The Oak Park Village Board of Trustees will discuss in May an ambitious concept that could create green space and/or commercial space over the Eisenhower Expressway as part of the state’s highway expansion project.
Village Manager Cara Pavlicek first presented the idea to the Park District of Oak Park’s board of commissioners earlier this month, but she emphasized in an interview that the idea is conceptual.
The so-called “expanded bridge decking” or “urban stitching” idea envisions a 3.1-acre space on the east side of the East Avenue overpass that would cost $67 million and a 36,500-square-foot green space on the east side of the Oak Park Avenue overpass for $24 million.
Pavlicek said that, in February 2015, the Oak Park Board of Trustees directed village staff to explore the concept of expanded bridge decking.
She said the presentation to the park district board was to determine whether there is any desire for further conversation on the issue.Â
“We want to talk about it at the village board meeting, but we also would like to at least reach out to other community entities and say here’s a concept,” Pavlicek said.
Pavlicek said the concepts provide opportunities to gain connectivity between north and south Oak Park, improve accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists and create additional green space or commercial space.
The idea has not yet been presented to Oak Park’s school boards.Â
“We’ll see the extent to which the schools are interested in having a conversation, too, and that’s not to put pressure on them,” Pavlicek said.
According to information given to the park district board, the cost to build the structures “do not include development costs for commercial or recreational improvements on top [of] the decking.”
It also notes that it would cost the village approximately an annual principal and interest payment of $4.4 million at a 5 percent rate of borrowing over 30 years to pay down $67 million in debt for the East Avenue project. That annual cost would be $1.6 million for the smaller $24 million project at Oak Park Avenue.
The cost to the village could be reduced if other partners, such as the park district or school districts, come aboard.
The village aims to have a letter of intent completed for the project by June of July of this year, which would need to include the expanded bridge decking concept if the village decides to proceed with the concept. The letter of intent would not lock in the village on the concept, but it would show that it’s something the community aims to pursue.
“The letter of intent is saying we have the support, and we would like to protect the option for that,” she said.
Jan Arnold, park district’s executive director, told Wednesday Journal in a telephone interview that she was interested in having the conversation, but that the park board has not yet taken a position on the concept.
“The discussion right now is, is this worthy of exploring?” she said.
She said the concept was attractive from the standpoint that it’s the only way Oak Park could establish 3.1 acres of new green space, but acknowledged it would be a large financial commitment.
CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com