Trying to be something Orland Park is not

There are some people who are never happy with what they are or what they have. They're always looking elsewhere for the "big ideas" instead of right in their back yards. Take Orland Park's "leadership," for example -- I use the term liberally, of course.

The Village has been purchasing land bordering LaGrange Road, 143rd Street and Southwest Highway -- the triangle -- to develop a mixed-use, Old Town-like downtown area adjacent to the newly remodeled Metra train stop. The last hurdle is the purchase of Orland Plaza, which has been all over the news.

The idea is this "down town" will be like Frankfort's downtown. A place that has a look and feel from the past when people would sit on the edge of the wood planked sidewalks (after the mud dried), watched the horse and buggies klop-klop by, kicking up mini-dust storms, and eat homemade pie.

I admit the idea has some merit. When I want to lazily walk in a turn-of-the-century like downtown center, I drive to Frankfort, spend a few hours there, and then never go back, except maybe for their annual Labor Day weekend arts, craft and food fest, which is one of the region's best.

If I want to spend more than a few hours at a place like that, I've traveled to Narbonne in France and walked around Carcassone, between Toulous and Narbonne in France, not too far from Perpignon on the Cout d Azure, which was Salvador Dali's favorite place to paint. I'll spend a few days walking around there among its olden days store fronts, shops and streets filled with circus-like minstrels. Or, maybe, you might travel to Palestinian East Jerusalem, and visit the Souq and spend hours walking from one tiny shop to another taking in the aromatic orchestra of incense. (In fact, at the end of this column, you can watch my July 2007 Comcast Cable TV program "TV Chicagoland/30 Minutes" and my video tour of the Souq of East Jerusalem.) Or, maybe, go to the old city in Barcelona and take in breathtaking ancient churches and structures from real Medieval times.

But does Orland Park really need an "Old Town?"

I don't think so. I know they keep telling us it's to broaden the "ambiance" of our little village. Well, Orland Park is no "little village." With better management, it could be the economic engine driving the Southwest Suburbs. Instead, we're slumped by a poor economy like everyone else and that's surprising because we have so many retail shops our sales tax revenues should be shooting through the roof and they are not. We have so many store fronts that are vacant, a trashy look that reminds people of a future ghetto -- it's happened to places. I've seen it.

Mayor Dan McLaughlin fashions himself off to be some mini-me Mayor Daley. We'll call him "da boss," because behind his unpresuming smile is one tough politician who gets angry over any resistance from people around him.

(That's how he was to me when I told him that instead of automatically appointing his nominee for a certain high-paying village position, we should at least open the job up to the village residences to see if anyone else was interested in qualifying for it -- I quit the commission when he told me it was either his way or the highway and now he goes around telling people he doesn't understand why I am so critical of him -- you're no different than the other two-faced politicians, Dan!)

It's that 19th Ward fever that has been sweeping through our community over the past few years. There's no immunity for it, yet.

So, how about we drop this stupid idea of some turn-of-the-century old town atmosphere and instead build something really remarkable, like a community theater (that isn't political like the one we have today), or a museum campus, or some place where people can go to have real enjoyment, arts, entertainment and fun?

Secrets of the Souq of East Jerusalem Video
Click the PLAY button to watch
or THIS LINK IF THAT DOESN'T WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER:

Everyone out to help themselves in Orland Plaza controversy

The one place I really enjoy eating is at the Plaza Cafe at 143rd and LaGrange Road. I went there this morning and had the Steak Skillet -- eggs sunnyside up and cheddar cheese on the hash brown, chopped steak and mixed vegetables underneath.

Man was that great!

Across the street from the Orland Park Shopping Mall and in the shadow of all the big-time developments in our town, it may seem like an outmoded commercial strip from the past. But in a way for this corner business strip, it's the "past" that makes it so great!

The owners are some big, tough land developers George Gee and his partner, Ron Johnson. Gee is a name I am familiar with. I had an insurance broker at the Gee-Schussler agency once or maybe still located in the mall. They handled my personal insurance for a number of years. I remember them telling me the "Schussler" name was the same family name as Village Trustee Ed Schussler, a former interim village president who is now a member of the village board.

The village has been negotiating forever trying to buy the property from Gee and Johnson, but apparently it never went anywhere. How much time and money was wasted on that effort? And what was the real obstacle? Developer's greed? Village greed? Who knows, although having dealt with commercial property managers for years, I've never liked any of them. Who really cares "about the public."

For many, it's all about the money. Think it's cheap holding a lease in that or any mall along LaGrange Road? Are you kidding me?

The property has to have some real value and for sure, there must be a gap between what the village wanted to pay and what the owners are willing to accept. You didn't think this was really about the store owners, did you? They pay a lease. They won't get the money. Maybe they'll get some help relocating. Maybe some will close. The bulk of the money goes to the property owners, and some, I am sure, must go to the strip mall owners. Maybe there is a buyout fo the leases, and maybe some cash for the small store owners.

But the real gap is that no one really cares about the public or the small store owners, some of whom have spent years building up a client base. I'll give Mayor Dan Laughlin some credit, having spoken to some of the store owners there. He's tried to help them, they say. He's tried his best to make sure that everyone walks away with a fair deal. But he's under a lot of pressure. Maybe this is the best answer to an uncertain future.

I just wish someone would spill the beans on the real story about this mall. What is it really about? Everyone has an angle, a spin, a self-serving story. How about telling the story from the standpoint of the store owners?

But when the strip mall does close, there will be several stores there I will miss -- Orland Video, owned by a great guy who was long ago a former partner of mine when I was at the Chicago Sun-Times, Miroballi Shoes (they owned another location where I once published The Villager Newspapers), and, of course, the Plaza Cafe.

When you read the stories, and the spin, and the PR and the moaning from the village and the strip mall owners, take a moment to think about the little store owners, who are the once who will really take a bath in this, and the customers who for years have seen Orland Plaza as a homey little place that was fun and relaxing to enjoy.

When the time does come, we'll miss them.

Ray Hanania
http://www.orlandparker.com/