Jessica Cantarelli/Triblocal.com staff reporter 03/01/10 11:01 AM 53 hits
From a stretch of road running through farmland to a commercial and educational hub, Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview and unincorporated Northbrook has seen its fair share of change in the last century and a half. And there is more to come in the future.
Presently, changes are being made to the corridor that runs along the outskirts of the two towns to impact the way the villages operate and identify themselves in the future.
In 2006, the Village of Glenview established a Milwaukee Avenue Corridor committee to reconfigure the road’s identity in the village as well as its future uses. At that point, it was a hodge-podge of eateries, strip malls, parks, corporate headquarters, hotels and residential neighborhoods.
“The goal is to create a better, more consistent thoroughfare, so that when you’re there, you identify that you’re in Glenview,” said Mary Bak, Village of Glenview’s Director of Development. “We gathered input from residents and business owners in a six day charrette. The plan was a huge undertaking and very well received by the community.”
According to the plan, some of the most popular ideas brought up during the charrette were to design projects for the future; enhance the non-vehicular experience by incorporating street trees, sidewalks and multi-purpose paths; create walkable commercial nodes along the road and internally and embed Milwaukee Avenue in the community by linking amenities through the corridor.
Some redevelopment has started to take place, specifically at the corner of Lake and Milwaukee as well as Central and Milwaukee. Bak said there is not a specific schedule set for all the enhancements, which is good considering some of the private projects that started construction recently came to a halt because of the economy.
“Some projects have gone dormant, but once the economy comes back and financing is reinstituted, there will be some activity there,” Bak said. “Other capital improvement plans for Milwaukee Avenue compete with other plans in the village, so hopefully we can get some of those through as the economy improves.”
The Milwaukee Avenue corridor begins at the intersection at Greenwood Avenue and extends north to the village limits, just south of Winkleman Road. Bak said some of the more necessary changes that are being or will be made are to help improve the streetscape that will help bring businesses to the area, and maintain the businesses that are there and enhance their abilities to succeed.
According to the plan, the intersections along Milwaukee Avenue that will receive the most improvement will be at Sanders Road, Lake Avenue, Central Road and Greenwood Avenue.
Some of the ideas for these areas are to incorporate new pedestrian atmospheres, build new walkways and add landscaping. Other parts of the plan include incorporating access and parking improvements built around the construction that is currently underway by IDOT.
Glenview Village Trustee Debby Karton, said one of the goals of the corridor is to create a streetscape that is more drivable and walkable.
"The plan includes a bus lane and expanding sidewalks for bikers," Karton said. "It's really about redeveloping the road not just for drivers, but for everybody."
Karton said since Milwaukee Avenue is a road that thousands of people travel each day, it's an opportunity for new businesses to build in Glenview.
"With the redevelopment, there's a lot of potential there," Karton said. "It's an entryway into our town. One of the best parts of the plan was working with the developer to take a look at what Milwaukee is today and thinking about what it could be in the future."
Bak said with parts of the plan already in action, the village is optimistic that Milwaukee Avenue will transform into the community's vision in years to come.
“The village is very excited about the opportunities this plan will create for the future,” Bak said. “The vision is that the pieces that we put in the plan will come to fruition and will fit into the kind of long term views of the community that we see.” |
Looking south on Milwaukee toward the Baymont Hotel next to TGI Friday's, there is a parking lot and vacant space. Photo courtesy Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Plan document from the Village of Glenview. 
There is a possibility to use the existing area for a new pedestrian environment. Photo courtesy Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Plan document from the Village of Glenview.
Looking south along Milwaukee Avenue near Abt, the four lane roadway has a sidewalk on both sides. Photo courtesy Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Plan document from the Village of Glenview. 
In the future, when the road is widened, there will be room for additional lanes for exclusive transit purposes. Photo courtesy Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Plan document from the Village of Glenview.