THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2006
New Summit Mall Lot To Open Just In Time For Taste
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Reporter
The new Summit Mall parking lot in Park Ridge should be open in time for the annual Taste of Park Ridge in mid-July.
That was the announcement from city officials Monday night (May 1) at the city council meeting. Aldermen unanimously approved a $455,000 contract for surfacing and striping of the lot by early July. It will not be landscaped nor lighted by that time, but about 185 spaces will be available to residents and visitors at the Taste activities.
The actual closing of the $2.6 million land purchase by the city from Joseph Freed Associates was delayed from January until Feb. 8, to allow Freed to relocate commercial tenants in the mall's north building. The parking lot is located on the south end of the old Summit Mall area, closer to Summit Avenue and Euclid Street .
Because of the delay, the city staff accelerated the design work and met with the neighbors, the seller, and held meetings with the city council's Public Works Committee, which recommended the contract approval to aldermen Monday night.
In other action Monday night, aldermen gave final approval to two ordinances. One updates operations at the Farmers Market, spelling out in more detail what items can and cannot be sold at the Saturday sessions in the summer, and delegating more authority to the market master regarding organization of space in the market and the setting of fees to vendors.
The other ordinance prohibits commercial shuttle buses from area hotels from using 11 residential streets in the city, to relieve congestion and enhance safety. They are Newton, Linden, Washington, Brophy, Ashland, Vine, Crescent, Thorndale, Courtland, Prospect, and Fairview.
Aldermen also established five special service areas for the paving of five alleys in 2006. They are between Washington and Ashland, from Elm to Cherry; between Washington and Vine, from Albion to Gillick; between Crescent and Vine, from Albion to Gillick; between Crescent and Prairie, from Greenwood to Chester; and between Harrison and Peale, from Arthur to Devon.
A public hearing to work out final details on these five projects is tentatively scheduled for June 5. The city uses motor fuel tax funds to pay for 75% of the cost, and property owners abutting the alleys pay 25%.