Wheaton looks for consultant to handle Hubble

The three-ring circus that will be the redevelopment of the Hubble Middle School property in Wheaton is in search of a P.T. Barnum.

The Wheaton City Council agreed to a plan Monday night to hire a land consultant for the project billed as "the last great development in Wheaton" for the next few generations of residents.

The three main attractions in the show will be a juggling of interests among the city, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 and the Wheaton Park District.

All told, city staff said it will take about two years just to ink a deal with a developer that will meld the wish list of residents for the site with the financial and economic realities.

From there, it may take another three years before the entire development is open for business.

The land consultant will help develop the vision for the site and guide the city council through the selection of an appropriate developer.

For directing the spotlight and cracking the whip, the city has budgeted up to $175,000 for the costs of the land consultant.

Wheaton residents should get a good feel for what they're paying for as the consultant will also likely facilitate a number of community forums to solicit input on what residents would like to see at the 22-acre site.

The rest of the process may be similar to what the city council went through in choosing a proper redevelopment of the Block 316 project downtown. That property will soon be the new home of First Trust Porfolios. It's also one of the most eye-catching properties in the downtown just on size alone.

The city council will take a formal vote on the land consultant plan next week.

The council directed staffers to proceed with finding a land consultant for them to hire as soon as possible.