OK - here is what I think:

Get rid of some of the older buildings but keep some too. Some are actually quaint, unique and well-kept. I don't think that the buildings by the horse trough should be changed. They are historically GE. The strip mall next to Young's, while not necessarily ugly, they are non-descript - build new building with classic architecture but the capacity to meet the needs of modern retailers. There are other places too.

Parking Garage/Deck: Somewhere where it won't stick out like a sore thumb and won't appear to be a major feature of our town. Wheaton did a great job building their in the middle of a block with retail and condos around it. I suggest the lot behind the civic center and/or the lot behind the Glen - next to the new Honey. Again, within the buildings. If they used the lot where the antique mall was, there is enough space to build there. Heck, tear down that building and use that space to re-develop some better retail space.

Keep the great restaurants coming! GE could easily be a restaurant destination for surrounding burbs and especially those on the train line - imagine, people hopping on the train, eating, tipping back a few and then heading home...no driving. I love it! Events like Taste of GE should actually be foods made in restaurants in GE.

The VB should have required the Clinic to confine to traditional architecture too but it's too late for that. In ten years or so, we'll all comment about the "dated" look of the clinic that we say now about the current clinic. Big mistake. They blew that one.

Standards and expectations - establish a set of guidelines for building styles, planters, and signs.

As for PADS, I welcome it. The homeless issue is much larger than anything our little village can manage other than to keep 'em moving so they don't take up all the benches or harrass people. BUT, our police need to enforce already established village codes.

I'm sure I will have more thoughts but that's all for now.

Build it and they will come...Glen Ellyn needs a deck. There is not enough parking for commuter traffic let alone shopper parking. If you want more foot traffic...build a deck, use Amy's ideas for location, and the shops and restaurants will follow. They can get a Metra grant to help pay for it. The waiting lists are a bunch of garbage...build more parking to bring in more people who visit, work, and do business in a vibrant business district.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
Gas station land already spoken for and the fire department sits on donated land and the agreement only allows for village use, not private use. Station ain't going anywhere.

you're my favorite client type, clam: "nope, no way. can't do that. couldn't POSSIBLY do that. we tried that years ago. . . it'll never work"

'cause i'm not hip to the rules here, how does this thread's ideation game play out, clam? do we just keep tossing out ideas that you sit in judgement over?

lol

here's how i'd attack the process (consider this a freebie):
1) deep-dive trend study (WAY beyond a single survey) to develop serious hypotheses for innovation.
2) robust ethnographic research regiment involving citizens, government, parallel as well as aspirational industries/communities, and other outside experts to formulate broad, NEEDS-BASED platforms for ideation (not just platforms to suit a few posters wishes).
3) well-orchestrated ideation involving much of the same characters as in point #2 above.
4) thorough testing process to validate the best, long-rang solution/idea.
5) hire the best and brightest experts to actualize the idea (this'll take years).
6) commercialization. this is a very important step: you'll HAVE to spend the money to market this thing.

or, we could just toss out ideas onto your thread and let you shoot them down at your whim.

xxooxx

quote:

Originally posted by t.a. superette:

here's how i'd attack the process (consider this a freebie):
...


or, we could just toss out ideas onto your thread and let you shoot them down at your whim.

xxooxx

Pipe dream. You're just as aware as anyone else how this town works.

The new owners developing the 5 corners lot are not just going to give it up with a smile, the VFD will not be eager to leave a prime central location where they are an integral part of the community and command a high profile.

Downtown building owners are mostly 2nd and 3rd generation Glen Ellynites who have no money to demolish and build - and if they did they would not be constructing of brick and wood to last the next 50 years, you'd get a mini-box with a glass wall on the street built by the lowest bidder.

The Village Board? It has proven itself many times over, the latest being the GE Clinic debacle, to being deaf to the desires of the community to build a quality town of scale, charm and beauty for families with children.

The goal here is obvious. Someone wants a parking deck, and they're going to make homeowners pay for it. It will be portrayed as a small part of a bigger answer - but it will be nearly the entire budget for the project, and it will solve nothing. Parking is not a problem, it is not hard to ever park within a half-block currently.

If we choose to pay for a parking garage, what then? Widen Main St. and Park Blvd to 4 lanes? Dig out a 4 lane underpass beneath the tracks? 4 way stoplights with designated left turn lanes at Main & Penn, Main & Crescent, Park & Crescent or Duane & Main?

I don't believe a multideck parking garage will improve the quality of life for families in this town and I don't even believe it can bail out the local building owners so that they can cash out. (they all believe that the downtown Naperville gold rush will hit GE any minute if only for a ...)

The continued Urbanization of downtown will have a negative effect on the quality of life for those families that value the charm, scale, and beauty of a small child friendly town.

