Indoor Ice Rink, Gymnastics Center Could Soon Fill Vacant Western Avenue Lots

Two long-standing empty lots on 115th and Western Avenue could soon be seeing some big changes should Ald. Matt O'Shea get his way.

In a plan unveiled this weekend by O'Shea the lots would be renovated in two major phases over the next three to five years and will ultimately include an indoor ice rink, gymnastics center and a parking lot to serve the two new structures.

The plan was displayed to residents on Saturday at an open house designed to give 19th Ward residents the opportunity to provide their feedback on O'Shea's plans.

The two parcels are currently owned by the city and have been vacant for almost 30 years. O'Shea says that of the litany of businesses and chains he has approached about the empty lots, not one expressed any interest in developing. The lack of heavy traffic flow or other nearby draws were cited as the deal breaker for potential developers.

First Phase: Athletic Field

The project is estimated by O'Shea's office as taking approximately 3 to 5 years to reach full completion. While additional revenue is collected to construct the two permanent facilities, the land would be used as an athletic field for lacrosse or soccer for a few years.

The project will primarily be paid for through TIF funds collected from the Western Avenue/Rock Island TIF district. The 579-acre district was established in 2006. O'Shea says that about $7 million of the project’s total $12 million dollar price tag has already been accrued.

He adds that TIF revenues over the next three to five years will result in reaching that $12 million dollar mark. While that money is being gathered, a first phase will see the land partially developed right away. At its height the TIF collected around $2 million in revenue each year. With the economic downturn that number has fallen to about $750,000. The alderman hopes in future years that number begins inching back up.

“We can do phase one tomorrow,” O’Shea said.

Phase one of the project, which is estimated to cost $1.2 million will see a parking lot constructed on the northern parcel, and a green space for an athletic field established on the southern parcel for short term use before the two permanent buildings are constructed. In order to facilitate this, 115th Street will be closed so the two lots can be adjoined.

This phase would deal primarily with grading the land, drainage issues and the construction of the parking lot. The Chicago Park District would seed the southern parcel for a grass athletic field to cut back on costs associated with sodding since it would only be used for a few years.

Second Phase: Ice Rink

O'Shea says that all signs point to an indoor ice arena as being the perfect recreational attraction for the area. The large crowds that descend on the outdoor Mount Greenwood rink every winter, local high schools with strong hockey programs and the fact that many nearby facilities are frequently booked solid all point to a community interest, he argues.

The second structure, a gymnastics center, would also serve a need in the community and could potentially host a variety of park district programs. While the TIF money is potentially there to make these $12 million plans a reality, O'Shea says he will soon start actively courting possible sponsors to help defray some of the costs.

If those sponsors come through, the project's timeline could be accelerated. All of the buildings would be managed by the park district.

“I hope to sit down with the Chicago Blackhawks, Rocky Wirtz and sit down with other entities who are willing to talk about naming rights,” O’Shea said.

About That Street Closing . . . 

Among the concerns expressed by residents at the plans' unveiling, the most frequently cited seemed to be the closure of 115th Street. They see it as an issue with traffic flow, interrupting commuters routes to the Metra station and a potential safety concern.

To assuage the latter point, O'Shea says curbs would be installed that would allow all emergency vehicles to safely drive through the former 115th Street to access any calls coming from the neighborhood. He says these curbs have already been well-received by the Chicago Fire Department.

O’Shea says the street closure is necessary to fit in the needed parking spaces to avoid overflow onto residential streets. According to a traffic count performed last Friday and shared by the 19th Ward office, 2,950 cars travel eastbound and another 1,950 westbound during the average day.

“I think it will minimize another problem we have of cut through traffic,” O’Shea said. “It’s change so some people aren’t going to like it.”

For residents like Joe Mayer and Marnie Veghte the closure of 115th Street is the sticking point in their opposition to the project.

Mayer put together a flyer detailing the many routes that would be impacted by the closing of 115th Street and collected signatures at the Metra station on a petition opposed to the plan. He says about half of the individuals he spoke to preferred that the street be kept open.

“It would deny access to people living west of Western Avenue to the 115th Street station,” Mayer argues. “As well as to I-57. It is also already congested on 111th Street and 119th Street.”

He says that there are other ways the space can be utilized that would not require the street to be closed.

Veghte is still concerned about ambulance access to the area. Even with the proposed curbs.

“It doesn’t really enhance the ability for emergency vehicles to get through there if they have to slow down for each of these speed bumps,” Voghte said.

They are part of a group of area residents who say they will fight this project.

“I feel strongly about it,” Voghte said. “I think this is an arterial street that has a right to be there logically."

Why Not Trader Joe’s?

For many years, the site has been targeted as a potential home for retail development. Several months ago, Patch asked readers to weigh in on what they would like to see in the space. Many answers focused on stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, the same names that have been floated by residents for years.

“I brought Whole Foods there they told me no . . . I took Fresh Market there they told me no, Andy’s Frozen custard told me no, Culver’s told me no,” O’Shea said. “Every name that people stop me with, all those names I reached out to.”

He also provided Trader Joe’s with the specs of the parcels and spoke with their representatives, they in turn declined.

“They don’t want to be a pioneer,” O’Shea said. “They want to be near Menards being built, they want to be near Meijer being built, where the Plaza is being developed.”

O’Shea says the empty storefronts and lots piling up along this stretch of avenue mean something has to be done to breathe new life into the area.

He hopes that the recreation facility, which will draw not only neighborhood folks but area families as well, will help fill that need.

In the meantime, residents can share their thoughtson the current plans for the space by filling out a survey which will be available on the 19th Ward website this week.