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Chicago Tribune
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Clarendon Hills plaza plan generates pushback from residents
Some Clarendon Hills residents are speaking out against the proposed addition of a downtown plaza on Prospect Avenue, an idea being considered by village officials. The plaza would be between Railroad and Park Avenues and would include the elimination of the right-turn lane, or slip lane, from southbound Prospect onto Park. That turn lane now is part of what the village calls the Sloan Triangle, an area that would become a large part of the plaza and used for gatherings. Resident Angie Sartori has been extremely outspoken against the plaza and has created an online petition at Stop the Plaza Plan in Clarendon Hills, IL, seeking signatures from others against the project. As of Monday morning, the petition had 540 verified signatures. She also has had signs printed, reading 'No Plaza — Commerce & Safety First.' Sartori, stated her case against the downtown plaza in the petition, stating it 'threatens to close the efficient traffic triangle roundabout — a vital feature of our beloved village.' 'This roundabout currently provides much-needed and proven traffic relief, allowing for smoother vehicular movement and reducing congestion in our main commerce district. Removing it, along with its essential turn-off lane, could lead to nightmarish traffic jams, putting residents, commuters, and the 176 daily train services at risk. Residents who must cross the tracks in vehicles and on foot for work and school will find their daily routines severely disrupted,' the petition reads. Sartori spoke out strongly against Village President Eric Tech, who has expressed support for the downtown plaza. 'The village leader refuses to listen to residents, but residents are at the top of the (organizational) chart in Illinois villages, not presidents, not trustees,' she said. Sartori said residents who are strongly opposed to the plaza must be heard. 'The leader of Clarendon Hills has chosen to start a civil war about a plaza,' she said. 'He is willing to trade safety for a plaza that will largely go empty, like the ones in Burr Ridge, Westmont, and the other two plazas that Clarendon Hills already has, one near Tierra (Distilling Co. at 211 Burlington Ave.) and the other in front of Village Hall. And the new Sparrow Coffee (100 Park Ave.) will now have more public space, so that is essentially a Sparrow Coffee plaza. How many plazas can one town have?' Tech said he was aware of the petition. 'I understand that the petition circulating is a privately led initiative,' he said. 'According to the website, 66% of the signatures come from just three zip codes—not exclusively from Clarendon Hills. Nonetheless, I welcome input from all our residents.' Sartori said she has been reviewing petition signatures as they come in, and added they are from Clarendon Hills residents. She said some signatures show up as not coming from residents because those people set up their Facebook accounts before moving to the village. 'If this is the only thing (Tech) can say about the opposition, that our petition is not valid, he is wrong,' she said. 'He is insulting residents who have signed this petition and who are vehemently opposed to any downtown plaza cementing over our safe and proven traffic and pedestrian passages.' Sartori said Tech and the Village Board were elected to represent residents. 'They do not represent developers or real estate agents,' she said. 'They represent residents, and they must do what is in the best interest of residents.' Tech said while he is aware of opposition to the plaza, the Village Board has heard from many young families that support the idea. 'Transparency and community input are essential, but it's equally important that public discourse remains respectful, so that everyone feels heard,' he said. 'Since taking office, the Village Board and I have prioritized pedestrian safety and improving the walkability of our town. We are drawing from existing plans with the goal of creating a public space that serves the entire community. This is a thorough and thoughtful process. We've already held a public listening session and remain open to suggestions and questions.' Tech said the vision for the downtown plaza includes an attractive, small-scale, pedestrian-oriented shopping district with pocket parks and plazas, expanded streetscape amenities, and new housing, shops and restaurants. 'I believe this change will significantly improve safety, accessibility, and flexibility for hosting community events,' he said. 'I've spoken with many local business owners and residents. While there's been healthy debate, the majority of feedback has been positive, and I truly believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.' Resident Margo Jablonski said she would love to see a plaza downtown, but not at the expense of the slip lane. 