A pizza restaurant, a dialysis center and a military recruiting office are new tenants coming to the Evanston Plaza shopping center at Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue.
Oakbrook Terrace-based Mid-America Asset Management says it’s arranged the three new leases for the property.
DaVita, a division of Denver-based DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., signed a lease for 10,000 square feet, with plans to open this fall to provide dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease.
DaVita provides administrative services at nearly 2,000 outpatient dialysis centers in the U.S. and overseas.
Papa Romeo’s Pizza has signed a lease for 1,464 square feet. The Chicago-based pizzeria, offering dine-in, pick-up and delivery, currently has four locations, including the one in Evanston.
And the US Army & Marines have leased 2,424 square feet for a recruitment center.
Mid-America is the exclusive leasing representative for the center which has more than 212,000 square feet of space anchored by a Dominick’s supermarket.
It’s currently looking to fill two anchor spaces at the center, each larger than 25,000 square feet, as well as a variety of small shop spaces and outlot positions.
Pizza?
We already have a great pizza place in the mall, name Paninos. Do we really think that a cookie cutter pizza place will last long. There have been 3 prior cookie cutter pizza places that have come and gone at this location.
Let the market decide…
Let the market decide… better than no tenant at all…
Dempster-Dodge problems
"Let the market decide… better than no tenant at all…"
No, it it isn't – plus a property management firm that deliberately welcomes a tenant to compete with an existing tenant is making a questionable (and possibly actionable) decision. This strip mall has been a colossal failure for two decades; it should be razed, and the property sold to developers who can do something with it, now that the economy is finally improving. (Ditto with the abandoned former Osco/CVS site on Asbury and Oakton.)
Wondering the same thing
I was wondering the same thing, but I'm thinking there are no other interested parties…?
Pizza & Dialysis= Great Combo!
I hope Papa Romeo's delivers to the Dialysis center! Kill two birds with one stone!
Is this the best that TIF money can produce?
It seems as if all we get from subsidizing the purchaseers (at forclosure or bankruptcy prices to begin with) of this shopping center are facilities that will not provide much of a draw to the public or to shoppers or customers for the other businesses.
The dialysis center will only bring in patients who will not meander around shopping or eating.
The recruiting center, exclusive of the military staff stationed there, will draw the occasional prospective volunteer, probably a 19-year old who is also not much of a large-scale retail customer.
The pizza place will either compete with the present one or be a carry-out or delivery operation.
Big Deal!
Meanwhere is the proposed sprucing up of the center other than seal-coating the beat-up asphalt that has been there for years. I do not even see the awnings they were going to install. Maybe they realized that awnings do not a customer draw.
So far, little to show for either public or private money
Why won’t this ship sail?
I just can't figure out why this location is a business failure. It is served by two major east/west and north/south bus routes, it sits in the middle of Evanston and it has more than enough parking. It is also so convenient to walk to for all the surronding residents.
Walgreens built four blocks away when it could have had a 24 hour store in this plaza. Food 4 Less and Sams club also coud have chosen the sight but didn't. While they are both extremely successful at Main & McCormick, they are not accessable by public transportation. I've heard that Dominicks has some sort of non compete clause in its contract, but i'm lost on that if Trader Joes, WholeFoods and Jewel are all within a block of each other on Chicago Ave.
You would think that somewhere out there is a real estate person who could make this ship sail. All these years, and yet nothing happens. I don't get it.
Dempster-Dodge problems
I will give you my impressions of the problems with the Dempster-Dodge shopping center:
1. The area is perceived as dangerous and/or seedy. I am not saying that this is my opinion of the area but it is a frequently heard comment. The crime statistics seem to support that perception.
2. Based on the stores there, there is little reason for most Evanstonians to shop at this shopping center. As you note, there are plenty of food store options. You don't need to go to a dangerous and/or seedy place. And there are few other stores there to attract shoppers. I have visited that shopping center twice in the past two years to visit Radio Shack. I have looked around a bit while driving through and I saw no stores that interested me. The addition of a chain pizza place, a dialysis center and a military recruiting center means three more businesses that I won't frequent any time soon.
3. I understand that the food store there has a monster non-compete. I have heard that that agreement prevents the location of many types of businesses there.
Sad but true. These problems can be fixed but the chicken and egg nature of them is a major complicating factor. For example, how do you attract businesses to shopping center when the stores that are there don't attract most shoppers and the area has a reputation for crime? Those looking to site stores check crime reports.
