Top executives from Florida-based Sterling Organization, which bought Golf Mill in 2014, joined Niles Mayor George Alpogianis at an open house held in the mall’s center court, which will be torn down. The plans call for an open-air shopping center with a pond and a replica of Golf Mill’s original water wheel in a central area, situated near curated, non-chain restaurants and flanked by lifestyle stores.

The mayor and Niles officials stressed they have developed a TIF (tax increment financing) arrangement that will not put taxpayers’ dollars at risk.

“There will not be a tax increase,” Alpogianis said. “There will be zero risk to our taxpayers.”

The next step in the process will occur if the village board approves, at its June 25 meeting, a redevelopment agreement with Sterling.

Under the proposed plan to bring about the redevelopment, the village will offer Sterling $96 million in tax increment financing for the first phase of a two-phase construction process. The village board approved a term sheet, the first step in the redevelopment process, in September 2023.

Brian Kosoy, CEO of Sterling Organization, said after the meeting that he expects that the current name-brand businesses already invested in the mall, such as Target, Panera and others, will be attractive when his organization seeks financing for the project.

“I think this is a highly finance-able project,” he said. He noted that Sterling owns other sizable shopping centers around the nation and has eight properties in the Chicago region.

Dustin Hicks, Sterling’s managing director of development and construction, showed slides of the proposal to the audience of about 100, saying, “Phase One of the project is a demolition of a large portion of the existing mall, certainly where you are all sitting tonight, including all interior common areas as well as the iconic office tower.”

He also anticipated at least 500,000 square feet of new or renovated retail space, including some new outparcels, which are freestanding buildings on the edges of a mall’s parking lot, near the public street.

The AMC Niles 12 movie theatre will be demolished, but Target, Burlington, Ross, JC Penney, XSport Fitness, Gordon Food Service, Chick-fil-A, Panera and Chase Bank will stay, according to documents.

The first phase will also create a central plaza as the mall rebrands itself, Hicks said. He expects that a pond with a replica of the original Golf Mill water wheel near a pavilion with green spaces, located near two curated restaurants, will become a gathering space for the community. 

Hicks said Sterling has not yet chosen a builder for the project, but expects to do so after the village formally approves the redevelopment agreement.

The village of Niles expects that Sterling will invest $440 million for the entire renovation, including $204 million for the first phase of renovation, according to previous reporting.

Alpogianis said that the village’s investment in the project is risk-free to taxpayers because it is done with performance-based tax increment financing. Once the first phase of renovations is completed and the Cook County tax assessor revalues the property at a higher value, the plan calls for the village to pay Sterling tax increment financing bonds on the increase in value and reimburse Sterling up to $96 million, according to documents.

The redevelopment plan includes building 900 luxury apartments near Greenwood Avenue on the west end of the mall property. The first phase plans for 300 units near Greenwood and Church Street, including a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. An additional 600 units are slated to be created in the second phase.

In the retail portion of the renovated Golf Mill, Hicks said developers will seek tenants such health and beauty stores, apparel retailers, home accessories retailers, entertainment and other specialty retailers.

They will also seek restaurants, both sit-down and fast casual, national and locally curated.

John Melaniphy, the village’s economic development director, said he doesn’t anticipate children moving into the rentals, and thus he doesn’t expect them to burden school districts in the area, Maine East School District 63 and Maine Township High School District 207. He said when the tax increment financing district expires in 2041, D207 will get 13% of the tax increment and D63 will get 27% of the tax increment. The library is expected to get a 2% tax increment.

The second phase will also include construction of a 60,000-square-foot medical office and retail building and a 250-room hotel, according to Hicks.

Presuming the Niles Village Board approves the redevelopment agreement, Sterling will have to go through the regular Planned Unit Development and Zoning approval process the village requires for all developments. Those plans will be more detailed and will be reviewed by the village’s community development department and ultimately approved by the Board of Trustees. Sterling has a two-year deadline to begin construction once the redevelopment agreement gets approved, and is eligible for a one-year extension.

“For years, Golf Mill has been known to be more than just a shopping center: Families have celebrated traditions there; people of all ages have congregated there; and our businesses have thrived there, but for too long empty rhetoric and inaction of village leaders resulted in Golf Mill’s slow decay,” said Alpogianis. “This is an exciting time for our village.”

