The Vision for Oak Park

Although there are many issues and much evidence to consider, in this case the devil is not in the details. More than anything, a decision about the Albion highrise represents a decision about the future character and quality of life of Oak Park. As long-time Oak Park resident and architect, Debra McQueen put it: It boils down to two very different visions for Oak Park:

1. A small business-friendly, homegrown, locally controlled village, which maintains at least some of the remaining old buildings and human scale [with]…room for personality, eccentricity, and … an obligation for us to support those local businesses whenever we can, even if it means forgoing cheaper online purchases sometimes.
2. The second vision… is exactly what the developers are seeing… an opportunity to replace what is existing with their vision of large shiny numbers-created money makers. This building will be sold in a year or two, like Vantage has already.

• … My concern can be illustrated by the Chicago neighborhood of Halsted and North Avenue, where I had my office 25 years ago. Underdeveloped at that time, it has become a mall on steroids that you can drive your car through, thoroughly filled with national chain retailers, franchise restaurants and a MegaCineplex….a place I don’t want to go near. The two visions are irreconcilable. But I would like us to try for some amount of balance, some push back. There is literally no kind of protection for what remains of that [end] of Lake Street, except for historic designation of the Marshall Field building. … The more high rises there are, the more [developers will argue that it is appropriate] to build more.

The transformation has never been properly deliberated as a holistic plan for the future of Oak Park, with the comprehensive community consultation that such a major change deserves. And the speed at which this transformation is taking place is nothing short of frightening. The Village’s Project Review Team shows 832 dwelling units completed or approved for downtown since 2016. That means another 1200 or 1500 additional residents. And most of that has yet to even come on-line.