Libertyville study will focus on Milwaukee Avenue corridor south of Route 176
A consultant has been hired to determine what it would take to make streetscape and other improvements along a half-mile of the Milwaukee Avenue corridor south of Route 176 in Libertyville.
The downtown area along the major thoroughfare has benefitted from years of reinvestment, and now the village is looking for possibilities to extend that reach.
As the village works to draft a new comprehensive plan for the community, Milwaukee Avenue between Route 176 and Austin Avenue south of downtown was identified during the process as a candidate for reinvestment in the properties and streetscape.
According to the village, the area is characterized by lack of streetscaping, several small parcels with individual curb cuts, narrow frontage and some properties that could benefit from redevelopment.
"It does act as an entry to some of our commercial areas and doesn't present itself the same as some of our other corridors," said Heather Rowe, the village's economic development coordinator.
"This area is a gateway of sorts to the downtown. It would be nice to have a smoother transition," Rowe added.
With that in mind, the village this week approved a not-to-exceed $55,000 contract with SB Friedman Development Advisors for the South Milwaukee Corridor study.
The firm and its subcontractor, the Lakota Group, have been working on the village's comprehensive plan update, which has progressed to draft form. Village planners said interest in pursuing redevelopment and improvement along Milwaukee Avenue south of Route 176 surfaced during that public process.
Since both firms are familiar with the area and the comprehensive plan objectives, village planners recommended hiring them to take a more in-depth look.
"We are building on the vision identified in the comprehensive planning process and digging deeper," Caitlin Johnson of SB Friedman told trustees.
First, the scale of desired change in the area would be determined. Then, the village would be presented with potential redevelopment tools, including tax increment financing, to determine if any would be feasible to achieve what it wants.
"This would be a next-level study and really evaluating the possibilities of what would be the level of improvement, investment or involvement the village would have," according to Rowe. "It goes beyond the comprehensive plan."
The goal is to determine the market feasibility of some development concepts and identify financial gaps so anything presented to future developers is viable, according to the village.
"It's a vital part of our Milwaukee Avenue corridor," said Trustee Scott Adams, who also is president and CEO of the GLMV Chamber of Commerce. "I think we need to look at it."
The entire Milwaukee Avenue corridor south of downtown is 2.75 miles and includes a concentration of small shops, several auto dealers, and Advocate Condell Medical Center.