The Village is planning to launch a new Pick Oak Park Report on Economic Vitality monthly e-newsletter early next week. The e-newsletter will serve as a way of sharing important economic vitality information with community stakeholders via their email inboxes. The project is a collaboration between the Development Services Department and Office of Communications and Engagement. Anyone interested in receiving the monthly economic vitality report can sign up for this and other Village e-newsletters at www.oak-park.us/enews.

The Vision Zero team held its last public open house on July 20 where residents had a chance to review and provide feedback on the draft recommendations for the plan. Approximately 40 residents attended the open house, expressing their support for the plan and sharing ideas for how to improve traffic safety through the Vision Zero effort. A toolbox of safety countermeasures was presented, including various infrastructure tools designed to make streets safer. All of these tools received at least 70% approval from participants, with the majority receiving over 90% approval. The project team will be reviewing the comments and feedback from participants and refining the final Vision Zero plan in the coming weeks, aiming to submit for Village Board approval this fall.

Nominations are being sought for the Village's annual awards that recognize efforts by organizations, individuals and businesses to improve Oak Park through property preservation, sustainability and public health contributions. Residents may submit nominations online for the Cavalcade of Pride, Historic Preservation, Sustainability and Fitzsimmons Public Health awards. More information is at www.oak-park.us/2024communityawards.

Voting is still open in the American Farmland Trust’s search for the nation’s favorite farmers’ market contest through July 31. Help the Oak Park Farmers' Market pull into the top tier of markets throughout the Midwest by voting at markets.farmland.org/markets/3898350. The Oak Park Farmers’ Market takes place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through October at 460 Lake St. More information is at www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket.

Housing Forward will introduce a zoning ordinance text amendment application and special use permit application at the Plan Commission's Aug. 1 meeting. The text amendment is intended to create a new category within the I-Institutional Zoning District for a community service center. The special use would authorize the implementation of the center. This center will allow for an unhoused population of up to 45 persons to reside overnight at the St. Catherine/St. Lucy rectory building. This model is similar to the PADS model used in various religious buildings prior to the pandemic. Social services will also be provided on-site for the unhoused as well as the St. Catherine/St. Lucy students who attend the school and the students’ families. These applications are expected to be submitted for the Aug. 27 Village Board meeting, provided the Plan Commission make a positive recommendation next week.

Oak Park-based commercial real estate firm David King & Associates, Inc., has released mid-year information about office vacancy rates on Oak Park’s Lake Street corridor. Information gathered from nine of the largest office buildings on Lake Street shows an overall mid-year office vacancy rate of 11.09%. The properties included in the survey are the 1010 Lake St. building, Shaker building, 1144 Lake St. building, 1101 Lake St. building, the 1024-40 North Blvd. building, Scoville Square building, the Medical Arts building, the Forsyth building and the 1049 Lake St. building. This 11.09% vacancy rate, by any current standard, is extremely low and serves as a reflection of how strong economic vitality currently is in Oak Park. In comparison, David King & Associates, Inc., has investigated office vacancy rates in other locations and has shared that there is no market or submarket in Chicago with an office vacancy rate as low as Oak Park’s Lake Street corridor. David King & Associates reports that mid-year, for all of Chicago’s suburbs, there is an office vacancy rate of 31.3%, almost 20% higher than Oak Park’s rate. 

The Downtown Oak Park Business Alliance (DTOP) is setting attendance records at its Thursday Night Out events held from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday on Marion Street, between Lake Street and North Avenue. The weekly event, which runs through Aug. 29, features 24 Downtown Oak Park restaurants offering a variety of drinks, appetizers, entrees and desserts on the Thursday Night Out menu. Diners can eat inside participating restaurants or carry out. Tables are set up on Marion to allow event participants to enjoy dining al fresco. More information is at www.thursdaynightout.com.

The Coffee Shop Oak Park continues the tradition at 163 S. Oak Park Ave. of providing a tasty, welcoming setting for social meetups, working and relaxing. New owner Jose Balaguer was recently joined by Village President Vicki Scaman, Development Services Director Emily Egan, Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce President Rob Guenthner and Economic Vitality Administrator Cameron Davis and others in cutting a ribbon celebrating the vitality of this important new business in Oak Park’s Hemingway District. Visit www.thecoffeeshopoakpark.com for more information about this new Oak Park business, which is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Village partner agency Visit Oak Park recently secured a spot on WGN’s "Daytime Chicago" to feature Oak Park’s Hoja Santa restaurant. Hoja Santa staff appeared on the show and made salsa macha and calabaza as part of the segment – click here to watch. Hoja Santa is located at 722 Lake St. in the Village’s Hemingway Business District. For more information, visit www.hojasantaoakpark.com.

South Boulevard water & sewer improvements – The water main improvements on South Boulevard are in progress. Detour signage is set up around the site. The contractor anticipates installing new water main up to the Clinton Avenue intersection by the end of this week. Once the water main installation is complete, the contractor will switch to sewer improvements. Work on Linden Avenue is scheduled to begin early next week. Parking passes will be distributed this week to all residents impacted by the construction.

Lot 10 construction – Parking Lot 10 was striped on Wednesday and reopened Thursday morning. The removal of half the crosswalk on North Boulevard at Marion Street also began this week. Parking will not be allowed on North Boulevard within the project limits while upcoming road resurfacing work takes place. No parking signs are currently posted notifying drivers of the closures.

Austin Boulevard sewer improvements – The contractor received approval from the Union Pacific Railroad to begin work under the viaduct on Austin Boulevard between North Boulevard and South Boulevard. Sewer cleaning and concrete replacement is expected to begin early next week. Southbound traffic on Austin will be detoured to Madison Street for the duration of this work. The contractor anticipates reopening the viaduct on Aug. 5.

Madison Street improvements – This week the contractor removed all the curb, gutter, driveways and sidewalks along the south side of Madison Street. The new curb was expected to be poured back by the end of the week. The electrical work for the new street lighting is expected to start next week.