Flexible amenity areas are coming to Downers Grove now that the Village Council has approved a contract for their construction of in the downtown area.
Commissioners on Tuesday approved by a 5-2 vote a $3.6 million contract with Landmark Contractors to build five of structures, which are designed to offer people a place to gather and eat.
Commissioners Tammy Sarver and Martin Tully cast the dissenting votes.
Tully said he favors the concept of flexible amenity areas but not price
“I’m all for the flexible amenity spaces, and I’m all for constructing all five at once if we can,” Tully said.
“My problem, as I expressed earlier, is with the cost. We originally contemplated this being about $1.8 million in terms of what was in our budget. What’s now on the table is double that,” Tully said. “And that would be OK if the I thought the extra amount was necessary and was commensurate with the cost involved to achieve something above and beyond what it would be without it. I’m not convinced that’s the case.”
“To me it’s just too much.”
Sarver said at last week’s council meeting she was opposed to the cost of the shade structures and believed outdoor umbrellas would serve the same purpose.
She also asked why shade structures were necessary for people who want to sit outside.
Commissioner Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt said the flexible amenity areas will be a long-term addition to downtown.
“We’re hoping that these shade structures and flexible amenity areas live on for a long time,” Sadowski-Fugitt said. “So there is a high likelihood that they’ll live beyond potentially some of the businesses we have today as things evolve.”
Commissioner Chris Gilmartin said the shade structures should be viewed as a “core design element” of the project. He added that flexible amenity areas are an investment in the community.
“I think it’s important to remember that investment in our community comes in many, many forms, and these amenity areas, I think, are investments in the economic engine for downtown,” Gilmartin said.
“(They) generate sales tax, food and beverage, property tax revenue. It funds everything else we do.”
Plans call for the flexible amenity areas to be located at:
- Burlington Avenue near the library entrance
- The southeast corner of Burlington Avenue and Main Street
- The west side of Main Street North of Curtiss Street
- The northeast corner of Curtiss and Main streets
- The northeast corner of Maple Avenue and Main Street
The shade structures will include lights and solar panels.
Improvements to the areas adjacent to the shade structures will include:
- New sidewalks
- Utility and electrical improvements
- Masonry seat walls
- Sculpture precast bases
- Gateway signs
- Trees and landscaping
- Irrigation
- Benches
- Trash and recycling receptacles
- Planters
- Bollards