Questions about how the Chicago Bears’ proposed redevelopment of Arlington International Racecourse could affect the way forward for downtown Arlington Heights turned a part of one other developer’s attraction to the Village Board Monday night time for extra time to get permits for his personal challenge deliberate for the downtown space.
In his request for a allow extension for the delayed Arlington Block 425 deliberate unit growth, developer Bruce Adreani stated the NFL soccer staff’s arrival within the village raises considerations about whether or not the downtown space may turn out to be “the red-haired stepchild to the Bears site” and referenced Chicago Tribune and Pioneer Press reporting on the topic to make his case.
“There were articles in the paper, just most recently in the past week, on how the Bears will affect downtown,” Adreani stated on the board assembly. Nobody is aware of what’s going to occur there.”
The Bears closed on the 326-acre property in February after having first signed a $197 million buy settlement in September 2021. The staff has not dedicated to constructing an NFL stadium on the positioning however has floated plans for a sprawling $5 billion retail, residential and leisure district alongside an enclosed stadium. The Bears at the moment play on the open-air Soldier Field in downtown Chicago.
Since then, companies in downtown Arlington Heights have expressed a mixture of optimism, ambivalence and watchfulness relating to the Bears’ potential arrival to the village. Business homeowners emphasised their religion in Arlington Heights leaders to make selections that shield the village’s current economic system.
Village officers have in flip stated that they are going to be evaluating any plans that the staff pitches with an eye fixed as to if the event would “cannibalize” downtown Arlington Heights. Some have raised an eyebrow on the concept of one other transit-centered space with a combination of retail and residential areas.
Trustee John Scaletta, who didn’t search one other time period within the election held earlier this month and can depart the board in May, disagreed with Adreani’s characterization of how the Bears’ proposal may affect the village downtown.
“I think all of the concern with the downtown just going away because the Bears come to town, I don’t find that to be as valid as many do,” Scaletta stated. “I do want to find a way that they complement each other. But at the same time, you build a Bears stadium over there and there’s a whole atmosphere over there and I’m still going downtown.”
Business homeowners and village officers alike have advised Pioneer Press it’s nonetheless too early to know what the affect of redevelopment on the outdated racecourse shall be.
Adreani echoed that uncertainty in his attraction for an extension and cited financial components like inflation and provide chain snarls as different the reason why his three-building, mixed-use retail and residential growth hasn’t but damaged floor.
The board accredited the plans for Arlington Block 425 in 2019 and granted the challenge a primary extension in 2021, outgoing trustee and now state Rep. Mary Beth Canty recalled.
“We have fears of a recession coming up, we have the uncertainty of the Bears moving into town and how it will affect the downtown, and so some of those reasons are the reason why we are requesting the extension of this ordinance,” Adreani stated about his growth.
Scaletta forecast that no matter goes up on the former horse racing web site shall be totally different from the “charming and quaint” nature of the present village downtown.
“Yeah, there are going to be restaurants out there, but they’re going to be … big chain restaurants that are going to be upscale,” he stated.
Trustees had been additionally skeptical that the components Adreani named Monday would make a singular affect on this challenge versus others which are transferring ahead within the downtown space.
“We see other projects in town getting developed. We see other projects in other communities getting developed,” stated Trustee Thomas Schwingbeck. “It’s not like growth has fully stopped over the past 4 years.
“Up until recently when the Arlington property sold, this was probably one of the larger, if not the largest piece of property in our town that hadn’t been developed,” Schwingbeck stated.
The board accredited Adreani’s request for an extension.
“I am inclined to grant the request,” Mayor Tom Hayes stated. “But this would be the last time. We have to see some progress.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com