Central Gateway at 310 W. Northwest Highway - Preliminary Landscape Plan

Background

The property at 310 W. Northwest Highway had automotive repair and filling station operations dating back to the 1930s. Staff sought approval of the Village Board to acquire the property to create a downtown gateway as the prior owner and operator was looking to retire. This property was a strategic opportunity for the Village to create green space in an area that is significantly built out. The welcoming gateway aims at being a hybrid of a traditional park and landmark leading into the downtown of the Village. The attractive design and green space of a park will enhance this spaces welcoming nature. This space will not have the traditional park amenities that would encourage people to congregate.

The purchase and sale agreement included a lease-back provision with the prior owner to operate their automotive repair business through November 2024. The purchase price was $800,000 and included an escrow of $100,000 to complete additional testing and environmental activities required to obtain an No Further Remediation (NFR) letter from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). Soil on the site is contaminated with gasoline, waste oil, and hydraulic oil from the site's automotive uses which is common for properties with automotive operations.

The prior owner purchased the property aware of the environmental contamination and began the remediation process. The Village and the former property owner are jointly pursuing NFRs letters from the IEPA. A NFR letter signifies that the site does not pose a significant risk of harm to human health or the environment. The NFR letter also provides guidelines for how the site can be used, which the Village will comply with.

One of the challenges with the property is its history as a gas station and repair facility. The property had two underground storage tanks (USTs). The first filling station and UST were at the western portion of the property between 1930 and 1940. The current building for automotive repair services was built in 1950. The filling station operation was moved at that time to the middle of the property and more USTs were installed. Additionally, the building had four in-ground hydraulic lifts. When USTs leak, releasing their contents into the surrounding environment, they are known as leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs). LUSTs sites and data are reported to the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and IEPA.

 The original UST was removed in November 2000 and LUST Incident No. 20002263 was reported. Approximately 55 cubic yards of soil was excavated as part of remediation. The IEPA issued an NFR letter of the incident with no land use restrictions.

The second filling station, used from 1950 to 2014, was removed in May 2014 and LUST Incident No. 20140459 was reported. Approximately 861.59 cubic yards of backfill were excavated and confirmatory soil samples identified “minor residual contamination.” To date, this LUST incident has not been issued regulatory closure by the IEPA (No NFR letter has been issued)

A portion of the property was enrolled by the Village into the Site Remediation Program (SRP) on August 17, 2015, to obtain a NFR letter from ground contamination of site activities associated with the automotive uses (i.e. hydraulic lifts, waste oil tanks inside the building, and supplemental piping that were part of the garage facility). True North, a consultation firm specializing in environmental engineering, was retained by the Village to perform a limited subsurface environmental investigation. This was to assess the recognized environmental conditions (RECs) identified during the Phase I environmental site assessment prepared by True North in February 2024. To date, the SRP listing remains active and has not been issued regulatory closure by the IEPA. 

The Village and the former owner recently submitted corrective action plans to IEPA for the active LUST and SRP incidents and are expecting a response by the end of April. Staff is confident that the site can be restored as a public green space and that the site does not need any hard space engineering for a barrier between the public and the soil.

Take-Aways from Environmental Work

  • There is no impact on neighboring properties.
  • Asphalt can be removed. Some may have to be disposed as “special waste”.
  • At least 24 inches of soil will to be removed and replaced with Tiered Approach to Corrective Action Objects (TACO) dirt. TACO is an IEPA term.This soil exchange will serve as both an engineered barrier between the public and potential contaminants as well as a provide good black dirt for optimal growth of grasses, plants, shrubs, and trees.
  • A geo-barrier may be required at specific locations. For example, there may be spots where after removing 24 inches of soil there may be a need for a barrier. The barrier is not for vapors but preventing for ingestion of the soil. A geo-barrier is another type of engineered barrier.
  • Ground water use restrictions may be required.
  • Highway Authority Agreement may be required for has gone into Central Rd.

Groundwater use restrictions and Highway Authority Agreements are all called administrative controls, and the Village has provided them to many private properties over the years. The Village has issued ground water use restrictions and entered in Highway Authority Agreements on numerous occasions for former gas station properties.   

The site will primarily feature permeable surfaces, including native plantings, trees, shrubs, turf, and some seasonal flowers. Staff also proposed a clocktower as the main architectural focal point in the center of the plaza. A small amount of brick sidewalk will be installed within the plaza to access the clocktower and six new public parking spaces will be installed along the eastern edge of the property. A new garbage enclosure, some nominal pedestrian-level lighting, curb-cut removal, and brick replacement in the adjacent Central Road and Northwest Highway rights-of-way will also be included in the project scope. The proposed restoration plan visual.

The estimated cost to construct this project is $1.096 million. The Cost Estimate contains a summarized estimate of costs. $1.425 million has been allocated for this project from the Prospect & Main tax increment financing (TIF) fund.

Staff proposes to let a bid for demolition and site restoration services in April and present a contract award recommendation to the Village Board in May. This key benchmark could be postponed if the IEPA takes longer than expected to review already submitted LUST and SRP filings.

Demolition and site restoration work should commence in June and be completed in August. Installation of plant materials will take place when the weather cools in the fall (September or October). Staff plans to install the last improvement, the clocktower, in November or December.

To facilitate this schedule, staff needs to place an order for the clocktower as soon as possible. The current lead time for the preferred design is 6–8 months.

In addition, staff needs to know the base requirements and electrical needs of the clocktower before starting restoration work. Consequently, staff will be seeking Village Board approval to purchase the clocktower before the site is demolished, or restoration work has commenced.

The proposed gateway project and clocktower was reviewed and discussed by the Village Board at the April 8, 2025, Committee of the Whole meeting (Agenda Packet / Meeting Video)

May 7, 2024 - Village Board Meeting – A Resolution Approving the Purchase of the Property and Authorizing Execution of Property Purchase and Sales Contract

August 13, 2024 - Committee of the Whole Meeting - Community Investment Plan - Fiscal Year 2025 - 2029 

The Capital Budget, also known as the Community Investment Plan, provides for major capital expenditures, including construction, building improvements, infrastructure improvements, vehicles, major technological purchases, and other expenditures providing the benefit beyond a single year.  Staff presented the Northwest Highway & Central Road Gateway Project to design and construction of a gateway to include village entry marker, clock tower, greenspace, public parking lot and streetscape at the intersection of Northwest Hwy & Central Rd for a budgeted amount of $1,300,000. 

Meeting Video - Northwest Highway & Central Road Gateway presentation begins at the 1:17:30 time in the video.

April 8, 2025 - Committee of the Whole Meeting - Discussion on Proposed Concept Plan for a Central Gateway Plaza at 310 W. Northwest Highway.

Next Meeting (TBD) - Tentatively in May to authorize purchase of the clocktower.