Glen Ellyn may have one too many downtown groups, leader says

A new Glen Ellyn downtown development group might unnecessarily compete with the village's existing Economic Development Corporation, its leader says.

After a six-month study, a 13-member advisory committee in May recommended the creation of the new, yet-to-be-named group. Its responsibilities would include downtown business recruitment and retention.

But EDC President Neil Dishman said at a workshop Monday that his group is already doing that work, and doing it well.

"The overarching concerns are the areas that we think the (advisory committee) recommendations are creating overlap or competition," he said. "It'd be a situation where there are too many cooks in the kitchen, too many organizations that have a stake in downtown. We think it would actually worsen the situation rather than alleviate it."

He said the recommendation could cause confusion among prospective business owners, who could end up receiving separate calls from each group.

"Most importantly, it has the potential to detract from the customer service experience to someone looking to open a business in Glen Ellyn," he said.

Despite the disagreements, Dishman praised the new group and said he agreed with many of the recommendations, such as handing the it the duties of coordinating downtown events not under the chamber of commerce's jurisdiction and marketing downtown to attract shoppers.

With the majority of the board seemingly supportive of the new group, Village Manager Steve Jones said the trick now is to come up with a structure that is agreeable to everyone involved.

"Everyone is trying to shave it a little more to make it as sharp as possible," he said. "The fact that there is a debate, we don't view that as a negative."

The new group will essentially replace the Downtown Glen Ellyn Alliance, a 3-year-old organization that will be dissolved Dec. 31. Last October, the village board announced the dissolution when it created the advisory committee. The size of the board and budget is still up in the air, although the committee said in May that an annual budget of $257,000 - paid for through a combination of special service area money and funds from the EDC's marketing arm - was necessary to make the group viable.

As the new organization nears its debut, Village President Mark Pfefferman said adjustments and tweaks to the committee's work will help ensure that the group's impact is positive.

"The charge is to hone in on the specific roles and responsibilities, and the budget, and go forward from there," he said. "I think we'll see some form or fashion based on the excellent recommendations of TDAC. But I don't think it will be exactly the way it was originally proposed."