Mt. Prospect candidates spar over visions for downtown redevelopment

In the race for Mount Prospect mayor, one of the most important issues is the downtown redevelopment project.

The property known as the small triangle was to be built by Northbrook developer John D. Heimbaugh after the board approved it last year.

Now the project has stalled until financing is found for it, which could be a while as the economy recovers.

The three candidates - Patricia Bird, Ernie Lasse and Mayor Irvana Wilks - have their own ideas about the project's future.

Lasse said he's disturbed over the project, saying the board shouldn't have awarded it to Heimbaugh. He said there should've been more builders to choose from than just one when the board approved it.

He also disapproved of village money being spent on it. If elected, Lasse wants to hold a referendum in the village for every major capital project to let the people decide.

Overall, the project is wrong for the village, especially in a flagging economy, he said.

"It's timing is all wrong," Lasse said. "We need to redefine what downtown in Mount Prospect is. We are trying to be like Arlington Heights."

Bird said she agrees with remodeling the downtown but she doesn't think the village should be using taxpayer money. She said the developer should pay for all of it. She'd like to see the downtown as a "lifestyle center," where local residents can walk to stores. A grocery story or convenience store would be ideal.

"We can do it in phases and I don't think it'll cost a lot upfront," Bird said.

Wilks defended the village's downtown project, saying the village had not given the developer any money. That was contingent on his ability to secure financing, which has not happened yet.

"It sounds as though we plan to write a check for $10 million to Heimbaugh," Wilks said. "We have given him no money."

When the deal moves forward, the money in the form of land acquisition and tax breaks would aid the $40 million project, she said.

Also, in selecting Heimbaugh, the situation was different from other developments in that the developer owned a chunk of the property, she said. He'd also developed similar projects in Evanston, Glenview and Chicago, which village officials liked, she said. The project has stalled, but it's not dead. It will likely be recast slightly, Wilks said. Instead of condominiums, which had been planned for the project, there'd likely be apartments in its place, she said.

The development area is locally called the small triangle and is bounded by Northwest Highway, Route 83 and Willie Street.

Heimbaugh owns four parcels in downtown, including 15 W. Busse Ave., 19 W. Busse Ave, 22 W. Busse Ave and 108 S. Main St.

The money to subsidize the development would come from a tax increment financing district. In a district, the additional property tax revenue generated by new development is used to fund some of the project expenses, rather than going to schools, parks and other taxing bodies as it normally would.