Residential Burglary

An unknown male offender wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt distracted a victim in the 1900 block of Stanley, on June 1 at 3 p.m., by having the homeowner step into the backyard. During that time, a second offender entered the victim’s residence and took personal property before fleeing in a white van.

Surveillance footage captured an unknown offender entering an attached garage, breaking into a caged storage unit and removing property before fleeing the scene in the 100-200 Summit Avenue on June 2 at approximately 2:15 a.m.

Motor Vehicle Theft

An unknown offender stole an unlocked 2020 Dodge Ram parked on the 500-600 block of Engel Boulevard on June 2 between 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

An unknown offender stole an unlocked 2015 Infinity Q50 parked on the 700 block of Chester Avenue on June 3, sometime between 4:30 a.m. and 9:50 a.m. The owner believes the keys were left in the car.

Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle

Doorbell camera footage revealed an unknown vehicle traveling southbound on Broadway Avenue, pulling up next to a victim’s vehicle. An unknown offender exited the vehicle and used an unknown object to puncture the left rear tire of the victim’s vehicle in the 200 block of North Broadway Avenue on June 1 at approximately 3:23 a.m. The offender then continued to travel south.

Doorbell camera footage revealed an unknown offender using an unknown object to puncture a victim’s left rear tire while their vehicle was parked on the street on the1900-2000 block of Cedar Street on June 1 at approximately 3:30 a.m.

Burglary from Motor Vehicle

An unknown offender stole cash from a 2019 Lexus SUV, which was parked on the driveway of the victim’s home. The offender also entered the victim’s 2019 Toyota Tundra and 2023 Toyota Camry in the 900 block of Chester Avenue on June 3 at approximately 4:24 a.m.

An unknown offender broke into a victim’s 2019 Acura MDX and stole personal property from the center console in the 100-200 block of Hamlin Ave. on May 30 at 5 a.m.

Theft under $500

A victim at FFC Gym noticed an unknown offender had gotten into his locker and stole a credit card and SIM card to his phone at 826 W. Touhy Ave. on June 3 at 11:30 a.m.

A victim believed that an unknown offender found their wallet in a parking garage or broke into their vehicle and stole it on June 5 at approximately 7 a.m. at 1775 W. Dempster St. The victim was later notified that someone was attempting to make fraudulent purchases with their credit cards, which had been in the wallet.

Criminal Defacement

An unknown offender wrote graffiti in multiple locations at North Park before fleeing the scene during the overnight hours of June 3.

An unknown offender wrote graffiti in multiple locations on the sidewalk near Benjamin Franklin Elementary School during the overnight hours of June 3 at 2401 W. Manor Ln.

An unknown offender wrote graffiti on an outside Park Ridge Public Library bench sometime between June 3 and June 4 at 12 p.m. at 20 S. Prospect Ave.

Criminal Trespass to Vehicle

An unknown offender gained entrance to a vehicle and rummaged through the glove box and center console in the 800 block of Chester Avenue on June 3 at 3:44 p.m. Nothing was taken from the vehicle.

An unknown offender entered an unlocked 2018 Porsche Cayenne while it was parked in the driveway of the victim’s home in the 300 block of Chester Avenue on June 3 at approximately 4 a.m. Nothing was taken from the vehicle.

Theft

An unknown male offender stole four alcohol bottles from the Walgreens at 800 W. Devon Ave. on June 5 at approximately 8:55 a.m.

Two unknown female offenders entered a CVS store at 2648 E. Dempster St. and stole merchandise from the shelves on June 6 at approximately 6:59 p.m.

An 84-year-old Park Ridge man was arrested for theft and criminal damage to property in the 700 block of Busse Highway on June 3 at 2:45 p.m.

Juvenile Problem

An unknown offender rang a victim’s doorbell and proceed to light off fireworks before fleeing the scene on the 900-1000 block of Courtland Avenue on June 5 at 9:24 p.m.

Traffic Violations

A 43-year-old Park Ridge man was arrested for DUI alcohol and the illegal transportation of alcohol in the 1000 block of Chester Avenue on June 6 at 4:07 p.m.

