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Starbucks

Mayor Barrett Pedersen, Trustees and Village staff held a ribbon cutting in June, 2017, to welcome Starbucks to Franklin Park. The popular international coffee retailer moved into a recently-constructed 2,500 SF building at 2800 Mannheim Road, on the northwest corner of Grand and Mannheim. The new retail facility features a drive-thru, an outdoor patio, a bright and spacious interior and nitro cold brew coffee on tap. The new Starbucks is located on a former BP gas station site, which was remediated by the property owner in 2009.

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T-Mobile

The Village is pleased to welcome T-Mobile to Franklin Park. Mayor Barrett Pedersen, Trustees and Village staff held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the business's new facility at 2926 N. Mannheim Road, Unit 3. At their grand opening event, T-Mobile invited employees to shave their heads to raise money for Franklin Park children fighting cancer through the St. Baldrick's Foundation. T-Mobile's brand new space is part of a three-unit, 6,000 SF commercial development recently constructed by Glazier Corporation.

Panattoni Development Company

The Village of Franklin Park held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the largest construction project of 2016: a new 491,089 SF industrial speculative development by Panattoni Development Group at 3400 Wolf Road, the former site of Castle Metals. Over 300,000 square feet of the building has already been leased to distribution firm CST. Panattoni Development Company is one of the largest privately held real estate development companies in the world and has 24 offices in the United States, Canada and Europe.

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Molto Properties

The Village of Franklin Park celebrated the construction of a new 367,000 SF industrial speculative development by Molto Properties with a ribbon-cutting in early November of 2016. The new building at 10501 Seymour Avenue will be followed by construction of a second 106,000 SF industrial speculative building on the same site. Colliers International is currently seeking industrial users for the new space, which is located across the street from O’Hare Airport and less than a mile to I-294 and the I-90 interchange.

Chipotle

Chipotle is open for business in Franklin Park!

Mayor Barrett Pedersen,Trustees Karen Special , John Johnson and Andy Ybarra, Clerk Irene Avitia and Village staff cut the ribbon to officially welcome the new restaurant to the area. Chipotle Mexican Grill is located at 2926 Mannheim Road. Chipotle offers a menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients that are sustainably grown.

Grupo Omnilife SA de CV

Grupo Omnilife SA de CV develops, manufactures, and markets nutritional foods, drinks, and dietary supplements and offers weight-loss products, vitamins and supplements and beauty care products. They are located at 10007 Grand Ave.

Early Vote at Village Hall

Franklin Park‘s Village Hall will host early voting for the Consolidated Election on April 2, 2019. Early Voting runs from Monday, March 18 through Monday, April 1. This includes two Sundays, March 24 and March 31. Take advantage of this convenient and easy way to participate! Early voting will be held in the conference room located behind the Clerk’s Offices which you can enter directly from the parking lot. Early Voting hours are:

Monday - Saturday, March 18 - March 23 9 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, March 24 10 AM – 4 PM
Monday - Friday, March 25 - March 29 9 AM – 7 PM
Saturday, March 30 9 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, March 31 10 AM – 4 PM
Monday, April 1 9 AM – 5 PM

Village Offering Trees for Parkways

This spring, the Village will begin planting, at no cost to residents, trees on parkways throughout our community. If you would like a tree planted in your front parkway, contact the Utilities Department at (847) 671-8252. You can read more about our “urban forest” and the need to plant trees in our community at http://chicagorti.org/sites/chicagorti/files/FranklinParkExtended.pdf

Community Garden Space Available

The Village has established a Community Garden located between the Veteran’s Memorial and Village Hall on Belmont Avenue. The Community Garden is open to residents interested in growing flowers, vegetables and herbs this year. Please call Andy Smolen at 847-708-2963 if you are interested in learning more or to reserve a growing space. Please note that if you reserve a space, you must commit to regularly maintaining and weeding the area.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Available

Cook County residents can dispose of household hazardous waste in an environmentally-friendly manner on Saturday, April 13, from 8 AM to 3 PM at the Brookfield Zoo in the North Parking Lot at 8400 W. 31st Street. Items that will be accepted include medicines, chemical cleaners, aerosol and oil-based paints, paint thinners, antifreeze, weed killers, insecticides, pesticides, and similar hazardous household products.

Batteries and electronic waste will also be collected. Smoke detectors, agricultural chemicals, controlled substances and sharps will not be accepted. Latex paint is not considered hazardous; it can be dried and put out you’re your regular trash. Contractor, agricultural, business, governmental, commercial, industrial, school or public works wastes cannot be accepted. Please contact the MWRD, the event organizer, with questions at 312-751-6633.

Download event flyer here ............

Branch Pick-up Schedule for 2019

The Village will begin regular branch pick-up service on April 1. Please place all reasonably sized branches where you put your trash for collection by 7 AM on Monday of the pick-up week indicated below. The branches will be picked-up sometime by the end of the day Friday.

If your branches are put out late (after 7 AM on Monday of the pick-up week), it is possible that you could miss the pick-up. Village trucks begin promptly and if they have already driven through your section of town, your branches will not be collected until the next scheduled pick-up week. Also, please be aware that due to unforeseen circumstances such as storm clean-up, the Village may need to delay a scheduled pick-up. In this situation, we will resume branch collection where we left off the following week.

