Diverse Urban Forest Planned For Downtown Glen Ellyn

Press release from the Village of Glen Ellyn:

The upcoming Downtown Streetscape and Utility Project will be replacing and upgrading underground utilities as well as making geometric changes to roadways and sidewalks that will impact existing trees. The Village of Glen Ellyn wants to use this opportunity to upgrade growing conditions and plant a more diverse mix of trees that will thrive and be a lasting benefit for future generations of residents.

The Village has finalized the tree species list to be planted in downtown Glen Ellyn. The final list, as reviewed by the Morton Arboretum in concert with the Chicago Region Tree Initiative, the Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission and the Capital Improvements Commission, as well as the Public Works Department, increases species diversity and contributes to the restoration of the oak ecosystem in the region.

The announcement of the tree species list comes as the result of careful evaluation of the 109 parkway trees currently growing downtown. Nearly half of the trees were found to be in fair to poor condition and 66% of the trees were of only two species, Honeylocust and Pear. When the project is completed, downtown will be home to 115% more parkway trees.

The new streetscape design creates a more diverse mix of proven trees that will thrive in our environment and be better protected against future diseases and bugs. The new trees selected will be no more than 14% of any type of tree. The design will use a suspended pavement technology containing soil cells below the sidewalk to provide large volumes of planting soil that will support large tree growth without pushing up the sidewalk and causing tripping hazards. The new tree planters will also include an irrigation system to ensure trees have access to adequate water. In addition, each tree is being hand selected and placed approximately 35 feet apart with consideration to business entryways, outdoor seating, seat walls and distance to building roofs. The placement of trees will also consider design aesthetics, and strive to achieve a balance of uniformity through careful selection and grouping of trees with similar size, shape, fall color and other characteristics.

Glen Ellyn recognizes that a healthy urban forest provides critical urban infrastructure that helps reduce urban flooding, reduces the urban heat island effect and reduces air pollution. A healthy urban forest will enhance the shopping, dining and living experience within the downtown Central Business District.

To learn more about the urban forest, view a full list of the selected trees, see renderings and read about the overall project, visit the project website.

Downtown Streetscape and Utility Project Schedule

After careful consultation with downtown business and property owners, the Village has scheduled construction of Phase I of the Downtown Streetscape and Utility Project to begin in 2022. Construction on Phase 1, south of the railroad tracks, will likely begin in late winter 2022.

Detailed construction schedules and completion dates for each portion of the project are being reviewed and will be discussed with the Village Board in future meetings.

This press release was produced by the Village of Glen Ellyn. The views expressed here are the author’s own.