A 33-year-old Chicago man was arrested for driving without a license, operating an uninsured vehicle, no valid registration and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident at the intersection of Peterson Avenue and Ashland Avenue on June 8 at 5:47 p.m.

A 39-year-old Skokie woman was arrested for driving without a license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle with a suspended registration at the intersection of Touhy Avenue and Prospect Avenue on June 9 at 12:05 a.m.

Failure to Control Animal

A 35-year-old Park Ridge woman was charged with a municipal code violation for failure to control an animal in the 300 block of North Hamlin Avenue on June 5 at 4 p.m.

Curfew

A 17-year-old Park Ridge boy was charged with a municipal code violation for violating curfew at June 9 at 3:30 a.m.

The CBS daytime program is holding an open casting call at Steinhafels furniture store, 7304 W. Lawrence Ave., Harwood Heights, on June 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program is looking for two semi-finalists who will have an opportunity to be selected as contestants on the show.

Applicants will be interviewed on camera for approximately thirty (30) seconds answering questions such as “Why do you want to be a contestant on The Price is Right?” Applicants will need to be over the age of 18. The cost of travel and hotel will be covered by CBS, per the rules found at cbsnews.com/chicago/news/price-is-right-contestant-search/.

Students from Maine East, Maine West and  Maine South High School and Niles North and Niles West High School  graduated from the nurse assistant program as part of Oakton College’s dual enrollment program with their high schools. Eighty-three students graduated, the biggest class size in the program’s history.

Students enrolled in the dual credit program received college credit from Oakton College during high school. Six graduates have committed to continuing their nursing studies at Oakton, according to a news release from the college.

According to the release, students who complete their associate in applied science degree in nursing at Oakton can begin practicing in nursing immediately. They are also eligible to transfer to a four-year college or university.

The nurse assistant dual credit program will expand to Evanston Township High School in the fall.

Students attending the Niles and Maine Township high schools live in Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Morton Grove, Niles, Skokie and Lincolnwood, as well as portions of Rosemont and Glenview, Harwood Heights, Norridge and Norwood Park Township.

State records show Sergeant Jason Rago began his career in law enforcement with the Naperville Police Department in 1996. He joined the Morton Grove Police Department in August 2000 and remained there for the rest of his life. According to his wife, Monica Rago, he had been battling cancer for more than a year.

“He loved being a dad and doing his job,” Monica Rago told Pioneer Press. She also served with him briefly in the Morton Grove police department, where she was a community service officer and he was her supervisor. “As far as a supervisor, he was great, very understanding, viewed everything from all angles— just to make sure that everybody stayed safe and did their job.”

Police Chief Michael Simo said Jason Rago received many letters of appreciation and commendation throughout his 24 years of service to the department. “We have to make a lot of quick decisions, and nobody makes a quick decision like a patrol sergeant. (Jason) was especially good at that. He could assess the situation, figure out the best solution for it, and then talk people into doing the best right thing to help their problem work itself out,” Simo said.

Simo said even during Jason Rago’s last year on the force, he continued to have a good attitude and did desk work up until the month he died. “He told me that he thought it was very important to set an example as he went through his illness that people look at him and see he was trying to handle it as cheerfully and as matter of fact as possible.”

During his tenure in the department, Jason Rago was a founding member of the safety commission, a peer support team and honor guard, Simo said. He added that Jason Rago also planned the  Greater Chicago Jewish Festival and Morton Grove days a few times.

A GoFundMe page for Jason Rago was set up in November of 2023 after his tumor increased in size and his cancer spread and was reclassified as being in Stage 4.

Monica Rago said she received a lot of support from the police departments in the months leading to her husband’s death as well as now. “They’re always family to me… They’ve been there for me and Jason, to support anything he ever needed or I ever needed.”

Monica Rago said her husband lived by a motto: “Keep fighting the good fight. Never give up, and remember to smile every day.” While he was dealing with cancer, Monica Rago said, “he never gave up, was fearless and was courageous throughout the chemo treatments and fought to the very end.”

Jason Rago leaves behind three children, Luke, Emily, and Noah. “He was a great dad, loved being a dad, and he was a great husband and absolutely loved doing both,” Monica Rago said. “There are just not enough words in this world to describe who he was as a person. No one’s ever going to be like him in this world.”

