Why all the empty businesses/changes in Oak Park? (Marion: condos, house)

[MD1]

I recently moved back to Oak Park from the East Coast and am surprised at the changes....any idea why all the retail space is so empty? Also, there are pan-handlers in the downtown that seem sort of aggressive. I mean, God Bless, I don't mean them any harm and they aren't really bothering anyone, but it just seems more noticeable. Or is this a mistaken impression?

[mdz]

The Oak park Mall has been a mess for years now--I remember when it had no traffic (complete pedestrian mall) and it seemed like stores were always packed and doing well. Don't remember a lot of empty store fronts. Then they got the idea to let Lake Street go through (the cars, that is), and stuff started disappearing. Marion street is now being reopened and it's been under construction all summer. businesses are dying because of this.

So the only hope is that opening up marion street to cars again will bring in more traffic. I personally think they messed up by opening it up to traffic to begin with--it really was a nice mall and a good place to hang out when it was solely for pedestrians.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by MD1

I recently moved back to Oak Park from the East Coast and am surprised at the changes....any idea why all the retail space is so empty? Also, there are pan-handlers in the downtown that seem sort of aggressive. I mean, God Bless, I don't mean them any harm and they aren't really bothering anyone, but it just seems more noticeable. Or is this a mistaken impression?

The empty stores mean that Oak Park is a victim of its own success. Those familiar with the Village's history will know that its business mix used to be dominated by small and cool little places. But now that household incomes of Oak Parkers are soaring into the stratosphere, the price per square foot for retail space has risen with them to the point where the small businesses can no longer survive there. You'll be seeing a shift to more national type chains, pricey "four fork" restaurants, and high end boutiques is my prediction. But for right now though, it's kind of in transition and the economy stinks, hence the empty stores. Even my beloved Pancake House is leaving , though I think that's because the building it's in is going condo.

[oakparkdude]

I love the Pancake restaurant! I do agree that the building its in needs to go. Its pretty much falling apart already and is too low density for its location.

I personally am in favor of the restreeting of the mall. I think it'll look great when its done.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by mdz

The Oak park Mall has been a mess for years now--I remember when it had no traffic (complete pedestrian mall) and it seemed like stores were always packed and doing well. Don't remember a lot of empty store fronts. Then they got the idea to let Lake Street go through (the cars, that is), and stuff started disappearing. Marion street is now being reopened and it's been under construction all summer. businesses are dying because of this.

So the only hope is that opening up marion street to cars again will bring in more traffic. I personally think they messed up by opening it up to traffic to begin with--it really was a nice mall and a good place to hang out when it was solely for pedestrians.

sorry, i dont think thats the truth. if they were succeeding, they wouldnt go through all the trouble to revert it back. history has proven that pedestrian malls rarely work. just ask the city of chicago about when they tried to mall State Street. probably one of the biggest mistakes in the city's history. and they freely admit that. the sad fact of american life is people like to drive their cars to stores. i liked the marion mall too, but in the end i think returning the street grid will add more life.

in any case, i agree it has much more to do with taxes then being malled/unmalled.

[mdz]

via, you may be right about pedestrian malls not working well here in the USA, but I have never seen so many empty store fronts in my life on lake street and marion since they reopened the roadways. There weren't many (if any) 20 years ago.

Hopefully the new plan works out.

[oakparkdude]

I wasn't here three years ago, but could one reason be competition from the River Forest shopping center (easy parking, modern buildings, lower property taxes)?

[MD1]

Thank you! I'm trying to decide if I want to stay in Oak Park or not; plus the empty retail are often in buildings that have a kind of 'vintage' charm (okay, maybe not the Pancake house ) and I hope they don't all get torn down because the city can't fill them up. Oh well. Nothing stays the same.....

[Chinolala]

I live very close to Oak Park and pick my husband up at the Green Line Oak Park stop regularly after work. I wait for him in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot across from the subway stop. There is always a group of homeless/panhandlers hanging out around there. They are relegated to traveling via the subway and bus, so whenever there is public transporation, there is going to be homeless people and panhandlers. In the 6 years that we've taken the L train and have parked in the area, we've never had any problems with them. Some of them can be assertive but never physically violent or anything. The Forest Park Police have a regular presence in the area so I feel safe over there. It seems to me that in the area, there are still condos going up like crazy. Forest Park's downtown is really vibrant now and that area is on an upswing. Forest Park seems to have more offerings now than downtown Oak Park. But they're so close to each other that people like me, utilize both downtown areas. I go to my movies and buy my books in Oak Park and dine in both towns.

[mendelman]

I, too, live in Oak Park, and sometimes worry about the mix of businesses in the downtown area, but worry even more about the crappy mix/diversity of businesses neighborhood commerical areas.

I think the opening of the Marion Street Mall (and past opening of the portion on Lake St.) is a positive. I firmly believe that the number of vacancies currently in the downtown are more a product of rising rents and greater demand for redevelopment of properties (ie the Pancake House's property) than the removal of the Mall.

And remember, the Village is not the one that fills spaces, it's the property owners. And if they are not willing to lower rents or work harder to fill vacancies, that it often not the fault of the government.

I still love Oak Park, though, and hope that future redevelopment doesn't negatively impact the quality of life.