There are plenty of Lake County communities that wish they were in the shoes of Antioch officials eyeing the future of their old-fashioned central core.
Unlike Antioch, most of them don’t have a lively downtown business district. Others will never have one. Still others have lost theirs to neglect, poor planning or political will.
About a decade ago, Antioch officials and residents fretted over the competition from the Walmart Supercenter to their unique downtown along Route 83 (Main Street). Most of us know what usually happens to mom-and-pop shopkeepers after a Walmart moves into small communities: Locally owned businesses disappear, their personal service overmatched by well-stocked, lower-priced big-box stores.
The fear of Walmart and the burgeoning shopping centers at Route 173 and Deep Lake Road was after the town annexed east along Route 173 and nearly to the Tri-State Tollway. The lure of gobs of sales tax emanating from the commercial stores which cropped up along Route 173 proved too much to resist for village officials.
Despite worries of the new commercial corridor east of the village, Antioch’s historic downtown today remains viable and vital while big-box retailers suffer. Indeed, the village has one of Lake County’s last free-standing operating movie theaters. It has a community theater. It has distinctive restaurants and shops.
Even Libertyville’s vibrant downtown has lost the Liberty Theater which sadly remains empty, awaiting a buyer or a wrecking ball. It may join such former cinemas once gracing area downtowns such as The Academy in Waukegan and the Highland Park, which were razed. The Deerpath in Lake Forest remains a closed gem.
As Libertyville officials learned in the 1980s seeing their downtown begin slipping, attention needs to be paid to a municipality’s business core. Which is why Antioch is asking residents for ideas as they prepare for the future of the town’s historic downtown area.
This is a downtown with a competitive and well-tuned footprint of destination businesses. Who hasn’t driven west to the Lovin’ Oven on Lake Street, just west of Main Street, to sample their scrumptious fares? The village also has an energetic marketing program which offers various entertainment throughout the year, like the Wine Walk, along with an enthusiastic Fourth of July parade. Additionally, the downtown has the distinction of being close to tourism and resort locations in the Chain O’Lakes region.
According to Gregory Harutunian’s front-page report the other day in The News-Sun, Antioch officials are looking toward a long-term plan for the downtown, especially targeting what to do with the vacant parcel on the east side of Main Street at Orchard Avenue. The village-owned 2.5 acres once was home to Don Pittman Pontiac.
This isn’t the first overview of the central business district officials have undertaken. Prior to the current framework planning, in 2017 village officials tasked a firm to develop a strategic plan for the downtown.
That work was sidelined as the coronavirus pandemic replaced planning with survival. Survival of residents from the COVID-19 virus and core businesses, many of which were impacted by state-mandated closures and social distancing.
In January, the Village Board hired a Chicago-based planning firm to continue the strategy, including proposals of what to do with the Pittman property, which was bought with public money. One idea is turning it into public open space venue for different outdoor activities.
Which is why officials encourage Antioch residents to take the online survey via the village’s website, antioch.il.gov.
People also have been approached in the downtown to get their thoughts. Draft proposals could be available by October.
Taxpayers often gripe about the cost of municipal planning because they don’t see immediate results. With a concrete road map in hand, Antioch officials and residents can guarantee a bright future for their downtown.
Better that than waiting for a future which finds it in crisis, like a few Lake County central business districts discover themselves in today.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
Twitter: @sellenews
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July 19, 2021 at 11:27PM
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Column: Antioch plans to keep downtown a lively destination - Chicago Tribune
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