A celebration of life, in lieu of a funeral, is scheduled for Jason Rago’s friends and family, Monica Rago said.

According to his Glueckert Funeral Home obituary, Jason Rago is survived by, in addition to Monica Rago, the following:  the mother of his children, Ann Gavin; his devoted and loving parents Georgene and Richard Metz; his brothers Anthony Metz and James (Christine) Metz; his aunts Roberta (Richard) Gheller, Carleen (Thomas) Jurkowski, Susan (Rick) Tippett; his uncle Frank (Sandra) Romanowski; his step-mother Shirley Rago; his mother-in-law and father-in-law Marta and Jerzy Owca; his grandmother-in-law Franciszka Walaszek; many cousins, friends and fellow brothers and sisters in blue.

Don Julio Cafe, the new restaurant at 7919 North Lincoln Avenue, opened its doors on May 20, according to the owner, Victoria Mejia Rivera. She said the restaurant is named after her late father, Julio, who died in 2022. The restaurant will serve classic American breakfasts and coffee while offering a diverse taste of traditional Guatemalan breakfast, or chapin.

Rivera said the restaurant was named in her father’s honor to replicate the same environment he would have liked. “He loved coffee and being with the family and eating breakfast. He was really happy on the weekends… he always brought a good vibe with him,” said Rivera.

According to Rivera, the restaurant’s logo is another nod to Julio. Rivera said the image of a cartoonish-looking Julio with a mug of steaming hot coffee sporting a red guayabera is unique. “You won’t find it anywhere else because it’s his face,” she said.

The inside of the restaurant has details and decorations in tune with nature. An artificial grass turf with a “Carpe Diem” neon sign over a wooden piano adorns the back end of the dining room, with other nature-themed accents along the wall and windows. Rivera said in the summer she is looking to have the restaurant’s patio open for dining and she would like to invite artists to perform music.

Chapin, a traditional Guatemalan breakfast, consists of sunny side eggs, beans with panela cheese, and fried plantains and sour cream, paired with either a tortilla or “pan de agua,” a roll of bread similar to a French loaf.  She said she thinks the restaurant will be able to give local patrons a classic American breakfast like crepes, steak and eggs, while also giving the area something different and flavorful.

With Don Julio’s as the first restaurant venture for Rivera as an owner, the Guatemalan native said she has been working in food before even being fully able to vouch for herself, relying on her mother’s approval for a worker’s permit when she was underage. But even at her first job at McDonald’s, Rivera said she admired the philosophy of providing customers a welcoming experience, holding the door, and maintaining an orderly restaurant.

Rivera would go on to work at Chili’s as a hostess, then Applebee’s as a bartender, returning to Chili’s as a server. “I learned a lot about the culture of serving and looking people in their eyes and asking them about their day,” she said. “It stopped feeling like work because I was working with people, and the staff knew my name and so did the customers.”

Rivera said she also worked other jobs in the trucking business and even drove and owned a semi-truck going to places as far as Pennsylvania or Nebraska, so long as she could be back home for the weekend to spend time with her family and her 11-year-old daughter. She said that when the trucking business started to slow and the cost to maintain her truck was eating away at her income, she decided she was better off selling the truck.

Rivera said the move from the trucking business to owning a restaurant was spontaneous and that she still runs a delivery company to deliver appliances.

“Honestly, I just got up one day and decided to look into setting up shop,” she said. “I’d been speaking to my friends about it for a while. My friend and partner were ready, and I thought, well, why not? This place (7919 Lincoln Ave.) was five minutes from where I live, and that’s all it took, five minutes.”

Rivera said she was also attracted by Annie’s, a pancake house that closed in Skokie, but didn’t see any “For Rent” signs. “I turned the corner, and I found this place with a sign up front, and I looked into it enough to find out there was a place called Euro Echo Cafe, so I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to add some more things to adapt it into a restaurant.”

The restaurant will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. seven days a week and serve breakfast, brunch, beer and mimosas, according to Rivera. She said she will be a server/manager for the restaurant, her partner will be the restaurant’s accountant and a friend with a background in cooking at other hotels and restaurants will be doing the cooking. Rivera said the three of them will be the restaurant’s leadership, and she will also have her mom and sister work there every day.

