Welcome to Downtown Skokie!
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The Village welcomes you to Downtown Skokie, a thriving and growing center of economic development. Offering art, dining, entertainment and shopping options, Downtown Skokie is rich in history and full of vision.
To view the Village of Skokie's Economic Development brochure, Skokie, Illinois: Downtown Reinvented, please click here.
Village Board to Consider Oakton Street Options
At the June 21, 2010 Village Board meeting the Board heard a presentation regarding a study examining the Oakton Street downtown corridor. This study sought to determine what actions could be taken to calm traffic, improve parking, widen sidewalks, increase retail visibility and aesthetically enhance the downtown streetscape. The report includes options for narrowing Oakton Street in the Downtown Skokie area. The Village Board is scheduled to discuss the report at the July 19, 2010 Board meeting. The public is invited to attend to learn more about the study and possible changes to Oakton Street.
Please click here to view a copy of the Downtown Skokie and Oakton Street Corridor Study as prepared by consultant Gewalt Hamilton and several documents created by Village staff that introduce and summarize the Oakton Street Corridor study.
Grow Your Business in Skokie!
Skokie has designed a special package of business retention and attraction incentives to increase commercial activity in the Downtown area. Retail and restaurant establishments are the primary focus of these incentives and can receive up to $100,000 for a new or expanded Downtown Skokie location. Available spaces await your business, and "bonuses" are available to your real estate broker as well. Eligible properties must be located in the Downtown area and incentives are available through 2011 and are subject to available funding. To learn more about the Downtown Skokie Business Incentives, click here.
Through thoughtful planning and an overall spirit of cooperation, Skokie has grown into a thriving center of commerce. Skokie's combination of industrial activity, retail sales, office/research firms and extensive professional services is virtually unparalleled in suburban Chicago. There are nearly 50,000 jobs provided by Skokie's extensive business sector.
Development
Despite being a landlocked, fully developed community, Skokie continues to grow. A tax increment financing (TIF) district established in the 1990's, plus adoption of a long-term redevelopment strategy, began the initiative to rejuvenate Downtown Skokie. Already in place are new, mixed-use developments combining residential and commercial space. A fresh streetscape and commercial renovation program has given Downtown a new appearance and vitality that is attracting new retailers, services, and residents to the area.
Downtown Skokie is now home to the Illinois Science + Technology Park, a 23.4-acre campus that is expected to bring more than 3000 jobs to Skokie and generate billions of dollars in statewide economic activity. For more information on the Illinois Science + Technology Park, click here.
A Thriving Community
Located 16 miles northwest of downtown Chicago and 12 miles east of O'Hare International Airport, Skokie provides high-quality government services to the over 66,000 residents, 24,000 households and 2,400 busines
ses that call Skokie their home. Accessibility to transportation is a key advantage in Skokie, with the Edens Expressway (I-94) spanning the community's western edge, seven Chicago Transit Authority and10 Pace suburban bus lines and the CTA's Skokie Swift rail line offering numerous options for public transportation.
Backlot Bash
Annually in August the Village, Skokie Park District, the Independent Merchants of Downtown Skokie (IMODS) and the Skokie Chamber of Commerce host the Downtown Skokie Backlot Bash. The event is held in a two block portion of Oakton Street and pays tribute to downtown Skokie's heritage as a major silent film industry back lot set between 1907 and 1915. Learn more here.
Festival of Cultures
Since 1990 the Village, Park District and Chamber of Commerce host the Skokie Festival of Cultures. Held annually, in May at Oakton Park, the two-day event features ethnic displays, entertainment, cuisine and children's activities and offers fun and cultural enrichment for all ages. Learn more here.
Village of Skokie 2020 Plan for Sector A: Downtown
Combining over four years of planning and public participation that involved S. B. Friedman & Company, The Lakota Group, Metro Transportation Group, staff and stakeholder interviews, focus group meetings, a community workshop, the Committee on Downtown Development, the Independent Merchants of Downtown Skokie, and the Downtown Task Force, the 2020 Plan provides development direction by determining appropriate and compatible land uses based on a combined vision, market opportunity, and development potential. The plan also provides realistic development strategies and future actions needed to implement the plan. Click here for more information on the Village's 2020 Plan for Sector A: Downtown.
Study Report: Market Assessment and Retail Strategy for Downtown Skokie
In January 2009 the Board of Trustees approved retaining the consulting services of 4Insights to undertake a Market Assessment and Retail Strategy Study for Downtown Skokie. One of the goals of the study was to obtain detailed market data and technical information that would be important to developers, retailers and restaurants as the Village expands business recruitment efforts. The study contains a great deal of information regarding customer bases, consumers' shopping preferences, competitive facilities and areas, and impediments to redevelopment and retail growth in Downtown. A copy of the complete study is available by clicking here. This was presented to the Board at the July 20, 2009 Village Board meeting.