Residents, officials clash over Fresh Farms in Wheeling

Wheeling officials are delighted with the new Fresh Farms at Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue, saying the store has revitalized that corner and brought in more shoppers than expected.

The shopping center opened in August and includes the Fresh Farms grocery store, a bank, a liquor store and a few other shops.

But the village is increasingly hearing complaints from residents who live near the shopping center, claiming the very things that are good for the village — more shoppers, more merchandise — are exactly what is bad for them.

A major complaint from residents who live on Center Avenue behind Fresh Farms is the employees who park along the street daily.

Village officials said it is legal, since Center is a public street. But they acknowledge it is annoying for residents.

“If people are parking in legally allowed areas, I don't know what the village can do,” Village Manager Jon Sfondilis said. “But we are actively trying to help the owner find a solution.”

Mary Papantos, who lives in the area and ran unsuccessfully for trustee in 2011, said parking is a problem for homeowners with small driveways or who have guests.

Fresh Farms owner Dino Svigos said the store has 220 parking spots, which the village code required, but it has been busier than expected and is already exceeding projected earnings.

With about 50 to 60 employees working at any given time, Svigos said employees park on the street to allow for more customer parking.

“I never in my wildest dreams imagined that we would have as many customers as we do,” Svigos said.

Dana Minch, who lives directly behind the shopping center, said that in the morning, trucks often are backed up for deliveries, preventing her family from getting out of the driveway.

She lives in her home with her two older parents and two young children.

“I can't count how many times I've had to wait to get out of my driveway,” she said. “Thank God it was never an emergency.”

“It makes for a very chaotic and dangerous environment,” Minch added.

Several trustees, however, say the issues have been blown out of proportion.

“I don't believe there is a problem,” Trustee Dean Argiris said. “People have short memories. Parking on the street was an issue before Fresh Farms.”

“I go by there every single day just to see if there is a problem,” he added. “I've never seen any trucks blocking the driveways or anything. I don't understand what those folks want; people have always been allowed to park on that street. Fresh Farms is a good neighbor.”

Between jobs and increased sales taxes for the village, Argiris said the development has been great for Wheeling.

“There's a handful of people that, no matter what, they'll never be happy,” he said.

Residents said they feel the village board has ignored their complaints in exchange for the added sales tax money Fresh Farms brings in.

“The man has a right to develop his property, but he has no consideration for the people in the neighborhood, and I've come to believe the village board doesn't either,” said Christine Dolgopol, who served on the plan commission in the 1980s. Village officials say part of the problem is a lack of direct communication. They say residents have not come directly to the village to express concerns but have been posting them on a local blog instead.

“If someone would come to the board and say that this is a problem, we would listen, but it's all been through other means that are unofficial, and it's hard to act on that,” Trustee Ray Lang said.

Svigos added that no one has come to him to discuss the problems, either.

“I understand the residents' concerns, and I'm trying to do what I can to add parking,” Svigos said. “I'm looking for suggestions, and I'm all ears. It astonishes me that the residents don't just come in and talk to me.”

Plans for the Fresh Farms development were more than a decade in the making, and neighboring homes were appraised and offered money to sell, Svigos said.

Minch said the offer for her house was below market value, while Svigos said it was more than generous.

“I sat in a meeting with them and told them there would be a lot of traffic and wanted to give them the opportunity to find a new house and move, and the people didn't want to sell,” Svigos said.

Svigos said he wants to look for a positive solution to the situation.

“I'm not looking to have conflict with the residents; the residents are my customers,” Svigos said. “I think we need to find a solution and not just sit here and throw stones.”

Lang said Wheeling will continue to work with Svigos on solutions and asked residents to be patient.

“It's a huge bonus to Wheeling to have that shopping center,” Lang said.

“There are going to be some growing pains, so we just have to keep looking at it.”