Why is downtown Lisle frozen in time?
The Family Square Shopping Center at Ogden and Main in Lisle has been an eyesore for 8 years. In 2017, Mayor Broda had a deal with Flaherty and Collins for a $50 million-plus mixed use development with 100-plus public parking spaces on the site. When Chris Pecak became mayor that year, he stopped the deal by redrafting zoning regulations and making the developer jump through hoops until they walked away.
After a two-year “hiatus,” the Lisle Economic Development Commission (EDC) reached out and invited Flaherty and Collins back to the table, pledging support for appropriate development. They put a new proposal together and hosted public input sessions. Concurrently, Pecak shut down the Lisle Convention and Visitors Bureau, disbanded the EDC and appropriated tax dollars to create the Lisle Economic Development Partnership (LEDP).
When the LEDP strongly supported the Flaherty and Collins proposal, Pecak disrupted their meetings and had his political group file a bogus lawsuit against the village over alleged Freedom of Information Act violations.
As construction costs ballooned and interest rates tripled, Flaherty and Collins tried to make the deal work.
As Pecak vetoed proposed actions, the retail market was in free-fall with increasingly vacant space. Over 7 years in the making and over a million dollars invested; Flaherty and Collins walked away again … this time for good.
The Family Square gateway property to downtown should have been developed and occupied years ago.
As it stands, the past eight years have served to alienate the real estate investment community who see Lisle as obstructive and hostile. Future leaders now face even greater economic challenges and need to rebuild relationships and welcome new investment or downtown Lisle will remain frozen in time … or worse.
Richard Wilkie
Lisle