|
How was the site for the new Police Station selected?
After
determining the need to build a new Police Station and Local
Adjudication/Village Board Chambers, the Village looked at a number
of options, which included:
A. Village Owned Parcels
Belmont & River –
This site is located at the far eastern section of town and has several drawbacks for polic operations including being blocked
from the largest area of town by two sets of railroad tracks. This site would not be large enough for police operations and the Local Adjudication
Courtroom which doubles as the Village Board Chambers. Purchase of an adjoining parcel would have made this site cost prohibitive. This site
would require that the Police Station and Local Adjudication/Village Board Chambers have special building feature to make it flood resistant because it is located
across the street from the Des Plaines River. Additionally, River Road is closed during heavy rain events, hinderin travel in that vicinity.
Grand & Mannheim – This site was purchased to encourage retail development.
The Village went to great lengths to put together a parcel large enough to accommodate a modern retail development on the site. The land is more valuable as a
retail development due to it being a source of real estate and sales tax revenue as well a a local commercial area for the use of residents. The sit is the
best retail location in Franklin Park. The site would b 2 miles from Village operations, which makes communication more difficult with other operations.
The distance from other Village Operations and the loss of valuable retail space made this land undesirable for a Police Station location.
The Crossings – Phase 2 –
This site
located at
the
Northwest
corner of
25th and
Franklin
Avenue
presents
several
challenges
due to
its
location
and size.
Site
access
would be
a major
issue due
to the
configuration
of 25th
and
Franklin
Avenue in
relationship
to the
railroad
tracks,
which
would
cause
major
safety
concerns
because of
difficulties
with
ingress
and
egress.
It would
also be
costly to
develop,
as the
facility
would have
to be
multi-story
and
include a
multi-story
parking
garage.
The police
operations
would mean
the
unloading
of
dangerous
perpetrators
and the
releasing
of
offenders
in the
downtown
area
directly
connected
to
residential
and
commercial
areas.
A large
portion of
this
property
is not
suitable
for
construction
because of
large oil
cooled
communications
tubes
running
along the
North side
of the
parcel.
Southwest corner of Grand and Willow –
This site
is owned
by the
Grand
Avenue
Railroad
Relocation
Authority
and would
have to
be
transferred
to the
Village.
This
parcel is
only
accessible
by an
alley
behind a
residential
area.
Accessing
the site
safely
from Grand
Avenue
would be
an issue
as it
is right
next to
the
underpass.
The police
operations
would mean
the
unloading
of
dangerous
perpetrators
and the
releasing
of
offenders
in a
residential
area.
Property adjacent to Village Hall –
Parcel
size is
too
small.
All
visitor
parking
would be
on the
south side
of Belmont
Avenue
that would
create
safety
issues.
The layout
of the
lot would
only allow
for one
access
point on
Belmont
Avenue,
which is
not good
from a
policing
standpoint.
If the
single
access
point is
blocked,
police
would not
be able
to access
or leave
the
station.
B. Renting space in a warehouse
The
Board
investigated
the
possibility
of
rehabbing
the current
facility
and housing
the Police
Station in
a rented
space for
the
duration.
This option
would have
cost the
Village
approximately
4 million
dollars in
rent,
taxes, and
costs to
build out
the
temporary
facility
and to
move
elaborate
communication
equipment.
The Village
would then
have to
pay to
return the
property to
its
original
condition
at the
end of
the lease.
C. Purchasing an existing building
(e.g., former Bank building on Rose Street)
This
property
required an
environmental
clean up
which the
owner would
not pay
for at
the time.
The
property
required
extensive
remodeling
and
expansion,
which would
have cost
approximately
the same
as the
purchase
and new
construction
of a
Police
Station on
the
Unilever
site.
The bank
site and
building
had
limitations:
it would
have been
a very
tight fit
with no
expansion
capabilities
for the
Police
Department
and there
was
question as
to whether
or not
the
building
would have
been able
to
accommodate
a Village
court room
and the
necessary
parking for
public
meetings.
The police
operations
would mean
the
unloading
of
dangerous
perpetrators
and the
releasing
of
offenders
in a
residential
area South
of the
downtown
directly
connected
to
commercial
areas.
D. Purchase of the 13.5-acre Unilever site for $2.1 million
and
construction
of a
building
suitable
for the
Village’s
needs.
(The Village of Skokie purchased 6 acres for $6 million)
The purchase of the former Unilever site was
deemed to be the most attractive option based on the price and
flexibility the site offered. The purchase would also allow the
Village to implement plans recommended in the Transit Oriented
Development study adopted in January 2006 and paid for by $75,000 in
grant funds. This study was developed with input from the
public and other taxing bodies. Several public meetings were
held to gather input for the plan from residents as well as meetings
with key stakeholders in the Village. Two options were
suggested for the Unilever site:
Option 1 –
Keep the site for industrial use as Unilever was using the site at
the time. Unilever ultimately decided to shut down the facility in
December 2008. This site then presented several challenges for
reuse as an industrial facility:
The
onsite buildings were older and had less desirable features such as:
low ceilings, lack of truck docks, flow issues in the larger building
as it has multiple additions, etc. The lack of modern
industrial features made the property unattractive to potential
industrial buyers and was destined to remain vacant for an extended
time period.
The
site is close to the center of Franklin Park where residential
properties are predominant.
Due
to these reasons option 2 (stated below) became the most feasible
approach for the redevelopment of this property. No other land
purchase in Franklin Park or surrounding communities has been as low
on price per square foot.
Option 2 – Look
to use
the site
as a
potential
Village
campus
(consolidate
Village
Hall,
Police
Station &
Public
Works) as
stated in
the Transit Oriented Development study adopted in January,
2006
The
Unilever
site can
ultimately
allow for
more of
the Transit
Oriented
Plan to
be
implemented
and
possibly
permit the
Village to
consolidate
municipal
services at
this
location.
No
immediate
plans
for
other
Village
buildings
are
contemplated
at
this
time.
Additionally,
some of
the land
not used
for the
Police
Station
could be
made
available
for sale
for private
development.
Paid
for by the Your Village Your Voice Party. A copy of our report filed
with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available for
purchase from the State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.
|