Two-Restaurant Redevelopment Plan For Ogden Ave Gets Positive Feedback

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — On Tuesday, village trustees had a first reading for a proposal to redevelop a site on Ogden Avenue with a 9600 square foot building that would house two restaurants. The petitioner, Vick Mehta, is seeking a special use permit to allow a drive-thru on the property, which is located at 1250 and 1250 Ogden Ave.

The Downers Grove planning commission gave the project its recommendation at their Feb. 3 meeting. The developer plans to demolish the building that is currently onsite.

Village officials would be obligated to approve restaurants that would occupy the development, and to reimburse the developer for any TIF-eligible expenses, up to 1.2 million or half the development's cost, depending on which is greater.

During Tuesday's meeting, local business owner Clorinda Greco voiced questions about the village's obligation to reimburse expenses.

Village Manager David Fieldman said the TIF "allows us to invent incremental property taxes back into the district and spur redevelopment.”

He added, "“Since the TIF District, we’ve had significant investments, public and private, that have resulted in, not only in the improvement of aesthetics of Ogden Avenue, but in improvements in safety and operations."

Fieldman explained that the 20-year Ogden TIF had been extended past its previous expiration date of late 2024 to allow more potential developments to take advantage of its benefits.

He said the TIF "allows us to then invest the remaining fund balance of about $7 million into projects that would generate sales tax and food and beverage tax."

Commissioner Greg Hose called the Ogden Ave. TIF district "a tremendous success."

"We’ve extended the life of it so we could bring down the balance and bring more economic development to our village. This is a definition of a win-win and I think I’m excited about it and I hope everyone else is too," Hose said.

Commissioner Michael Davenport noted that "the improved development brings about improved property value, which then generates additional property tax revenue for, not just the village, but all the entities that are collecting property taxes."

Echoing Davenport and Hose, Commissioner Martin Tully said the TIF district has fostered the growth of Ogden Avenue and gives the village a chance to bring in developments that might not have happened before the TIF.

He said, "This isn’t a checkbook that we just run around handing money to people willy-nilly, this is an actual program that was designed specifically to create dollars to reinvest in Ogden Avenue through redevelopment agreements and incentive agreements that would attract developments that, frankly, otherwise wouldn’t happen."

Of the proposed redevelopment, Tully added, “I think it makes perfect sense, and it meets the criteria and it’s entirely consistent with what we’ve been doing for 20 years now.”

The proposal calls for the building to house two restaurants taking up to 3,600 square feet collectively, each with 10-year leases.

If the project gets the green light, the petitioner plans to buy the property by June 30, 2025. Construction would start in April 2026, with a proposed timeline of wrapping up before the end of 2026.