The commission approved a four-story, 24-unit senior housing development at 819-825 Busse Highway, Park Ridge, on the condition that the developer include some affordable units, among other changes to the developer’s original proposal. The commission also approved plans for a four-story, 112-guest-room Hilton hotel at 1440 Higgins Road, Park Ridge.

The plans received approval from the commission in an arduous three-and-a-half-hour meeting, during which commissioners and public commenters gave their opinions that effected changes to the respective developer’s original plans. According to Community Preservation and Development Director Drew Awsumb, the next step for the developments would be to get approval from the Park Ridge City Council at its June 17 meeting.

Both developments were sent to the Planning and Zoning Commission as a Planned Unit Development, which typically means that a developer needs to provide some type of public benefit to the city to get approval for exceptions from the city’s zoning code, according to Awsumb

According to the senior housing development’s applicant, Paul Kolpak, the development’s ground floor will include parking spaces, a communal kitchen, dining room, community room, restroom, exercise room, lobby, vestibule and parcel room. An additional 24 parking spaces will be behind the building facing the alley.

Kolpak said the remaining floors will be identical. The 24 units will be split into 18 two-bedroom and 6 three-bedroom units.  The units will have modern amenities, including individual heating and cooling and washers and dryers, he said.

To rent an apartment from the development, a renter must be over the age of 62. However, Kolpak said the project is not categorized as a senior development. “There really aren’t any employees in the building. There may be a part-time staff here or there, but that’s the extent of it,” he said.

Kolpak said the development offered several public benefits, including adding pervious surfaces in a neighborhood with habitual flooding. “This development provides on a 32,000 square foot site almost 14,000 square feet of landscaped space… We see that as a benefit to the local area and to the public because it does help with things like storm water management,” Kolpak said.

Kolpak also said that the development goes above and beyond in making all of its housing units adaptable for people with disabilities. The city’s code requires 20% of the units to be adaptable. “All the bathrooms have a full turning radius for wheelchairs, blocks installed in the walls for grab bars and all the doors are the appropriate width for all the units to be adaptable.”

The commission and public commenters spoke at length for nearly an hour and a half about the project. After the applicant agreed to some changes suggested by the commission, the plan was approved on the condition that the development’s storm water detention be built out to 130% of what is required by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, that the development include three affordable housing units, that the facades of the building not be higher than 40 feet, that the driveway to the underground garage be widened to 24 feet and for the development’s landscaping to meet the requirements of the zoning ordinance.

The Hilton hotel development, submitted by MDSA Properties as a Tru by Hilton hotel, also received some initial pushback from the commission. The submitted proposal asked for multiple exceptions to the zoning ordinance, including signage code exceptions, parking minimum requirements and building height.

Some residents were unenthused to hear that a hotel was planning on coming to Park Ridge. Residents Frank and Kathy Gazzolo submitted their public comment saying that the hotel would be too noisy, cause congestion, affect views and negatively affect property values. “We would prefer a no higher than three-story residential condominium development,” the two wrote.

The commission approved the hotel development on the condition that access to Peterson road be cut off and that MDSA make a $25,000 donation to Park Ridge for gateway signage. The commission granted some exceptions to signage in the zoning ordinance.

Domestic Battery

A 59-year-old Park Ridge man was arrested for domestic battery in the 300 block of South Western Avenue on June 1 at 8:14 p.m.

Criminal Trespass to Real Property

A 45-year-old Des Plaines woman was arrested for criminal trespass to real property in the 100 block of North Northwest Highway on May 31 at 10:29 a.m.

Theft $500 and under

A 45-year-old Des Plaines woman was arrested for theft $500 and under and disorderly conduct on the first block of North Summit Avenue on May 30 at 8:10 p.m.

Traffic Violations

A 46-year-old Chicago man was arrested for driving without a valid driver’s license and failure to wear a seatbelt in the 1900 block of South Cumberland Avenue on May 28 at 7:30 p.m.

A 22-year-old Des Plaines woman was arrested for speeding 35 mph over the limit in the area of Dempster Street and Western Avenue on May 28 at 8:23 p.m.

