A prominent Springfield developer has plans to
level the Esquire Theatre and build an upscale outdoor shopping
center that would include a café and small grocery on three
acres along MacArthur Boulevard near South Grand Avenue.
Though the plan is still in the preliminary
stages, Garrison Group Inc. has signed an offer-to-purchase
contract with Kerasotes Theatres Inc., which owns the L-shaped
property that includes the vacant theater building and a pair of
adjacent parking lots.
The project’s relatively small scale and
its location in the heart of a residential district signal a shift
for Garrison Group, which is better known for developing massive
big-box stores at the city’s perimeter.
Todd Smith, president of Garrison Group, says
the proposed development could begin to reverse years of
disinvestment along MacArthur. The once-thriving commercial artery
has shown signs of decline as big retailers such as Kmart have
moved out and several payday-loan stores have moved in.
The ambitious $32 million plan to extend
MacArthur south to Woodside Drive, with access ramps to Interstate 72, is expected to create a retail boom in coming
years.
“If this project moves forward,”
says Smith, “it would be the quality project that sets the
example for redevelopment to grow south on MacArthur.”
Last fall, Garrison Group hired local
architectural firm J.H. Petty & Associates to design what has
been tentatively named Cherry Grove Shoppes.
A rendering shows a series of five one- and
two-story redbrick buildings, ranging from 5,000 to 11,000 square
feet, stretching from South Grand to Campbell Avenue along the
eastern side of MacArthur.
“We want a cluster of smaller buildings
instead of a strip center or one big building,” says Smith.
“We want a quaint neighborhood feel to the
project.”
The plan includes an interior parking lot with
fewer than 200 spaces and a tree-lined promenade separating the
city sidewalk on MacArthur from the buildings.
Garrison Group also hopes to acquire the four
lots directly north of the proposed development, which now hold a
dry cleaners and gymnasium, a vacant gas station, and a design
store. Smith says that although no deals have been struck, he has
spoken with each of the property owners.
Likely tenants for the site include a mix of
local and national businesses, including a café and
sandwich shop with outdoor seating, a bookstore, a card and gift shop,
and a women’s-clothing outlet. The development would also feature
a small neighborhood-type grocery. Stu Kainste, manager of Food
Fantasies at 1512 W. Wabash Ave., confirms plans to open a store at the
site if the project is approved. The grocery will feature an outdoor
café.
Before moving forward with the project, Smith
says, he will host a public meeting next Thursday to discuss the
plans.
Community support is critical to the
project’s success. Last summer, Harper Oil Co. scrapped plans
to build a gas station, convenience store, and fast-food restaurant
on the Esquire Theatre site after scores of residents protested the
development.
“We wanted something more upscale to fit
into the character and integrity of the neighborhood,” says
Kathleen Sorensen, president of Washington Park–Knolls
Association, which represents 700 households in the area west of
MacArthur.
Residents argued that the site is zoned for
community shopping and office space and worried that a gas station
would keep late hours and sell alcohol. Many also predicted
increased traffic on MacArthur because the busy four-lane route has no central turn lanes.
Anticipating similar concerns, Garrison Group
hired local engineering firm Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. to
design a plan to reroute traffic into the proposed shopping center.
The plan includes closing off Conkling Avenue
to MacArthur and extending Leland Avenue, which now dead-ends at
MacArthur.
Leland, which is equidistant between South
Grand and Laurel avenues, would be signalized for both traffic and
pedestrians and become the main entry point into the new shopping
center.
“That’s been a disastrous
intersection for people waiting to make left-hand turns from
Conkling onto MacArthur,” says Ward 7 Ald. Judy Yeager, who
has met twice with Garrison Group and endorses the plan.
Such proposals, Smith stresses, are negotiable
and would require approval from the city and Illinois Department of
Transportation. Garrison Group has not secured financing for the
several-million-dollar project and will not sink more money into
design plans unless positive feedback is received from the
community.
“Neighborhood associations,” Smith
explains, “have become very effective in being involved in
the development process in Springfield.”
Although the future of the property remains
uncertain, the fate of the Esquire Theatre, which closed in
September 2003, appears sealed. Kerasotes, which owns all of the
theaters in Springfield, has stipulated in its contract that the
building must not be used to screen movies.
“Kerasotes isn’t interested in
creating competition,” says John Barber, an independent
broker who represents the theater company in the sale. The Esquire,
which opened in 1937, will likely be razed, says Barber, because
its size and layout limit its uses.
Garrison Group hopes to bring back some of the
pre-World War II feel of the area, when MacArthur was called West
Grand Avenue and marked the western boundary of Springfield. Old
photographs show a pedestrian-friendly intersection with buildings
close to the street.
Smith says he wants to “throw back to
that era” and would consider including a mix of retail,
office space, and even second-floor residential-loft units at the
site.
“The project shouldn’t end up
looking like White Oaks II or Town & Country [shopping
centers],” says Charles Pell of CJP Architects, a consultant
on the project. “If it has the look and feel of a strip mall
with cars in front and the buildings in the back, then it
won’t be successful.”
Until now, such strip malls have been Garrison
Group’s bread and butter. The plan for MacArthur represents a
major departure for the family-run company, whose chairman helped
steer the development of Prairie Crossing and Parkway Pointe,
located off Veterans Parkway.
“The trend for the last decade or two
has been to push the envelope to the edge of the city with
retail,” says Smith. “We believe the trend is shifting.
People want to bring retail back to neighborhoods and make
purchases closer to their homes.”
Garrison Group will hold a public meeting to
discuss plans for MacArthur Boulevard from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday,
March 3, at Laurel United Methodist Church, 631 W. South Grand Ave.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2005.
