle traffic. They are planning “cobra” lights with cut-off fixtures, so the lights face downward. Shrubbery and hedges will also soften the appearance of the lot.
“Any time a parking lot is located in a residential area, there are concerns,” said Michael Kerr, the firm’s executive vice president. “We’re trying to fit the design into the neighborhood as best we can.”
The plat approved for the lot near the train station divides the area into two lots for condominiums and retail, four lots for retail, and two that will first be used for commuter parking and later for condos. It includes about 54,500 square feet of commercial space. Between 100 and 150 of the commuter parking spaces will remain at the site, with more spaces available at two nearby smaller lots.
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