Grand Plan Kaput

Rents too high for retailers. Foot traffic has not materialized. Seniors in condos "don't get out as much". Roselle, population 23,000, had a "grand plan" and created a 16 block TIF. It hasn't worked out. Tribune:

Koehler said the reconfiguration of buildings in the newly renovated parts of Roselle hurt foot traffic. "The Main Street Crossing project faces the railroad tracks, and nobody wants to look at those," he said.What the downtown really needs are mom-and-pop-type businesses that offer a unique product, such as homemade ice cream, a cheese shop, or a butcher shop with smoked meats, he said.Mayor Gayle Smolinski is as stymied as anyone.

"I wish I knew the reason why retail hasn't taken off yet as we hoped," she said.

Gee, maybe they hired Wilmette's consultants, they should ask for their money back.(Among other things, Wilmette's consultants viewed mom and pop businesses as expendable.) But Wilmette's trustees aren't ready to do that, they just granted the Green Bay Rd. site developers a new hearing. (In case link goes bad almost immediately, as often happens, gee wonder why, story is in Wilmette Life today, "Ford-site plan wins new hearing".)