More parking planned for downtown Grayslake

Grayslake is making a nearly $1 million commitment to build more parking in the village's downtown, with the hope of luring new businesses and benefiting those already there.

Mayor Timothy Perry said the additional downtown parking will be on a stretch of Whitney Street, south of Center Street. He said a lack of public parking was a significant hindrance to improving the area.

Village board trustees Tuesday night voted 5-0 in favor of paying $380,000 for a parcel at 45 S. Whitney St. They also agreed to pay $615,000 for the shuttered Lakeland Newspapers building at 30 S. Whitney.

"We've been working on this for a while," Perry said. "That's what we've been talking about behind closed doors."

Trustee Jeff Werfel said the extra parking is a necessary infrastructure improvement that'll particularly bolster efforts to lure restaurants and retailers downtown.

Werfel said Grayslake also will benefit by taking control of the Lakeland Newspapers building so the site can be converted into parking.

"We don't want a big, empty building downtown," Werfel said. "If we can (raze) that, it's good."

Not far from the new parking, Chic Martin Signature Homes Inc. of Vernon Hills plans about 50 condos at Center and Whitney streets. The project, targeted for completion next year, has been dubbed Whitney Centre Condominiums on advertising banners at the empty lot.

If built, Chic Martin's condos will be on the site where a 107-year-old building was demolished to clear room for the project last year. The structure started as the Merchants and Farmers Bank, and morphed into apartments over years.

Village officials said structural problems forced the building's demolition. Grayslake obtained the dilapidated structure through a condemnation proceeding in 2001, which led to the eviction of a street-level pizzeria and second-floor residents.

Perry said the transformation in the works for Center and Whitney has been a long wait, but worth it. He said the village considered various proposals over time, but remained patient until the best idea came along.

"This was the worst corner in downtown Grayslake," Perry said. "It should have been the best corner."

Plans also call for condos on the site of the now-closed Grayslake police station on Whitney Street in proximity of the new parking lots. Officials have said they expect buildings demolition by year's end.

All downtown business owners and visitors will benefit from the extra parking, Perry said, which should be available by late next year.