Clarendon Hills officials are considering the addition of a downtown plaza on Prospect Avenue, between Railroad and Park avenues.
One major change of the project would be the elimination of the right-turn lane from southbound Prospect onto Park. That right turn lane now is part of what the village calls the Sloan Triangle, an area that would become a large part of the plaza and used for gatherings.
“The proposed plaza is transformative for the downtown,” Village President Eric Tech said. “The plaza increases pedestrian safety, adds overall parking by increasing parking spaces on Park Avenue, beautifies outdoor dining, saves businesses from costly street shutdowns during retail hours (for some special events), and creates an inclusive ‘third space’ (along with home and work) for residents and visitors to gather.”
Prospect Avenue in the downtown area currently is closed during the day for special events, such as weekly Dancin’ in the Street concerts, to allow for setup.
Tech said he has been revisiting the village’s Master Plan, originally developed in 2004 and updated in 2014, and has a few key takeaways from it.
Those include the creation of linear parks and plazas north and south of the BNSF railroad tracks to create festival streets for community events and passive social gatherings, and redevelopment of public and private properties to provide an opportunity to create adjoining public spaces and plazas.
Tech said the downtown lacks parks and open space for passive recreation, such as walking, bicycling, and gathering, and has limited space for community gathering/activities.
The vision for the downtown plaza includes an attractive, small-scale, pedestrian-oriented shopping district with pocket parks and plazas, expanded streetscape amenities, and new housing, shops, and restaurants, Tech said.
“I believe this change will significantly improve safety, accessibility, and flexibility for hosting community events,” he said. “I’ve spoken with many local business owners and residents. While there’s been healthy debate, the majority of feedback has been positive, and I truly believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.”
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For pedestrians, the plaza is likely to have a positive effect on safety, as it eliminates a substandard, uncontrolled mid-block crossing and shortens the number of pedestrian crossings to go east or westbound across Prospect Avenue at Park Avenue, according to information from the village.
A listening session about the downtown plaza is scheduled from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. June 22 in the Sloan Triangle, Prospect and Park Avenues. Also planned is a late August special board meeting, and if approved, construction on the plaza would not start until the fall of 2026, at the earliest, Village Manager Zach Creer said.
If the village goes ahead with the plaza, there should be no impact on property taxes for residents.
The plaza is expected to be fully funded by the Downtown tax increment financing district, according to the village. This source of funding comes entirely from property owners within the business district, based on increased property values.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.