A 44-year-old Chicago man was arrested for driving on a suspended license at the intersection of Touhy Avenue and Western Avenue on May 30 at 1:49 pm.

A 48-year-old Chicago man was arrested for driving without a driver’s license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and a brake light violation near the area of Devon Avenue and Brophy Avenue on May 31 at 7:51 a.m.

A 25-year-old Stone Park woman was arrested for driving on a suspended license in the area of Dempster Street and Potter Road on May 31 at 7:53 p.m.

The village secured two Urban Area Security Initiative Cook County Homeland Security Grants grants to cover the $84,000 cost of outfitting a recently acquired mobile command unit with state-of-the-art equipment, and $19,000 for two drones for the fire department.

The village’s application for the drones, filled out by Robert Greiner, the fire department’s deputy chief, said, “After the Highland Park Active Threat Incident, it became clear that Niles, with a population around 30,000 residents, has the potential for similar threats throughout the year.”

According to the application, the fire department currently owns an old and outdated drone that was donated by a resident. The drone is used to assist in threat responses, to search for people in a dog and drone rescue team, and monitor active fires. The drone has been used in collaboration with the police department for events as well, including parade routes and local festivals hosting more than 10,000 visitors.

“The impact of new drones will be immediate. We are hoping to use new drone technology, including collision avoidance, thermal imaging, photography, greater range and operational time, and object tracking to improve our operations and safety within Niles and the surrounding communities,” the application said.

The new drones, two Autel Robotics EVO Max 4T drones, will be used for search and rescue, firefighting, post-fire investigation, natural disaster response, hazardous materials incidents, pre-incident planning, and public relations and social media, according to Fire Chief Marty Feld. The application said neighboring departments can also use the drones to assist with fire management and suppression during an emergency.

Niles Police Deputy Chief Nick Zakula told Pioneer Press the mobile command unit will be used by the department for special events, critical incidents and other uses.

Pending its final inspection from the state, Tim O’Hern, COO of Nature’s Grace and Wellness, the dispensary’s management services partner, said Bud and Rita’s is scheduled to open the week of June 10.  A grand opening with onsite vendors and food trucks is also scheduled for late June, he said.

“Bud and Rita are actually my grandparents,” O’Hern told Pioneer Press. He said the dispensary would have the look and motif of a ’50s diner and is set to reflect the family-owned company’s backstory. The O’Hern family founded Nature’s Grace and Wellness in 2014 and cultivates and manufactures cannabis from its own farm. The company also opened a Bud and Rita’s location in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood in April.

O’Hern said the dispensary, located at 5960 W. Touhy Ave, is located in the building that used to house the Italian restaurant Graziano’s Brick Oven Pizza, a “long-standing staple of the Niles community” that was open for 30 years. He said he worked closely with the restaurant owners when they made the decision to close.

In January, a competing dispensary, Green Rose, opened its doors at 4656 W. Touhy in Lincolnwood, nearly a mile and a half east of Bud and Rita’s. When asked if he was concerned about competition, O’Hern said that Bud and Rita’s is in a very dense region, with multiple traffic patterns.

“There’s a lot of traffic and commerce happening on the Touhy Avenue corridor  there in Niles. It seemed like a very good opportunity to service the community.”

Bud and Rita’s also has over 40 parking spots, according to O’Hern.

O’Hern said the company did not have any firm expectations on sales for the year, in part because the legalized sale of recreational cannabis is still so new to Illinois.

According to the Niles municipal code, the village receives a 3% tax from all cannabis sales. According to budget documents, the village received $36,000 in cannabis taxes for the 2023 fiscal year and $37,000 for the 2024 fiscal year, when only one dispensary operated in Niles.

In April, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration signaled that it was considering rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I drug, the same category as ecstacy and heroin, to a Schedule III drug, defined as drugs with “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” the same category as some anabolic steroids and testosterone.

“As cannabis continues to be normalized, nationally and throughout the state of Illinois, we expect cannabis to be around for a really long time,” O’Hern said. “Consumer adoption, we think, will continue to grow as we proceed.”

Once the dispensary is fully staffed, O’Hern expects it to have between 25 and 30 employees. It will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.