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Hanover Park approves Phase 2 design contract for Ontarioville Plaza; project funded in TIF district
Summary
Trustees approved a $78,550 design agreement with Lakota Group for Phase 2 of the Ontarioville Plaza and discussed SpaceCo engineering, pedestrian connections, pergolas, event space and a DuPage County grant for movable artwork. Trustees asked whether the adjacent animal care facility had been considered for relocation; staff said it had not.
The Village of Hanover Park board on June 5 approved a proposal from the Lakota Group to provide design services for Phase 2 of the Ontarioville Plaza in the amount of $78,550 and discussed a separate engineering agreement with SpaceCo for site engineering.
Planning staff member Juliana described the proposal as a continuation of the Ontarioville Plaza design language that would expand programmed event space onto an adjacent vacant parcel in the TIF district. Juliana told trustees the plan includes overhead Tivoli lighting, pergolas and seat walls to create covered seating and event programming space, a continuation of the phase‑1 sidewalk to improve walkability, and interactive movable artwork and seating partially funded by a DuPage County grant.
Trustee questions focused on whether the village had explored relocating an existing animal care facility that sits within the parcel the village plans to program. Staff replied the village previously used TIF funds to help the animal hospital locate there and relocation had not been pursued; staff said the facility is viewed as an amenity that brings customers to the area and that the project is intended to complement that use.
The board approved the Lakota design contract and authorized staff to execute necessary documents. Trustees noted the conceptual nature of the design and asked that final materials, layout details, and pedestrian crossings be refined in the next design phase. One contractual item tied to the larger project (a Lakota agreement) was pulled from the consent agenda earlier in the meeting for separate discussion; this item proceeded with the engineered portion on the consent agenda.
Why this matters: the project uses TIF funding and is intended to expand downtown programming, improve walkability and tie multiple parcels into a cohesive public plaza. Trustees specifically asked staff to consider long‑term uses for the site and to preserve flexibility in future design choices.
Next steps: staff will advance design development with Lakota and SpaceCo, refine materials and layout in response to trustee feedback, and return to the board for subsequent approvals.
