Just one year ago this fall, Downtown Deerfield, Illinois completed its transformation -- a "pleasant and happy alternative to the regional mall," according to Michael Tobin, managing director of development for Chicago-based Northern Realty Group, exclusive commercial leasing agent and co-developer of the new Downtown Deerfield complex.

When the Village of Deerfield decided to redevelop its downtown, it vowed not to create a series of named shopping centers. Instead, what the community had in mind was a downtown that looked like it had been there for years and grown up in a natural way, evolving over time. Most of the buildings had been built either right before World War II or in the early 1950s, and the downtown area had seen a series of individual owners. The largest single property was an old grocery- and drug-anchored center, known as Deerfield Commons. But over the years, the types of spaces that existed downtown no longer suited the needs of current retailers or today's shopper.

So the resurgence began. Partners Mesirow Stein Real Estate Inc. and Northern Realty Group Ltd. of Chicago set out to produce a mixed-use development that would appeal to residents as well as revitalize the downtown core. Northern Realty was originally founded as a retail brokerage firm, representing both landlords and tenants with a focus primarily on retail in downtown mixed-use projects. But about 5 years ago, the company shifted its focus to include the development of real estate, focusing on mixed-use projects in a quasi-urban environment.

"Our company and our partners are very experienced at development in a public/private partnership with cities, so we knew the importance of including the community in the design development process," says Tobin. "We obviously couldn't accommodate everyone, but we listened to what people in town were saying they needed and the character of the community they wanted, and we modified our designs to respond as best we could given the economic return that we had to achieve in order to be successful." Several factors influenced the decision to redevelop Downtown Deerfield. The demographics were changing such that the population density and income levels were getting better and better every year.

"So if you had the right type of space, configured to meet the needs of modern retailers, you had an opportunity to really do something," says Tobin. "But nothing could happen until The Village stepped in and helped assemble all the property. For a private developer to have acquired the whole downtown piecemeal would have been impossible -- and taken years even if someone tried."

The downtown streets in Deerfield also didn't suit the needs of local shoppers as well as it could, since none of the shops were oriented to the street. The downtown streets are both regional arterial streets, as well as heavily trafficked, notes Tobin.

"It was terrific in terms of delivering traffic to town, but not a particularly attractive shopping environment," he says. "And as development occurred around Deerfield, the streets became more congested, and it wasn't conducive for people who were driving through to necessarily stop."

But the real impetus for the redevelopment, says Tobin, was the closing of the Sara Lee bakery facility in the Chicago area just south of downtown. When Sara Lee chose to close that plant about 10 years ago and the property became available for development, Deerfield then had the beginning economic engine to redevelop the whole downtown area.

Today, Downtown Deerfield consists of a mixed-use, four-building, $25 million complex that offers a variety of cool uses as well as basic retailers. Tenants include Orvis, Leather Creations, Sprint PCS, Pearle Vision, Blockbuster Video, Deerfield Schwinn Cyclery Store and the Red Star Tavern, the newest member of the development. The world headquarters of Prime Source Healthcare is situated in the second floor office space of one of the buildings.

The development also includes a landscaped square with a decorative water feature and seating for patrons as well as a four-story building with ground-level retail and three stories of 56 luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Restaurants and retail tenants fronting on Deerfield Road include Starbucks Coffee, Chicago Home Fitness, Chipotle and Vogue Jewelers. Alley Cleaners and Mailboxes Etc. are fronting a covered pedestrian arcade that leads from Deerfield Road to the interior of the center. There is one remaining retail space of about 3,400 square feet with a Deerfield Road exposure and arcade entry.

The developers chose architect Antunovich Associates to design the complex because "they are experienced doing contextual-style, mixed-use projects," says Tobin.

"Joseph Antunovich has done a lot of work in neighborhoods where the sense of scale was very important and is particularly sensitive to the pedestrian environment," he adds.

In fact, the pedestrian aspect of the new Downtown Deerfield is what Northern Realty is most proud of.

"What we find very gratifying about our project is that we designed it to encourage people to walk around downtown," Tobin says. "And that's what people are doing."

©2002 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.