ULI Chicago staff is getting around this Summer … and we’ll be posting our experiences as we visit fun, interesting, maybe breathtaking, and possibly goofy places, in the City and suburbs as we (Re)discover what makes this region so unique.  Come join us on this adventure and post your own photos using #rediscoverchicagoland so we can all enjoy a mini-desk-vacation.  Our first installment in the series is Downtown Oak Park.

Downtown Oak Park
The Village of Oak Park, which is still best known for its beautiful, low-slung prairie-style homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is undergoing a dramatic transformation fueled by exciting growth in its downtown (pictured at left: Vantage Oak Park, a 21 story, mixed-use development at Lake and Forest, scheduled to open in Fall 2016). Dubbed “Downtown Rising” by the local business association, Oak Park’s downtown is literally rising skywards – several high rise, mixed-use developments are slated to add almost a 1,000 new residential units and over 60,000 square feet of pedestrian-scale retail over the next couple of years adding to the vibrancy of downtown Oak Park.

Oak Park Economic Development Corporation and Downtown Oak Park representatives recently gave ULI Chicago staff a tour of their “happening” downtown.  Check out photos from our trip, and make time to go visit yourself.

FUN FACT:  The 2016 Young Visionary Award Winner is Viktor Schrader, the Economic Development Manager at the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, who led us on our tour of Oak Park.