Deerbrook Owners Pull Plug on Renovation

Economic uncertainty was one of the reasons told the Deerfield Village Board of Trustees it would not continue its current redevelopment project of the shopping center.

Mayor Harriet Rosenthal made the announcement just before the public comment section of Monday’s meeting of the Village Board of Trustees.

“(Gateway Fairview) has advised the Village they are withdrawing their request for public redevelopment assistance and not pursuing their proposed project at this time,” Rosenthal said. “The overall challenges presented by the economy caused them to reassess their strategy for Deerbrook.”

Among other things, the shopping center owners are concerned with the financial uncertainty surrounding Supervalue, the parent company of Jewel. The mayor said the Village is looking forward to continuing to work with mall ownership.

In other business, the Board gave Peapod unanimous approval for a grocery pickup facility at the former Amcore Bank building near the Lake Cook Road Metra station. Peapod ownership is looking at some similar sites in the area and Deerfield may be the first.

Earlier in the meeting, Deerfield Police Chief John Sliozis gave a report on crime in Deerfield the first half of 2012 indicating it was down slightly from the same period a year ago.

After questions by members of the Board about drug activities, Sliozis indicated it was not a serious issue but commented on the recent arrest of . “It’s a perfect example of why we have to,” he said referring to the vigilance his department maintains.

Patch will have more detailed stories on all of these subjects as the week progresses.

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