Village plans to sell land on 100 block of South Main Street

By Jane Charmelo

Lombardian-Villa Park Review Staff Reporter

Two developers made impassioned presentations to the Economic and Community Development Committee (ECDC) Monday night, Aug. 13, as to why they should be chosen to develop the property at 101-109 S. Main St.
The Village of Lombard is planning to sell the property that has been vacant for 11 years after the DuPage Theatre was demolished in 2007 and replaced with a commuter parking lot.
Luxica Development LLC wants to build 32,000 square feet of mixed-use retail, commercial and residential space, the latter including seven residential units. The project would include 12,000 square feet for the Prairie Food Cooperative.
Holladay Property Services Inc. is looking to build 120 units of market-rate luxury rental apartments that would target millennials and empty nesters, and would also include 12,000 square feet for the food co-op as well.
Two other potential developers, one that proposed 216 market-rate luxury rental units and 10,000 square feet of retail space, and another that proposed 86 independent senior living and 48 assisted living residents and a 16-bed memory care unit, were eliminated.
Community Development Director Bill Heniff noted at the meeting that the latter two projects were not advanced due to the “extraordinary economic incentive constraints.”
The current review of newly-proposed developments comes after the village last year sent out requests for development proposals for a grocery store on the 2.1-acre property, and “there were no takers on that,” Heniff related, adding that this past spring, the village began looking at four proposals for the alternate uses.
“It was a lengthy process that we went through,” he said. “That led to where we are today.”
Kane, McKenna and Associates Inc. was hired to conduct a preliminary review of the proposals, looking at a variety of factors—such as economic incentives requested, potential revenue for the village and project costs, and laying out for the ECDC pros and cons of both Luxica and Holladay (to be outlined in the Aug. 23 edition).
During public comments, residents favored the Luxica proposal, with residents saying that it is more in line with the village’s original intent of community-use, commuter-friendly space such as a restaurant, brew pub or coffee bar—that would draw residents and shoppers to the downtown area.
Heniff said the ECDC is strictly in the information-gathering stage, and that the committee will work to “dot our i’s and cross our t’s” before recommending either of the developments, and added that the committee will not approve either plan but will forward its recommendation to the village board, which will ultimately make the final decision.
“This is a very big opportunity for us and we would like to get it right,” he emphasized.