Dempster-Dodge problems
Where do you shop that is Crime free? I shop that domicks and the subway and haven't had any problems. Used to go to that Mall when other businesses of interest were there. That Mall is like some other shopping areas in Evanston certains types of stores and nothing to cause people to come and wonder the street to look in shops windows. (Main Street for Example)
Can’t someone get the mall away from those guys?
It's really a shame to have such prime real estate controlled by a group with such a limited agenda.
They are called owners
They are called owners. The Dempster/Dodge Mall was dying long before they arrived. On another site several blogs over a period of time asked what would you like at the Mall. Parking lot is too big. The Mall is poorly located.
Area is not seedy nor dangerous
To the "original anonymous" poster- besides insulting an entire community by your comments your characterization of the Dempster- Dodge area is completely innacurate and an offensive description of an area of Evanston that is a vibrant, active, engaged,creative, safe and interesting community. If you would take the time to look beyond your bias surrounding the plaza and look into the community which surrounds it you might find this out. Neither will the police statistics substantiate your assumption of this being a dangerous area.- in fact quite the contrary. It is people like you who make false and damaging assumptions about our neighbohood which then perpetuate false stereotypes which then subsequently keep business from wanting to locate in the plaza. Please do your research before you condemn a community that you clearly know nothing about. And if you have an opinion then sign your name to it and stand behind it. Only then can we have true dialogue and communication about these issues.
Reading is good
I encourage you to re-read my post. I specifically stated that it is not my opinion. But it is a common perception of the area, whether you like it or not. Better to face that misconception head on than to lash out at me for stating that it exists.
I assume from your post that I struck a nerve and what I wrote about this perception is not the first time that you have heard it. If I am wrong, why won't vibrant, fabulous businesses locate there?
You'd like research on crime? I did a quick search after reading your post. I found the following link for a story from two years ago. It mentions an alderman talking about four shootings that left three people dead within blocks of the shopping center and you were at that meeting:
http://evanstonnow.com/story/public-safety/bill-smith/2011-07-26/42631/add-chat-with-cop-to-grocery-list
Four shootings with three fatalities within blocks of the shopping center — that kind of crime statistic will keep many businesses and customers away.
I have no idea what the population of the area is racially speaking. So please don't go there with references to bias and stereotypes.
Again, I am the messenger of this information and you have obviously chosen to disregard the information because you disagree with it. So why do you think that businesses won't locate there?
Dempster Dodge Mall
I agree with Original Anonymous about the impression many have of the mall. It is pretty hard to find a half-empty mall anything but seedy. I admire your loyalty and support of our neighborhood, but we also have to be able to face facts while we work to improve the situation. I abhor the violence there has been in this area. Much of that is fading into the background with time. (My one piece of good news is that when I did a child-molester search about a month ago there was one person listed only, and that address was a few blocks north of Dempster).
While the three new businesses are great news it doesn't make much difference to the appeal of the mall to the general population.
There is an area in Chicago that had a very high crime rate because of poverty and perhaps the mental health facility that is located there. It is by the Morse El that is a few blocks east of Clark. They are turning this area around very quickly! They now have sushi restaurants mixed with the original taco and hotdog places. The most remarkable visible change there is that there are many beautiful and unique pieces of art up and down the street. I mention this because of the unique way people are using to make their neighborhood attractive and enticing.
My suggestion is to get out the old thinking caps and see what we can come up with that would make our mall special. Do people feel like getting together at Perla and brainstorming?
I will see if I can post something about the Morse El area. No need to give up. If Grandmothers Park can become reality so can an appealing mall!
Image of sculpture
i can't post a picture of any of the sculptures I was talking about. It turns out they have an annual art fair…and now Im thinking. A craft fair at the mall with free or low fees for those who will keep their prices below a set amount – to draw vendors and customers. That's all I've got.
Rent is too high in Evanston!
The only reason for the property lacking value is because the rent in Evanston is ridiculous! Come down on the rent and maybe more profitable business will seek to use the space.
And another thing, how could Dempster and Dodge plaza be considered seedy when its four stores long with a whole football field of parking!?
I could think of eight stores that would profit from being in the middle of Evanston with great parking advantages, easy and accessible. Here we go again placing opinion where facts and statistics should go. Sigh…it's sad that people get behind computer screens and beome monsters.
Monster?
Sorry that relaying information that appears, to many, to be the problems with the shopping center causes such strong reactions. Unfortunately, it's typical in Evanston. Accuse the messenger of all sorts of bad motives rather than consider the information thoughtfully.
