The village of Morton Grove is officially accepting ideas for redeveloping a nearly 2-acre village-owned site in a highly visible location just across from the town’s Metra commuter rail station, and in a tax increment financing district.
According to a post in the village’s electronic newsletter, Morton Grove has opened the request for qualifications/proposals process for redevelopment of the “strategically located and desirable” site at 8500-8550 Lehigh Avenue, approximately 1.52 acres of land area.
The site is located immediately across Lehigh Avenue from the Metra station – served by the Milwaukee District North line – which is currently undergoing a $4 million reconstruction, according to the post.
Village leaders state in the post that the site is a “prime opportunity … for transit-oriented development.”
The property is also located within the Lincoln/Lehigh TIF district, officials explain.
“The Village views this project as a critical component in the ongoing effort to create a pedestrian-oriented downtown with a vertical and horizontal mix of uses within the Lehigh/Ferris Subarea. The area’s proximity to the Metra station, Morton Grove Public Library, Forest Preserves of Cook County, restaurant and service establishments, and nearby commercial corridors have spurred ongoing investment in higher density multi-family development, with several significant opportunity sites remaining,” officials state in the post.
Morton Grove officials want to see the land redeveloped as mixed-use, multi-family residential, attached single-family residential, or sales tax-generating commercial development, the post explains.
The process of securing a developer for the property is expected to take place over the next few months, the post states, with proposals due by May 5.
“The Village looks forward to engaging a qualified developer to acquire and redevelop the Village-owned property and implementing the community’s vision for transit-oriented development,” the post states.