'The slip lane filters traffic to the south west of town and provides needed space for delivery trucks and Ubers,' she said. 'With three new developments in the works, the slip lane is even more vital now.' Jablonski mentioned the coming opening of Sparrow Coffee, Prospect Tavern — a restaurant planned for 27 and 29 S. Prospect, and Parkside Place, a four-story mixed-use building across from Just LiftFitness, along with new diagonal parking on Walker Avenue. 'It seems shortsighted to think these projects won't impact traffic flow, especially given the density of Parkside Place,' she said. 'The traffic study also ignored the effects of inclement weather. The conditions observed were ideal, and it's concerning how traffic would be handled during storms.' Another resident, Lori Thompson, said the essential concern is about safety, with the proposed plaza being so close to the railroad tracks. 'We only have one set of tracks within Clarendon Hills, and based on an understanding from past Village Boards, there is no way to find appropriate land to put in an additional crossing,' she said. 'This is our one crossing for the foreseeable future. If we lose the slip lane, traffic will back up. We must maintain any current safety we now have in place. I am not opposed to progress in our town or the notion of a plaza somewhere else for neighbors to gather. I am in opposition of the proposed plaza location next to the train tracks. The Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce issued a statement that it supports the concept of a permanent plaza on Prospect Avenue, recognizing its potential to significantly enhance the vitality, safety, and functionality of the downtown district. 'At this time, there is no timeline for a decision,' Tech said. Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Down to Business: Best coffee in the world needs best hospitality to sell it, Sparrow manager says
Business: Sparrow Coffee Address: 120 Water St., Naperville Phone/website: 630-384-8940; General manager: Megan Gottig, 46, of Naperville Years in business: 7 What does your business do? 'We serve coffee. It's very good coffee. And we have very good food. We have exceptional pastries that we prepare in-house,' Gottig said. What's the background? 'We roast our own coffee. Sparrow Coffee Roastery opened 13 years ago, near the United Center. … Our founder, Chris Chacko, he's been in the coffee industry 35 years. He's well connected in the coffee world. He brought us to an expo in Portland two years ago, everyone knew him. He opened Sparrow Roastery as a whole coffee roaster for high-end restaurants. We are in two-thirds of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago.' Why open a coffee shop in Naperville? 'The Hotel Indigo, when this project opened, the management company was looking for an anchor. They wanted a coffee house. They stumbled on Sparrow Coffee and asked us.' Why is this place always crowded? 'It's the trifecta. We have excellent coffee, great food and it's a wonderful location. But that doesn't mean anything if we don't have a friendly staff.' How do you ensure that? 'When we hire our staff, we're not looking for coffee experience or qualifications. We know the coffee piece. They have to be first of all, good people, friendly people. Willing to have a conversation. Be attentive. Hospitality is first.' How much coffee do you sell in a week? 'See all those black bags on the wall? We get twice that much each week. Each bag is five pounds.' What do you order here? 'We don't serve anything we're not 100% behind. We have a grading scale. … It has to have a certain score. … We do that several time a year to all of our items. … Our food items came a little later after we opened. Our avocado toast, I've never had a better one. … We get ham from a local farm. We make our own sauerkraut. We make our own jam.' How much coffee do you drink daily? 'I know my limits. … If I drink more than two cups, I won't sleep. But we have excellent decaf.' Where are the coffee beans from? 'All around the world. Our roastery manager (went on) a trip to Brazil last summer. … I just got back from Australia. We went to a coffee expo in Melbourne.' What do you like about your job? 'I love meeting people. I love talking with people. There's always a new challenge here, something to figure out. … Plus, it' s coffee. I'm not doing kidney transplants back there. You can't take yourself too seriously, but we take hospitality seriously. … Some of the regulars have become friends of mine.' What challenges do you face? 'I don't want to say we don't have any competition. Starbucks figured out world domination. It's just that we're doing something different. … I don't think anyone does coffee in Naperville the way we do.' What does that mean? 