Lombard residents to get first look at options for downtown
Lombard residents will get their first peek Wednesday at the future of downtown.
The village is holding an open house at 7 p.m. to find what people think of the preliminary development concepts drawn up as part of Lombard's Downtown Plan.
"This is not meant to be unveiled at this point in time as the plan, but rather to engage the public in the process," said William J. Heniff, director of community development.
"We want to incorporate the residents' and business owners' and property owners' comments to the greatest extent possible."
Lombard received a $100,000 grant from the Regional Transportation Authority for downtown planning studies. The village hired Evanston-based Teska Associates, Inc., which held a series of focus groups earlier this summer.
"People want a reason to come to downtown Lombard," Heniff said. "They like to see restaurants and brew pubs and a bookstore. They want an experience, a place to hang around and congregate."
To that end, the consultants recommend measures to make the downtown more pedestrian- and bike-friendly. For example, the village could consider loosening restrictions on restaurants that want to provide outdoor seating, provide streetscape enhancements and create a "visible, accessible and safe" connection from the Illinois Prairie Path into the downtown.
The consultants identified seven "development concept sites," including the former DuPage Theatre and Hammerschmidt sites.
Others are the 7-Eleven site, 114-130 W. St. Charles Road, 10-14 W. St. Charles Road, the Fifth Third Bank/Praga site and The Lombardian site. For all but the smallest site (10-14 W. St. Charles Road), two options are suggested. The first focuses on shorter-term improvements, while the second is a more aggressive, long-term approach that includes phased and mixed-use developments.
Input from the open house will be used to select which development concepts should be included in the final plan. An open house to review the final document is slated for Oct. 20.
Residents may view the plans online starting Wednesday at teskaassociates.com/lombard/index.htm.
Downtown Lombard is grappling with the same economic pressures as other communities and has a number of vacant storefronts. But there are also success stories such as Bricks Wood Fired Pizza, which recently expanded, Praga Restaurant and Sky Centers Martial Arts.
"The good news is this - Lombard is a prosperous community," the Teska Associates draft reports. "Its downtown will have choices to consider as revitalization efforts advance, a prospect that downtowns in more financially challenged communities do not enjoy.''
Downtown Lombard's assets include the Metra station, Helen Plum Memorial Library and nearby Lilacia Park.
"From a branding and image standpoint, downtown Lombard is at least 25 percent there," the consultants wrote.
In a section on preliminary naming options, the consultants suggest positioning the downtown area as the place where "Lombard Families and Friends Gather."
Heniff compares a strong downtown to a front porch.
"If you have it, it really makes your community great, like it makes your home great," he said.