The discussion of whether the Village of Oak Park should subsidize a hotel and condo development at Forest and Lake would seem to be the wrong question. [Cost too great for the world’s largest vertical motel, Viewpoints, Dec. 30] Before considering funding the creation of another place for Oak Park visitors to stay is the question – is there enough reason for them to stay overnight in the first place?
I seem to remember considerable support during the recent downtown planning process for a performing and fine arts center at that location. If you’ve seen the Overture Center in Madison, Wis., for example, – by a first-rate architect – you know what I’m referring to.
Could such a center support not just groups like the Village Players theater company, but also satellite shows from Steppenwolf, the Joffrey Ballet or Second City? Could such a function be the first phase, right on the corner, with a hotel to be added later (and then take the existing garage down) once the market rebounds? Was a market analysis for both hotel and arts center functions performed? If so, was it done before the recession scrambled our assumptions? If not, isn’t this exactly the time for it?
For the next couple of years, it seems unlikely that commercial credit will be available for a hotel and condo development, even with a significant public subsidy. Perhaps the village should examine redirecting the emphasis for that pivotal location. From a budgeting standpoint, paying for the greater certainty such data would afford seems more prudent than, and an appropriate step prior to, encumbering far more toward taking down an existing public garage and building a potential development partner a larger new one.
Certainly “see the Wright sites, go to a terrific restaurant and then see a great live show” is a better reason to then stay overnight (and maybe shop a bit while you’re here the second day).
Oak Parker Eric Davis is an architect and an Oak Park Township trustee.