If you have any questions regarding the pick-up schedule or size and weight requirements, please call 847-671-8252. Pick up weeks are:

April 1, 15, 29
May 13, 28
June 10, 24
July 8, 22
August 5, 19
September 3, 16, 30
October 15, 28

November - weather permitting due to leaf pick-up

Free Tax Counseling for Senior Citizens

IRS-trained and certified volunteers will help individuals age 60 or older from low- to moderate-income households prepare their tax returns. The Triton College RSVP Volunteer Program, in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service, is offering this FREE service by appointment only. Tax returns will be prepared at the following locations: Triton College, Elmwood Park Senior Center, Melrose Park Public Library, Proviso Township Office, Leyden Township Senior Center. For information or to schedule appointment, call 708-456-0300, at Ext. 3895.

Do You Need Help With Government Programs?

Leyden Family Services will be at Village Hall to help residents apply for government assistance programs from 9 to 11:30 AM on the following Wednesdays:

March 13 and 27.

They can also help you make sense of your medical bills, provide prescription assistance and assist you in applying for license plate discounts and free train and bus passes

Document Checklist BEFORE you visit here...

Senior Citizen, Disabled and Veteran Property Tax Exemptions Available

Make sure to check your property tax bill to verify that you are receiving all the exemptions for which you are eligible. Homeowners, 65 and older are eligible to receive a Senior Homeowner Exemption. You must apply annually to receive this exemption. Renewal notices were mailed. Make sure to return the application immediately.

The Senior Freeze Exemption is available if you have an annual household income of $65,000 or less. There are also exemptions available for Disabled Persons, Disabled Veterans and Returning Veterans. To get more information regarding these exemptions, go to www.cookcountyassessor.com and click on exemptions. Homeowners who are at least 65 years of age by June 1 and whose household income is $55,000 or less can apply for the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral program.

This tax-relief program works like a loan and allows qualified seniors to defer a maximum of $5,000 per tax year which will not have to be paid until the home is sold. To check eligibility and get an application, go to www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

Quiet Zone Update

The Village has received verbal notification that we have been approved for a $975,000 Pedestrian Rail Safety Grant! The grant will fund a significant portion of the safety improvements needed at the pedestrian crossing at the Calwagner and 25th Street grade crossings and the Metra Station. Next, we will be working with Metra to design and construct the safety improvements. The Village will make street improvements including installing a median barrier at 25th and Ruby. Watch our Village newsletter for updates as we move closer to obtaining a Quite Zone Designation in Franklin Park! .

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Industrial Development is Thriving

Along with our conservative budgeting and careful spending, we have also stabilized our tax rate by attracting more businesses, investment and jobs to Franklin Park. In fact, our industrial development efforts have resulted in $756,968,699 of new development added over the last six years! We have also garnered $64 million in grants over the last 10 years, including $29.5 million in 2018.

Having a robust business community is critical because it helps to keep our residential property tax rate stable. New businesses add to our industrial tax base so that we can keep the residential tax rate low. Franklin Park never offers taxpayer giveaways to relocating companies, nor do we ever offer tax abatements, water or sales tax reductions.

Franklin Avenue Improvements – Connectivity-Congestion Relief- Quality of Life

Modernizing our infrastructure is critically important to attracting and retaining businesses. Our proximity to O’Hare International Airport and the regional rail and roadway networks is critical to a strong industrial base. The Franklin Avenue Improvement Project, which represents an investment of over $30 million to improve public safety, relieve congestion and improve access for our residents. This will allow us to attract even more businesses and continue to be an industrial powerhouse location for the region.

Franklin Avenue will be widened from two lanes to five from Runge Street to east of Mannheim Road. Our community will enjoy more regional connectivity with a new connection to and from I-294 to I-490, along with a northbound exit and southbound entry onto Franklin Avenue. A new sewer system is being constructed to reduce flooding. A shared bike path for cyclists and pedestrians will be added enhancing our quality of life. Modern traffic signals, better lighting and two- turn lanes will increase safety. This important regional project is a great example of how we work to attract industry to and keep residential property taxes low.

Safety First

One of the primary reasons we are so careful with your tax dollars is to be sure we have the resources to keep our neighborhoods safe. Our Police Department is very focused on spending wisely. In 2018, over $32,000 in grant money was awarded to the department to supply bulletproof vests, increase tobacco enforcement and awareness and to purchase equipment that enhances traffic enforcement.

Our Police Department has put a strong emphasis on training and providing cutting-edge technology to ensure our officers can capably respond to any situation. Innovative approaches including a visible presence in the community, our Neighborhood Watch program and increased outreach to our senior residents has proven to reduce crime. In 2018, overall arrests and crime were down. Join me in thanking our Franklin Park Police Department and all officers who serve the community.

A Year of Giving

We have dedicated this year to increasing volunteerism and philanthropic efforts throughout our community. If you have an organization that has volunteer opportunities, or would like to volunteer, please use our contact page on our website.

Mayor Barrett Pedersen