'We're serving top-tier specialty coffee. The beans are graded. Almost like a wine. Graded on a scale that's international. And we know how to roast it because we have Chris, so the coffees taste great. 'We have a specific coffee program. If you order a latte, there's a swan or tulip (decoration). Latte art, you can't make that art if you're not doing it right.' How many employees work here? 'We have 25 to 40. Summer is our busiest season. The river walk is nonstop.' When are you busiest? 'Between 9 and 11 on Saturday morning.' What misconceptions do people have? 'Sometimes people come in and see all the high-tech equipment and think, 'Oh, they're going to be snobby.' I make sure that doesn't happen. … We want to be a bright spot in people's days.' What does a customer say? 'It feels like home, but it feels stylish. The best coffee. I'm pregnant. I always get the decaf cappuccino. It's perfect,' Gabriella Moscatelli, of Oswego, said. Any favorite stories? 'After I became the GM, the first week we had the polar vortex. We had to close for three days. Nobody was coming. … Then a pipe burst in the hotel and flooded our entire café.' Any future plans? 'Our second coffee house is coming to Clarendon Hills this fall. … We have an awesome location near the train station, an old Starbucks.' What's your advice for someone starting a business? 'Get to know every part of it. … I really do treat this place like it's mine.
Chicago Tribune
31-01-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Clarendon Hills looking to shelve COVID-era barriers for outdoor dining
The weather right now may not be calling for it, but officials in Clarendon Hills are continuing to move forward plans to improve the outdoor dining environment in the village's downtown area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the village, for the first time, converted some public parking for outdoor dining use. Prior to that, the option existed for outdoor dining only on the sidewalk. During the first year of the pandemic, the village had six restaurants using space in public parking areas, and barriers were put up to block those spaces. Since then, the village has been setting aside more permanent, and pleasant, spaces for al fresco dining. 'This year we only expect one (restaurant) in the parking area, as we are building parklets on Park and Railroad Avenues to permanently accommodate those areas, ' Village Manager Zach Creer said. 'Overall, sidewalks and parklets will accommodate seven restaurants downtown.' Social distancing requirements and preferences made outdoor dining popular during the early days of the pandemic. While those days are gone, the appetite for outdoor dining remains, Creer said. 'It's still very popular,' he said. 'We are looking to make it permanent and remove the temporary look.' Creer said seven of the village's downtown eateries offer outdoor dining, something that many diners want and that benefits the village. 'It boosts sales and food taxes by increasing seating by 30% or more,' he said. Creer said aesthetics are the only complaints the village has received about its outdoor dining, something that is also being addressed this year with formalized standards and a permit process. 'COVID opened a lot of commuter spaces, so on net we have increased downtown customer parking by moving commuter spaces and adding spaces in the right-of-way, which was previously underutilized,' he said. Creer said the village will be creating permanent outdoor dining spaces by using Tax Increment Financing funding. 'And new businesses, like Sparrow Coffee (at Park and Prospect Avenues), will be incorporating it in their designs,' he said. The remaining restaurant using a barricaded parking area for dining is IL Mio, at 30 S. Prospect Ave. Creer said the space presents a challenge in that it doesn't offer a clear way to eliminate the parking barricades in favor of a parklet. Village staff are working on a solution, but that likely won't come until 2026. Village President Eric Tech said the priorities for outdoor dining in Clarendon Hills are to 'improve safety and enhance accessibility.' 'I feel that outdoor dining creates a vibrant and desirable downtown environment. But, it is time we move beyond COVID-era solutions, such as concrete barriers, which belong on the tollway, not on our village streets,' he said. 'We can dress them up with tarps and other amenities, but at the end of the day, they are not in keeping with the character which we are trying to create in our downtown area.' Tech said the new village standards for outdoor dining will create 'safe, accessible and attractive solutions,' which will be permanently part of the downtown cityscape. 'We will do this while enhancing downtown parking options,' he said.
