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Franklin Park planners outline Downtown Franklin Avenue redevelopment, propose new TIFs and plaza
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Summary
Village planners presented preliminary plans to brand Downtown Franklin Avenue as a regional destination, proposing a new plaza, murals, pedestrian underpasses and two TIF districts to spur development; staff said TIFs would not change residents' tax bills.
Village planners on March 4 presented a preliminary vision to redevelop Downtown Franklin Avenue that includes a new plaza, public murals, pedestrian and vehicle underpasses, and two proposed tax-increment financing (TIF) districts to spur private investment.
Rudy Repa, Senior Planner, and Paul Mizner, Village Planner, told the Zoning Board of Appeals that the plan aims to attract new residential development, create a unified downtown brand (including historical interpretation and a logo) and position Franklin Park as the "Downtown of the Inner West Suburbs" by improving shopping, housing, transit and public trails.
The presenters outlined specific public-realm projects: a downtown plaza and new mural work, streetscape and sign upgrades, a pedestrian underpass at 25th Avenue and a combined vehicle and pedestrian underpass at Martens Street to improve connectivity. Staff also proposed incentives to encourage development, including creation of a Downtown TIF and a Martens Street Industrial TIF, establishment of public parking lots, and façade rebate programs. Repa and Mizner said staff are in early, preliminary talks with Johnson Research Group, which recently worked with the City of Chicago, to help develop the TIF strategy.
On financing, staff described the TIF process and emphasized that adopting a TIF would not change a resident's tax bill, a point they stressed during the presentation. For marketing and activation, planners proposed hiring an agency to develop branding and storytelling, creating an independent downtown website and promoting events (examples cited included a "Ladies Night" bar crawl) and social-media outreach. They also proposed a Pace bus/trains/website presence focused on downtown that would be independent of the Village.
Planners separated goals by timeframe: near-term ideas such as string lights, shading elements and night events; medium-term steps including a downtown business organization or chamber of commerce, a branded logo and improved bike connectivity; and long-term projects such as new residential and commercial buildings, a rebuilt train station and updates to the Franklin Park comprehensive plan.
The presentation concluded with staff soliciting ideas from board members about events, signage, branding and other ways to broaden interest in Downtown Franklin Avenue. No public comment was offered. Earlier in the meeting Member Frank Grieashamer moved to accept the Feb. 4, 2026 minutes (seconded by Member Kathy Mennella); that motion was approved to place the minutes on file. The board adjourned at 7:42 p.m.
The update was presented as an exploratory, preliminary planning effort; no formal TIF adoption or binding approvals were recorded in the meeting minutes.