Just to keep you all in the loop. The staff has retrieved the plans for the osco and we have refigured the parking and 52+ spaces are possible.

Let's move on. There is no such thing as the research park. It failed. Some of the ideas and a few of the products developed there were fine but the concept was an expensive dismal failure.

Chris,

Peapod and others is exactly what did the RP in. The original plan was to have the incubator facilties followed by larger facilities for the successful ventures. NU walked away from that joint NU/city part of the original plan when the real estate market cooled leaving the risk totally with the city.

The lack of larger facilites, in the RP and elsewhere in Evanston, AND the high tax rates and rents drove the successful start-ups to Skokie and elsewhere. It should have been obvious to anyone with business acumen, which obviously was lacking in the city administration -- who got snookered yet another time by NU.

Here we are with a presumably prestigious university and what do we have? Restaurants, not-for-profits and concrete box condos that generate, for the most part, low paying jobs.

And a bunch of vacant buildings...

re: /m4852
Vito,

I wouldn't say the Research Park was a total loss. There were actually some great companies that started in The Park. Unfortunately, as some of the more successful companies outgrew the Research Park, Evanston was not able to offer sufficient or affordable space and some were forced to make the move to neighboring suburbs. I've been with Peapod for nearly 15 years. We got our start in the Research Park and now serve over 18 markets in Chicago, Milwaukee and New England. There were several other start-ups that made it big because of the Research Park. It is a shame that Evanston wasn't able to hold on to the success stories.

I would also think people in North Evanston and Wilmette would come to south Evanston to shop at a Trader Joes. I shop at Builders square and Target which would be the same distance as a Trader Joes from my home. I never shopped at the CVS since it was not an unique store since both Jewel and Dominicks are up here in North Evanston. I would guess Trader Joes knows the distance potential customers would come.

I have shop at Trader Joes in Glenview a few times - too far to travel - it will be a decision they will make based on the market condition. Evanston's market is not all that different than Glenview in household $ -
given all the new condo's which have added well off residents most of these households likely making more than $100,000 we clearly have an area to attract this type of business.

I think a location with parking may be prefered to a downtown location.

Ann what does the city do to market Evanston to perspective businesses in a situation like this? When one business leaves and a building falls vacant?

We just went to the hospital for a routine pre-admission visit and met a little boy who just had a bowel resection and nearly died due to Magnetix toys. Not to start a spam chain, but these are popular toys and I don't recall seeing any information about this on the news.

Here is a link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Report:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06127.html

Let's get going with this EFFORT. Please write to this guy and make sure I get an ecopy so that I can then forward to the proper folks at CVS.

This could be a real opportunity for you all to tell TJ's what a great community and neighborhood you live in. We have no email so you'll have to do the Postal thing for now. I'll try to get a fax #.



Mr. Brant Sharrock
Regional Vice President, Real Estate
Trader Joe's
117 Kendrick street
Suite 700
Needham, MA 02494
(781) 455-7322

The above referenced executive is the contact person for Trader Joe's. He operates out of Needham Mass. and Illinois is within his region.

Yes.

Is it legal to sell alcohol that close to a school?
 
________________________________________________________________ _______ Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free. < replied-to message removed by QT >

It is neither a pipe drean nor a rumor. It is a discussion of an effort underway to interest Trader Joe in utilizing the soon to be vacant Ocso for one of their stors. Talk to anyone you can at one of the stores. See my post below. They do not make it easy to communicate with them.

I LOVE the idea of a Trader Joe's in that Asbury/Oakton location. Is this a pipedream or is this idea based on some real information. If it's just a rumor, Ann, is there anything we can do to help it become a reality?

Seems the best thing to do for a trader joes is to tell the manager of what ever store you shop that Evanston needs them at Oakton and Asbury or somewhere.


http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/87/customer-traderjoes.html

Ann,
What a fabulous idea to put Trader Joes at Asbury & Oakton. I love that store and it would be great to have one closer than Glenview or Wrigleyville; although I do go to Glenview TJ as often as possible. Anything we can do to encourage this move???

Better an aviary than an apiary. That would generate a lot of negative buzz.

Tad has it -- NU is for the birds...