These are choices that will have consequences that should not be ignored.

It did not negatively impact Wheaton or Elmhurst...both have vibrant central business districts....and have maintained that small town charm.

I think Elmhurst is a horrible model, that is not a downtown one would normally emulate.

We don't have the population base of Naperville, the setting of Geneva, or the wealth of the North Shore, there are limits and tradeoffs involved in this as in everything.

quote:

Originally posted by jombl:
I think Elmhurst is a horrible model, that is not a downtown one would normally emulate.

Agreed. I would rather have Downtown Glen Ellyn sit 100% vacant than sell-out to look like Elmhurst. Some selling-out needs to occur...but Elmhurst better not be our benchmark for aesthetic success. It's like Berwyn on steroids.

Superette:

I have known you for years...you are one of the smartest men I know next to GE Fan and JRPotts...what part of the equation regarding the fact that the fire station sits on land that was donated to the VOGE and has use restrictions placed upon it...not allowing for commercial use in any way...is confusing? Tie this together with the fact that the land at 5 corners is owned by a private individual who plans to open business on the property...I believe a garden/landscape center.(I know how much you love the improper use of the ellipsis...I think you one time referred to me as King Ellipsis)

So, you see...your plan needs to be changed because the FD land is not available for commercial use.

Also, given that you own a frame home, do you really want a volunteer fire department that already has response times roughly twice the area average* to be even further away from your home?



*This is in no way a complaint or criticism of the GEVFD. Just a statement that is fact...or relatively close to fact. Yes, we all love them. So shut up.

Funny thing is, jombl, the CBD looks more urban now than any other time since I have lived here.

I agree with all you say...as usual.

It's the skyline - it takes some adjusting to before the replacement of trees with buildings really sets in.

All it needs now is a Parking Deck, a four lane road to service it and the addition of taller brighter street lighting, traffic lights and guard rails for safety.

I would agree with the need for a parking deck theory if this town were two to three times its current size. The growth is limited to westward at this point. Maxed out every other direction. We have many places to park, just not many places directly in front of the store you want to shop at and are seemingly unwilling to walk two or three blocks to do so. A parking deck, regardless of where it ends up...will be two to three blocks from the store you want to shop at. I guarantee this.

quote:

Originally posted by my2cents:
It did not negatively impact Wheaton or Elmhurst...both have vibrant central business districts....and have maintained that small town charm.

I agree with my esteemed colleagues about Elmhurst. But that was the way it was when I grew up in Bensenville. It was always York Road and everything else. The only other destination was the A&P.

Wheaton, on the other hand, has gained the benefit of TIF money to put businesses on Front Street. However, I fail to see the fabulousness of Wheaton - except for the French Market, which took years to get established. Along Front Street, you have a range of restaurants, a wine store, clothing store, tailor, Starbucks, ice cream shop, hardware store and collectibles store. Difference between those entities and Glen Ellyn? Minimal, except the amount of traffic on Main and Front streets.

You would revitalize the downtown district by making it a location you want to walk around and spend time. Small stores have charm that attract shoppers. But the landlords can't continue to price the artists and retailers out of the market. The creative business person will attract attention to their business - if they can afford it.

A clean and spruced up CBD will do a lot toward attracting prospective business owners. It sort of all boils down to that. Nobody will buy into decay and outdatedness. Keep the footprint of the town as it is...just figure out a way to modernize and clean it up.

Agreed. I forgot that part: The Village needs more trash cans and/or to empty them more often. They should also install water spigots (don't know how this could be done in terms of engineering but I'm not contraining my responses to mesh with my actual knowledge of how to do something) along the businesses so they could rinse of the walks in front of their businesses more easily. Also, mulch around the trees in town...like, keep mulching if it gets kicked/rained out or gross - it's like keeping a horse stall but it would look much nicer.

I would think the parking deck would be beneficial for several reasons:
1. employees could park there instead of taking up spaces in town and moving their cars every three - six hours or having to park far, far away. Commuters could use them and free up more customer parking areas or even renovate some of our parking into usable retail space. I'm not suggesting a monstrosity or two...a three or maybe four level deck would suffice (in two locations - the one's I mentioned before). There may not be a great demand for parking right now - the weather is nice and people walk, bike, etc to town or don't mind walking a bit but when the weather goes bad, watch the difference it makes. Also, people have given up somewhat on trying to shop becuase paraking can be difficult. If we have parking, it will increase the foot traffic and if we increase the foot traffic, maybe more businesses will succeed and more will want to come here.

Can someone outline exactly WHEN it is difficult to park downtown? I never have a serious problem parking close (i.e. within 1.5 blocks) of where I want to go. But I'm also not in town during the day. Is that when it's a problem?? I've never had a problem on the weekends or weeknights unless the carnies are in town, and then I plan ahead and usually bike it into town anyway.

