Tuesday, September 13, 2011 BIA Meeting with Mayor Sexton, Village Officials and Evergreen Golf Course Developer, Sterling Bay.
On Tuesday, September 13th, representatives from the Beverly Improvement Association (BIA) met with Mayor Sexton, Evergreen Park Building Commissioners and the retail developer, Sterling Bay, to discuss the Evergreen Park Golf Course Retail Development.
The BIA presented the compelling voting results of the North Beverly residents from the September 8th Special Meeting of 99-3 vote, in opposition of the retail development. Environment and traffic were specified as the two major concerns of the North Beverly community, but the potential for increased crime and delays in police/fire/ambulance response time, in addition to other concerns, were also cited.
The BIA tried to open the lines of communication and bridge the information gap by eliminating “rumors” and identifying facts from fabrication. One of the rumors presented at the meeting was that the development did not have any “green” initiatives. The BIA found that there are some aspects of the buildings that are close to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “LEED” certification, but still fall short. Finances were cited as the primary reason for the lack of green initiatives in the current Golf Course Development rendering and that the possibility for implementation of green initiatives would rest squarely upon the shoulders of the anchors. The meeting clarified the fact that it would be up to Meijers & Menards to pursue and request that the developers integrate permeable asphalt/concrete, green roofing and additional topiary into the development plans.
The rumor that indicated the developers were willing to lease space to lower end tenants was also addressed. Information and flyers regarding the Golf Course Retail Development were obtained from the Mid-America Real Estate website, with the contact listed as Luke Malloy, but the Sterling Bay representative at the meeting said that the company, Cushman & Wakefield, was handling the development. It turns out that Luke Malloy left Mid-America and went to Cushman & Wakefield, sometime in July 2011. At the time of this writing 9/16, the Sterling Bay website still has a hyperlink that points to the Mid-America Real Estate flier and there is no information available for the Evergreen Golf Course Retail Development when searching the Cushman & Wakefield website. The BIA representative’s interpretation of this situation was that there may be some confusion regarding which Real Estate Company is handling the Golf Course development and could be a factor for concern. The actual retail and restaurant recruitment appears like it is geared towards middle of the road type stores and restaurants. We were informed that the chance for lower tiered stores or brands would probably be eliminated by financial attrition, which basically means that the rent that they are asking for the golf course development would dictate the caliber of the tenant.
The BIA representatives cited the current retail environment at the Evergreen Plaza, along 95th Street(Chicago/Evergreen Park), Borders and the overall economic climate where 2 Lowes recently closed in the Elgin and Schaumburg areas. We were told by the Mayor that in Evergreen Park there will be some forward progress and positive changes in the retail environment of Evergreen Park, but those changes are still in the planning stages.
As the plans are currently drawn, there are no extraordinary measures or materials being employed in this retail development. No unique or elaborate plan for architecture, landscaping or ornamentation. This development was perceived by BIA representatives at the meeting as very “vanilla”, reinforced by the building materials being used, which are stamped precast concrete panels, exterior insulation and finishing system (EIFS), metal canopies and prefinished aluminum storefront and copings. The signage along Western Avenue will vary in size from the two (2) huge steel pylon shopping center signs that will be located at 91st & 92nd Place (35 ft. to 40 ft. in height x 20 ft. in width) and seven (7) varying sized outlot signs that will range from 8 ft. to 10 ft. in height and 10 ft. in width, which are to be encased in concrete.
The BIA expressed their disappointment for the conversion from the green space of a golf course to an asphalt & concrete retail space and parking lot. A reference to the current retail development and parking lot of Sam’s Club and
Walmart was made towards the unnecessarily vastness, bleak looking and poorly conceived configuration of the parking lot and its flow as the precedent of large retail developments in Evergreen Park. The aesthetic and vegetative areas of the Golf Course Development will fall upon an Evergreen Park Building Commissioner who was also identified as the individual responsible for the vision of Yukich Park at 89th & Kedzie. This Commissioner would be responsible for driving the overall Evergreen Golf Course Retail Development tree and plant initiative.
There was talk of a green 10 foot “buffer area” in between Western and the outlot retail and restaurants. After analysis of the meeting and information it is apparent that this space would be primarily intended for the outlot signage, making a green 10 foot “buffer area” just an unintentionally added green enhancement.
Bicycling was discussed and the inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian friendly initiatives were brought to the table. Bicyclists have identified 91st Street as one of the only bicycle friendly east/west corridors and that the development would be an opportunity for the Village to solidify safety measures along 91st street and make the proposed retail development pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Talk of possibly extending the Major Taylor Trail along 91st was also introduced.
Traffic concerns were broached and the BIA presented the concerns from the September 8th meeting that identified the substantial overall negative affect traffic will have on the Beverly/Evergreen Park because of increased traffic at 91st & Western and 95th & Western. It became apparent after the traffic concerns became focused on the IDOT study, which was recently amended by IDOT to include the use of easements along Western Avenue to help with traffic flow control into the development, that North Beverly traffic issues were secondary.
93rd Place in Evergreen Park has also been identified in the plans to change traffic configuration, possibly from Western Avenue to California Avenue. The street will be developed through the adjoining retail developments and widened in currently paved areas, to allow for emergency vehicles
New stop lights at 91st, 92nd and at 95th & Western Avenue are to be purchased and installed were touted to be state of the art in design for traffic flow and safety. The ability to coordinate the lights was highlighted as a way to control the amount and the flow of traffic in the area. Unfortunately, the traffic lights at 87th & Western, 95th & Leavitt, 95th & Walmart entrance and 95th & California will not be included, unless other elected officials take action. B & O train tracks and Metra/Rock Island trains will also need to be identified and input as a variable for any future traffic configuration or timing.
Another rumor addressed was that the parking lot was going to be designed by the same company that designed the Walmart/Sam’s Club parking lot. The person who designed the Walmart/Sam’s Club parking lot would not be responsible for configuring or designing the new retail parking lot.
We will provide more information once we have it. Please send thoughts or concerns to communications@thebia.org and monitor www.thebia.org and our Facebook page for further information and ways you can support the North Beverly Community.
The Beverly Improvement Association – “Serving North Beverly Hills for Over 100 Years”