Just outside Oak Park but certainly impacting the vitality of a shared North Avenue is the now vacant former Sears at North and Harlem avenues. Last week at a crowded community meeting in Galewood, interested residents from Chicago and Oak Park heard a somewhat revised proposal from a major developer. Tucker Developer outlined plans to reuse and expand the existing Sears store with both a major grocer and residential units. The plan also calls for building townhomes and small apartment buildings on the expansive parking lots of the one-time retail giant.
This is an ambitious but built to scale project that we strongly support. Reusing the existing building is a plus, containing it to five stories with the added two floors well set back is a plus. Ald. Chris Talliaferro, burned by neighborhood opposition to a previous residential project east on North Avenue, has steered this critical project forward with more skill and sensitivity. That said, we find neighbor concerns about traffic and rental units to be seriously overstated. This is the site of a once-bustling department store that brought hundreds of cars to the corner each day. The townhomes and small apartment buildings will integrate nicely with the residential neighborhood and be a big improvement over acres of blacktop.Â
And high-end apartments are the only multifamily units currently being built. That is just the reality.
The future of North Avenue, just like on Oak Park’s Madison Street, needs a notable residential infusion. There will never again be enough retail or commercial use to line North Avenue from Harlem to Austin. We urge Talliaferro and the developer to follow through on promises to work with IDOT on traffic worries raised by neighbors. And we urge neighbors to get on board with a creative and dynamic investment in this neighborhood.