As far as the parking deck:

I have been known to say to myself - there is no parking in this downtown, but that's because when I go downtown (as it is currently outfitted) I have a specific store/restaurant that I am going to and after patronizing said establishment, I generally leave downtown. So, when all you want is a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone, you don't want to walk 2 blocks to get it. You see the 6 spots in front of the store taken up and you say, rats, there's no parking in this downtown and, if one is available, you head to a similar establishment on Roosevelt road where you don't even have to get out of your car to enjoy said treat. I don't think a parking deck in a non-obtrusive spot would fix that (perhaps if you could build one right on the Metra tracks it would work).

Now, if downtown were populated with a nice variety of stores, etc. where you would enjoy spending the whole morning downtown, then, of course I wouldn't mind parking in a parking deck and walking all over downtown.

You don't want to walk two blocks to get it? An ice cream cone...or a coffee?

Each store can't have its own parking deck, so my guess is the situation will not get better as any parking relief would most likely be further away than that.

Not picking on you mama...because, as always, I love you and all others...but that's the biggest problem this town faces. The fact that 90% of its inhabitants find a two block walk so daunting. I fear this town will continue to be doomed because of it.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
Superette:

what part of the equation regarding the fact that the fire station sits on land that was donated to the VOGE and has use restrictions placed upon it...not allowing for commercial use in any way...is confusing?

So, you see...your plan needs to be changed because the FD land is not available for commercial use.

to set the record straight, because you seem to be only reading what you want, i implied in my earlier post that i was ideating from the hip. i need more data to better answer/solve your original question. i laid out how i'd like to approach a viable, innovative solution in a separate post, but you keep fixating on my hypothetical idea as if it's something gospel. so let me state, once again: IT'S A RADICAL IDEA I THOUGHT OF AS I WAS READING YOUR POST. IT WAS NOT BASED ON ANY HARD-CORE, VALIDATED INFORMATION. simply one creative guy's two-minute brainstorm.

sheesh, dude. i live in a world of "anything is possible." i have to. it's my job. i've seen/been involved in some miraculous transformational innovation. i love ya, pal, but you seem to living in a world of unwavering close-mindedness, and, possibly, fear of fighting the power and/or change (outside of writing a few thousand posts).

but, just to poke at ya a littel (xxooxx) more, do you really believe that the GE government couldn't lift current regulations on a few parcels of land and do things differently? are the laws that air-tight? i ain't a lawyer, but hell, i seen some crazy land-grabs by other communities. hell, st. charles is ripping out a whole block of old buildings as we speak.

because i admire your intelligence, too, here's a question/digression for you (and any other folks who've moved in w/in the last 10-20 years):

when you were looking at homes/communities to move to, did you just fall for the realtor's line of "gee, ain't GE purdy" BS, or did you actually do the due diligence to see that:
1) the CBD, has been dying since about '72. (but it sure is purdy)
2) this is a town of approx. 25000 with three count 'em, THREE school districts, employing three expensive administrations. this data alone must have caused an eyebrow to raise. . . i hope.
3) lots of noisy trains run through here. (had to throw that one in because i love listening to newbies go off on that rant)

'cause my guess is if you did your homework, you would have easily chosen another suburb. unless you're REALLY into the purdy town with purdy castle school near the purdy lake setting. at the very least, if you'd moved into one of those other towns, think of all the time/life you'd have saved not posting so much.

lastly, i apologize if this questionnaire should have been started in another thread. im not too clear on message board rules. am i "highjacking" this thread? or did i do that many posts ago? i'm just a caveman. . .

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
I fear this town will continue to be doomed because of it.

"we'll never make it. we're doomed." wasn't that a smurf thing? are you stealing papa smurf's lines, clam?

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
You don't want to walk two blocks to get it? An ice cream cone...or a coffee?

Each store can't have its own parking deck, so my guess is the situation will not get better as any parking relief would most likely be further away than that.

Not picking on you mama...because, as always, I love you and all others...but that's the biggest problem this town faces. The fact that 90% of its inhabitants find a two block walk so daunting. I fear this town will continue to be doomed because of it.

That's why I said I didn't think a parking deck would help. A two block walk is only daunting when there is a competing business that has lots of parking a mere mile and a half away (applicable to both coffee and ice cream) and less than that when you consider that my house is basically equidistant between the two locales. I can and do park wherever there is a spot when I take my daughter to dance lessons or when we go out to dinner downtown or I'm buying a gift, etc. It's not that the parking situation is horrendous, it's just that given the opportunity, I want to park right out front - that's the suburban way.