Curb your enthusiasm? Arlington Heights trustees like street makeover, but not $4.4M cost
Conceptual plans for a pedestrian-friendly, curbless street in downtown Arlington Heights were deemed “beautiful” by village board members.
But they also balked at the estimated $4.4 million cost of the project that would redo a portion of Vail Avenue and make changes to adjacent Harmony Park.
“We just spent the first half of tonight’s meeting talking about taxes,” Trustee Tom Schwingbeck said late Monday, after the board approved a new streaming tax and extended a local grocery tax.
“If we had the funding to do this where it wasn’t going to cost the village any money that would be one thing. But … seeing this project with approximately a $1 million gap that we’ve got to come up with — that’s hard to swallow.”
Village officials have been exploring the possibility of a pedestrian-focused downtown promenade concept even before the Arlington Alfresco outdoor street-dining zone was established during the pandemic summer of 2020. Board members looked at initial sketches in 2023, but took a closer look this week now that a consultant has worked on more detailed designs and environmental studies.
Plans call for removing the curbs on Vail between Campbell Street and the village parking garage, adding a 10-foot median with trees and seating, while retaining two 11-foot drive lanes for vehicles when the road isn’t shut down during Alfresco season.
Crosswalks would be shorter for pedestrians, and pavement would be a different material and color to “alert drivers that you’re entering an area that’s more pedestrian-friendly than car-friendly,” said Kurt Corrigan, vice president of municipal engineering for consultant V3 Companies.
At Harmony Park, construction crews would place seating areas including benches and Adirondack chairs, plant more trees and bushes, and hang stringer lights overhead. There’d be space for a mural on the building behind the recently-installed “DtA” public art sign, too. The water fountain would remain, but the band stage would be shifted and tucked into the southeast corner of the park.
Enhanced pavement crosswalks would be installed at three intersections, along with gateway signage.
“The goal of the project is to help the downtown, to bring additional people to downtown, to support our businesses, and to provide an enhanced amenity for our residents,” said Emily Rodman, the village’s director of planning and community development.
But Mayor Jim Tinaglia and some trustees wondered if the park upgrades could be parceled out amid cost concerns. Then the price to do just the roadway and intersection changes would be $2.5 million.
Still, even a reduced project scope would require some local “skin in the game,” noted Village Manager Randy Recklaus, per grant requirements.
The village secured $2.9 million in federal and state funds in the spring, with another $450,000 on the way from state Rep. Nicolle Grasse, a former Arlington Heights trustee.
Village officials have applied for another $1 million in state funds that could be used to cover the municipality’s required 20% match on the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant.
Some trustees maintain the park, which was created in 2003, doesn’t need a new layout, and the money could be used to revitalize other downtown areas or the village as a whole.
“It reminds me of a nice open room, but then somebody came in and over furnitured it,” said Trustee Jim Bertucci, a downtown condo owner. “It seems like it made a nice open area and European piazza kind of feel to a crowded over-landscaped area.”
“If you listen to some of the businesses on the north and south end (of town): ‘OK, here they go again, spending more money in downtown Arlington Heights, and when are they going to invest and spend more money in my area?’” Bertucci added.
The project schedule called for phase two engineering to be complete by the middle of 2026 and construction to begin in 2027, but the latest feedback from board members may slow that process.