As a new year begins, 2016 may bring cold weather, but local officials are hot on the prospect of economic development in Elmwood Park and River Grove.
In Elmwood Park, Grand Avenue and North Avenue’s business districts have increasingly targeted by the village for improvement.
In September 2015, the village purchased a 14,500 square foot parking lot owned by Elmcrest banquet hall on the south side of the 7300 block of Grand Avenue for $510,000. In November, the village purchased a 17,904 square-foot property for $490,000 — the former home of Connie’s Beef, located at the southwest corner of Grand Avenue and 75th Avenue.
The village also purchased the True Value Hardware building, located at the northeast corner of 76th and Grand Avenues in March for $175,000. The building has since been demolished.
Jonathan Zivojnovic, president of the Grand Corridor Chamber of Commerce and a trustee on the Elmwood Park Village Board, says members of the chamber want development at these locations to be something that will capture people’s attention.
“I would love to see businesses at these location that are destination businesses,” he said, adding that he was speaking as a member of the chamber, not for the Village Board. “A destination more than just a drive-thru facility, a place where people can sit down and notice all the other businesses. A business that makes them get out of their car, come out and visit.”
He believes Elmwood Park is a bedroom community, so there isn’t much room for major business development right now, but believes the right business or group of businesses along Grand Avenue could create momentum.
“We hope that piece serves as a building block,” he said.
Speaking as a politician, Zivojnovic said he wants to generate more sales tax revenue by attracting more businesses.
“I want to shift the financial burden off the homeowners,” he said.
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Further south, Elmwood Park Village Manager Paul Volpe said the development at the northwest corner of Harlem Avenue and North Avenue will be completed in 2016. First Merit Bank and Walgreens have stayed at the corner location, but have moved around a bit. Both businesses were rebuilt from the ground up and given a fresh look.
First Merit Bank has been open for business for several months. Volpe said the construction of the new Walgreens will be completed in January and the store should be open for business in two to three months.
There will also be a new large lit sign at the corner welcoming pedestrians and motorists to the village.
“It looks really nice,” he said. “I’m really pleased with the corner. You can compare it to Oak Park, River Forest or Chicago and our side really shines.”
In River Grove, the village’s economic development director, Ray Bernero, says economic development is making steady progress in some areas.
The Follett Corporation’s building, located at 2233 West St., which used to be the headquarters of Wilson Sporting Goods, has been empty for several years. Bernero says the 23-acre site will be transformed in 2016.
“Go To Logistics will be the new building and they will start construction in the spring and build a state the art logistics center,” he said.
He also hopes that this year the village’s current public works location, next to the Metra Station near Thatcher Avenue, will come down to provide space for a mixed-use development in that area.
“I hope that we land a development project for the public work site by the Metra station,” he said. “[Public Works Department employees] are going to start the move in the winter, and they’ll be out of there by spring, and be at their new location at 2101 West St. in the industrial section of town.”
As a show of respect for those who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, Elmwood Park’s police department hopes to have a police officer memorial built outside the police station in the spring. On the memorial will be the names of Emil H. Johns and Nels M. Christy, the first two Elmwood Park police officers who died in the line of duty in the early 1900s.
A medical marijuana dispensary plans to open in the village in 2016, with owners investing more than $1 million into the business.
The village has also started the process to build an underpass beneath the railroad tracks south of Grand Avenue near 76th Avenue. Although it is many years away from actually breaking ground, the Grand Avenue Underpass Authority has been created to oversee the project. The authority will be made up of a mix of state, railroad, transportation and other officials. Meanwhile, village officials are working to get political and financial support for the project.
Twitter: @DavidDPollard