Roselle eyes possible outdoor plaza at Main and Prospect

To create more downtown parking and a welcoming aesthetic for visitors, Roselle may build an outdoor plaza at the southeast corner of Main and Prospect streets.

The village acquired the vacant lot for about $450,000 in 2008 to supplement parking in the area, Community Development Director Patrick Watkins said. The success of the new Impecca restaurant and the approaching opening of a 5,700-square-foot eye-care business will add demand in downtown, he said.

But village officials would like to see the lot provide more than just lined parking spaces.

"The idea is a lot of cross-purpose use; to have a nice, flat surface that can be used for parking, but cleared out for special events like Cruise Nights, the French Market or even events we haven't done yet like a movie night," Watkins said.

Officials heard a presentation on the project this week from Doug Gotham, a senior landscape architect at Rosemont-based Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. He described options the plaza could include, such as the village logo, a fountain, an ice skating area and pavement made from recycled glass.

The pavement, Gotham said, has a long life span and avoids creating water runoff.

"It lets water pass through," he said. "The particle size of material is all the same, but when they are bound together with adhesive it creates pore space, like a screen."

He added that the proposed ice skating area would be made of synthetic panels that don't require freezing water.

Roselle officials have not yet approved the project, which Watkins said could cost from $120,000 to more than $200,000. He said it is too early to determine an accurate price tag until the village board meets with Gotham again on March 22 and gives more thought to what features the plaza should include.

Other possible features include a mural and a giant checkerboard within the pavement. Gotham said officials also want the plaza to have the same characteristics of the existing streetscape to the east, such as uniform precast concrete benches, brick columns, stamped concrete pavement and light posts.

If approved, Gotham said the plaza could be finished in eight to 10 weeks.