If we have to build a hotel on the corner of Lake and Forest, why not build one that would compliment Oak Park’s Prairie style architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright homes? Why not a low-rise structure with an atrium in the center and enough rooms to make it economically viable?
The last few buildings constructed have been anything but complimentary to Oak Park’s architectural heritage. Friends from other villages who have traveled to Trader Joe’s have described the Whiteco project as an “eyesore.”
Economic development is necessary for Oak Park’s future, but it should be done sensibly and wisely, with an eye toward helping solve some of the village’s problems of traffic, parking and density, not making them worse.
Linda Brown
Oak Park
