The final, obvious redevelopment site in Downtown Oak Park has now gone back on the market. What we once knew as the Lytton’s Department Store, but you’d probably refer to as the big empty, white brick building at Lake and Forest (NW corner), is being shopped unexpectedly by the development firm that purchased both 1000 Lake St. and 1010 Lake St. next door.
We’re not sure why it’s for sale but we’re certainly open to the possibilities. The reality is that the building, only 60 years old, is obsolete and now entirely empty.
A new mixed-use project — apartments or condos/retail/parking — would be welcome. There are fair concerns about not wholly overshadowing the adjacent gem of Austin Gardens. But there is no doubt that something more substantial than a two-story structure is in our future.