VILLAGE OF HANOVER PARK SPEARHEADING REVITALIZATION OF HISTORIC ONTARIOVILLE AREA

The Village of Hanover Park, with nearly three quarters of a million dollars of grant money in hand, has embarked on an ambitious revitalization and restoration project designed to transform a sleepy crossroads into a tourist attraction and a source of community pride.

The tiny 140 year old hamlet of Ontarioville, which in its heyday was a major stagecoach stop and later a stop for the Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company, was annexed into the Village of Hanover Park in 1982. The present highway system, built in the 1930s and 40s, bypassed Ontarioville, and the area to this day has remained virtually untouched by the suburban development all around it. It has only been in the last year, as a result of its annexation to Hanover Park, that Ontarioville got such basic public improvements as sewer and water. Many buildings in the historic area have fallen into disrepair, with the aging structures sadly in need of upgrading, updating, and some general maintenance.

But with a four year timetable, a master plan for phasing in public improvements, and $1.2 million, primarily Community Development Block Grant funds, the Village of Hanover Park is out to change all that. Village officials plan to restore and refurbish the Ontarioville area and transform it from a nearly-forgotten crossroads to a charming turn-of-the-century landmark.

The restoration plan, developed by Teska and Associates, Inc., of Evanston, calls for the restored buildings to be populated with antique, craft and specialty shops, quaint Victorian-era restaurants, and small businesses such as photo studios or real estate offices. A band shell or gazebo, to be built at the west entry at Lake Street and Devon Avenue, would become a focal point for summer concerts, entertainment, and community activities.

The existing pond at the east end, with the addition of a picnic area, benches, and extensive landscaping, would become the hub of both summer and winter leisuretime activities. A complete system of pedestrian walkways, ornamental lighting, a unified sign system, a complete landscaping plan including a carefully landscaped gateway into the area that would accent its rural crossroads flavor, and, of course, painstaking restoration of homes and shops in the central core area to their early 1900s appearance, would complete the transformation of Ontarioville.

The restoration study also included an evaluation by The Dearborn Associates of Chicago of the architectural merits of 14 existing structures in Ontarioville. The buildings, constructed primarily between 1870 and the early 1900s, vary in architectural and historical importance from quite significant to marginally important. The Dearborn Associates' evaluation of each of the 14 buildings includes an itemization of each structure's visual strengths and weaknesses, and specific recommendations for restoring each structure to its early 1900s appearance.

The restoration plan also addresses the possibility of new construction in the area, and provides specific guidelines for the size, style, and location of new single and multi-family housing, as well as new shops and small buildings.

The four year public improvements plan has already begun in earnest. The overall revitalization concept and implementation timetable was explained to Ontarioville residents in the summer of 1985. Municipal water and sewer was brought to the area in 1985 at a cost of $318,895. Some $356,000 worth of additional public improvements including storm sewers, street reconstruction, curb and gutter, and parkways and sidewalks for Ontarioville Road from Devon Avenue to the Church Street entrance will be made in the summer and fall of 1986.

The complete restoration and revitalization of the area will depend on resident participation and the investment of private business dollars. Perhaps the most exciting development to date is the purchase by a local businessperson of the Executive House, built about 1900, and the adjacent Wanzer Dairy building. Preliminary plans call for the dairy building to be renovated into a retail service building and the Executive House to be converted into an office building. The Village has agreed to finance $80,000 of the approximate $348,000 needed to complete the restoration work, which is expected to be finished in the fall of 1986.

Before the winter of 1986 sets in, the Village plans to install special landscape treatments along Ontarioville's two main streets. The work will include ornamental lighting, signage, seeding, and pedestrian walkways, as well as a municipal parking lot. The total cost for these improvements is estimated at $222,425.

May 1986 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 19

Legal Considerations and Enforcement Procedures

In order to give the restoration plan legal status, the Ontarioville Historic District Plan and Program, prepared by Teska and Associates, was adopted by the Village Board in the fall of 1985. This step assures constant monitoring by the Village of the revitalization efforts, and is a crucial step in assuring the success of the overall project.

The plan calls for retail and service business uses to be permitted as long as they are in compliance with the Historic District Plan and Program. Only the approved unified sign graphics will be permitted. Street parking will be minimized through the use of parking lots at the rear of most retail businesses, and a complete system of pedestrian walkways and landscaped seating areas will provide safe and comfortable pedestrian travel. New construction will be required to maintain the "same historical era architectural motif as predominently exists" in Ontarioville.

The restoration plan also includes a recommendation for the establishment of a Historic District Review Commission which would be charged with responsibility for both design review and authority to approve financial incentives for developers in the Historic District. The Commission's recommendations would be sent to the full Village Board for final action.

The Village may apply to have Ontarioville listed in both the Illinois and National Register of Historic Places. If it were to be accepted for listing in the National Register, an important package of financial incentives including the 25% investment tax credit would be available to developers.

The Village is currently looking into a complete range of financing incentives, including tax increment financing, rehabilitation loan programs, loan pools through financial institutions, investment tax credits for rehabilitation, revolving funds. Community Development Block Crant funds, and special assessment to finance public improvements such as streets and sidewalks, parking facilities and pedestrian plazas. •

Page 20 / Illinois Municipal Review / May 1986