Village plans taking shape

Orland Park to commit $33M for development of Main Street Triangle

Orland Park will commit up to $33 million in order to see a longheld vision of a commercial, walkable downtown created near the village’s 143rd Street Metra station, according to a tentative redevelopment agreement.

Sometimes called the Main Street Triangle because of the property’s shape, the villageowned land northwest of La Grange Road and 143rd Street would be developed with the help of a new tax increment district and a series of bond sales by the village, according to the term sheet discussed by trustees Monday.

The Village Board is scheduled to vote on the proposal Nov. 6.

Orland Park has been in talks with Edwards Realty Co. of Orland Park to develop the property, and Edwards would have the responsibility to see the multimillion-dollar project through, according to the preliminary agreement.

It anticipates a total project cost of $80.5 million, with nearly 150,000 square feet of office, retail, restaurant and entertainment space. No residential uses are planned.

“I think finally we have a very workable plan,” Mayor Keith Pekau said Monday. “It meets the goals of the village and will enhance this area once and for all.”

Ramzi Hassan, Edwards’ president, said “there is nobody who wants to see this developed more than me and my company,” noting the company’s office is in Orland Park, he’s a village resident and he has “driven past the site multiple times a day for many, many years.”

“This has taken a lot of time to get here,” he said.

Because of the village’s regional drawing power, Hassan said he expects the downtown development will include a pedestrian-only entertainment district with bars, restaurants and other entertainment options.

“The one thing we’ve continued to lack is a downtown,” he said. “That central location is what we have all been craving.”

Hassan’s company owns the Orland Park Crossing shopping center northeast of La Grange and 143rd, but said he doesn’t see that center and the planned downtown competing for the same type of tenants.

“I think we will be complementary on this side,” Hassan said of