Residents get answers about 111th/Kedzie Walgreens project

Spring 2008.

It was an answer that more than 60 Mount Greenwood residents were looking for Monday night when they packed the Chicago Public Library's Mount Greenwood Branch to air their questions and concerns with the developer of the northwest corner of 111th Street and Kedzie Avenue.

Douglas Bean, vice presidnet of Skokie-based Terraco, Inc. - the developer of what is being touted as the neighborhood's signature corner - turned out for the April meeting of the Mt. Greenwood Civic Association to field questions that addressed everything from drivers using the alleys as access for nearby Spaulding Avenue to problem tenants in the last occupied residential unit that's slated to be razed.

But the question on everyone's mind was: When will construction begin? It likely will be as early as spring 2008 but no later than summer of that year.

Ald. Ginger Rugai stepped in halfway through the hour-long meeting to calm what was fast becoming a fiesty crowd. She explained to those in attendance that the process to create a signature corner, which began four years ago with Terraco's initial purchases, has progressively made its way through the city's planning and zoning departments.

Nonetheless the process - however slow - is moving ahead, added Rugai, who underscored the need for such a development. "There was no sense of Mount Greenwood pride," she said. "This creates a signature corner at 111th and Kedzie."

The development will be anchored by a new Walgreens store expected to be about 13,000 square feet, according to Paul Kolpak, Terraco's attorney.

It will be built on a parcel just west of the current Walgreens, which will be converted into a parking lot and landscaped corner designed to satisfy the city's pedestrian-friendly policy for commercial developments located at intersections. The rest of the development will include a Starbucks and another retailer.

Still, despite all the talk of the development's potential, residents turned out for answers - and to clear the air of a variety of rumors circulating about the project.

One concern raised by several residents was that one of the three residential buildings slated to be razed still has tenants living in it. The problem, they said, was that the number of tenants often ranges from five to as high as nearly a dozen - and neighbors have complained to police about disruptive activity at the residence.

"Our home values are skyrocketing," argued resident Maureen Chausse. "But 111th Street, which is our signature, looks like the ghetto."

Bean's company owns the building, although he admitted he does not manage it.

He promised to resolve the issue (currently those tenants are living in the residence on a month-to-month basis), but residents remained unsatisfied about other aspects of the project, such as the lack of a clear timeline.

Douglas Bean (left) of Terraco, Inc., and Terraco's attorney, Paul Kolpak, field questions from Mount Greenwood residents about the proposed development of the northwest corner of 111th Street and Kedzie Avenue.

Kolpak said he expects final zoning approval by the City Council in September, clearing the way for groundbreaking as early as spring 2008.

The city has made its offer to sell the rights to the city's right-of-ways that would be vacated for the project, and Terraco will consider the price, he explained.

Yet another resident expressed concern that both parties could fail to agree on a price.

"We have expended years of effort, millions of dollars," Bean responded. "We don't give up that easily."

Meanwhile, Mary Kiedrow, executive director of the Mount Greenwood Local Redevelopment Corporation, stepped into address concerns about the adjacent vacant lot and the future of Fat Tommy's restaurant - both of which were owned by the LRC and were considered as potential additions to the Terraco development until the LRC's contract with the developer expired.

"It made perfect sense for them to develop it all together," said Kiedrow, who added that the LRC likely will seek other developers for the land.