Maybe rents are too high all over Evanston. Certainly could be an issue. I am willing to consider that as another possible factor. But there must be other factors as well as they have had some strong tenants that would attract shoppers a few years ago. Now there are considerable vacancies there and the incoming tenants just announced will likely not attract many new customers who will frequent other businesses there.
But I can't agree that a big space with a big parking lot means that businesses and customers will follow. Or that it means the the shopping center isn't perceived by some as seedy.
No monster here. Just someone who wants to raise issues that others apparently prefer to ignore. I cited a news article on gun violence in the area. Maybe it's time for those who live in the area to speak with the alderman about any plan that is in place to address such problems. I hope that there is such a plan, for the sake of the neighborhood which includes the shopping center.
Let's try this — has anyone done a survey of Evanstonians and why they shop where they shop and don't shop where they don't shop? From such a survey, you could learn from a much larger group of people where they go and don't go then the reasons why.
Police outpost
Two years ago the community fought allowing a Police Outpost in the Dominicks store. Seems I see less reports of things happening in the Mall since it happened.
Outpost (nonexistent)
That "Outpost" never opened… and for good reason… crime is not the problem. I've gone to the Dominicks nearly every week since it opened… at all hours of the day and I have never seen any problems. The private security guard who drives around is an absolute waste of time. I have however heard that there have been a few instances when young people have tried to steal booze from the Dominicks… that's a lose prevention issue that Dominicks could solve easily.
Stop blaming the mall's falure on crime… its the economy, stupid… that and the fact that it is not a good location.
What would sell?
Setting aside issues of safety [correctly or not], I would think these types of stores would attract buyers:
1. Appliance store—Fedders (sp) was once there and seemed to do good business
2. Shoe store—like Famous Footware
3. General clothing store—basics like underware, middle income clothing up to and including mens suits, womens clothing perhaps up to semi-formal
4. A 'Bed, Bath and Beyond' type store
5. An independent book store
6. Consumer electronics at level of a Pacific Stereo [I know no longer exists]—are there any beside Radio Shack ?
7. A store like Sears or Penny, Walmart—even if just a limited selection store like the Sears store that use to be on Church street downtown.
I'm sure residents could think of many other items they would like to have in Evanston—some because they don't have a car [many] to get to shopping centers, some because they would like to shop local, some to cut down on travel time and costs
What used to be at the plaza
I have grown up in Evanston my whole life, lets start from where I remember… Toys R Us…Pizza Hut, Franks..Fashion Bug, Payless, Discovery Zone…down the line AJ Wright, City Trends etc…Those were all profitable businesses, yes they have been phased out, but there are so many stores to consider but, because the rent is so high everywhere in Evanston, doesnt seem like they have piqued the interest of anybody since those days.
I agree with the person who named all those establishments. Those are the types of businesses that will bring consumers back to Dempster and Dodge…if they arent interested in the property, no fault of the citizens but the town. That is the only reason people dont shop there, there isn't anything to shop for.
They rent out the small spaces to mom and pop shops who eventually close because lack of traffic and the rent.
I recently had a talk with an Evanston owner of a restaurant, and she explained how strict the rules are for owning a business in Evanston, how excessive the fees were, how much the taxes were, simply unbearable. and how she went to great lengths to do some of her own harmless promotonal ideas and the city fined her and made her get rid of it. Maybe that's why people do dont want to do business?
The problem with Dempster-Dodge is Design + Vision
One of the worst decisions of the council was to rezone the Dempster Dodge parcel in such a way as to allow the strip mall. It used to be some sort of industrial facility, but the best thing that could be done would be to split it up into blocks and integrate it into the grid system.
The whole mall needs to be torn down. Crain Street needs to be extended west across Dodge and Brown Ave. needs to be extended north to Dempster. Three story buildings should be erected about 10 feet from the street.
You essentially need to densify the area in the same way that Maple/Church was done in the 90s. Oldtimers remember that where the theaters are on Maple used to be a huge parking lot for a Dominicks. It was wasted space and made the downtown unappealing.
We have exactly the same thing at Dempster/Dodge. It is a suburban sprawl-type of development in the middle of a city.
The city has been far too deferential to the owner of the property than they should. They should tell them the TIF money should only be used if a fundamental redesign is going to be undertaken. Otherwise you are just putting lipstick on a pig.
None of the corporate chains that people want will go to a site like that — which is why you get less appealing users like a dailysis center or cheap fast food.
Thanks for the insight
Thanks for the insight… you clearly know better than I how these things work… now will you please educate our city leaders? Again, valid points….