West Cook News

Village of River Forest Economic Development Commission met Sept. 18.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

A meeting of the Village of River Forest Economic Development Commission was held on Wednesday, September 18, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the 1st Floor Community Room of Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois.

1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

The meeting was called to order at 6:03 p.m.

Upon roll call, the following persons were:

Present:

Absent:

Chairman Cuyler Brown, Commissioners Robert Graham, Tim Brangle, and Carr Preston.

Commissioner Chiplunkar, Katie Lowes, and Walter Wahlfedlt.

Also Present: Village Administrator Matt Walsh, Assistant Village Administrator Jessica

Spencer.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

Chairman Brown requested an update on the zoning changes. Administrator Walsh recapped the request from the Village Board from earlier in the year. He stated that there have been conversations with Village Planner John Houseal about expanding the code review to include C1, C2, C3, and ORIC districts. The EDC previously only discussed C1 and C2, the primary zoning districts for the Village's active TIF districts.

3. DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

A. Lake & Lathrop Project - Administrator Walsh provided an update regarding the project, referencing the Village's public statements in recent days. The committee members discussed how to proceed and decided there were limited options to proceed with at this time. With the latest updates regarding the project, a discussion ensued regarding options for the site. It was determined to be supportive of Board decisions as things progress. The Village is taking action to secure the site and ensure appropriate fencing is installed and maintained by the receiver.

B. Madison Street Development Site - Administrator Walsh discussed the recent

approval of the contract to install fences around the three properties: the former LCFS site as well as 11 Ashland and 10 Lathrop. Chairman Brown suggested having similar fencing installed at Lake & Lathrop, Administrator Walsh stated that would be something that could be explored in the future however fence height would have to be considered. The sites are ready for developers. The committee asked about the next steps. Administrator Walsh stated that the Village is planning to promote the site as a mixed-use opportunity but would entertain other concepts. He added that mixed-use proposals would likely need zoning variations as part of the planned development process. Assistant Village Administrator Spencer explained she is working to develop an electronic ad to boost the attention to the site. The group was pleased that there were several angles being considered to develop the property. The members strongly reiterated the need to advance the zoning update process so that revised zoning can better align with development opportunities and be in place for future developer interest and/or RFQ/RFP solicitations.. They requested that staff work on developing an RFP for services and get the ad published. The draft RFP will be presented to the members for review by the following meeting. Discussion ensued about how best to market the property. The Committee recommends to the Village Board to have the zoning update completed as soon as possible and have an RFP published by mid- January.

The discussion moved to the methods of advertising the properties for sale, specifically the signs currently in place in other parts of the Village. Commissioner Brangle suggested adding some images to the signs to help advertise the potential for what might be there. Staff will coordinate with Commissioner Brangle on this suggestion.

C. North Avenue TIF District -Phase 1 engineering for streetscaping Thatcher to

Harlem on North Ave is underway and should be completed by the end of this year. There is an intergovernmental agreement in place with Elmwood Park to work cooperatively on this project. The discussion moved to the various ways to adjust the traffic flow along North Avenue to effectively move pedestrians as well as support the businesses. The committee would like to receive additional updates on this topic going forward.

4. CONTINUED DISCUSSION REGARDING BUSINESS COMMUNITY RETENTION/

SUPPORT STRATEGIES AND COMMUNICATION

None.

5. OTHER BUSINESS

None.

6. ADJOURNMENT

A MOTION was made by Commissioner Brangle and SECONDED by Commissioner Graham to adjourn the September 18, 2023, meeting of the Economic Development Commission at 7:30 p.m. MOTION PASSED by unanimous vote.

https://www.vrf.us/uploads/cms/documents/events/9.18.23_ED_Minutes_Signed.pdf