Bank Lane Enhancement Statement
As you may know, the City is in the early stages of developing a plan to enhance and improve Bank Lane as a pedestrian corridor from Vine Ave. to Wisconsin Ave. The process begins with a public meeting on Thursday, June 27, 2024, from 6:00-7:30 PM at City Hall, to share ideas.
View this link of the LFPF’s statement regarding the Bank Lane Streetscape Enhancement Plan (the “Bank Lane Plan”), reflecting the LFPF’s ideas. As explained in its statement, the LFPF believes that enhancing Bank Lane as an inviting pedestrian corridor offers a unique opportunity to better unite the Historic Business District, from north to south, and preserve its historic visual character. To achieve this objective, however, there must be two parts to any Bank Lane Plan: (1) design features for Bank Lane itself, and (2) design parameters for any private development on Bank Lane.
Why both? Significant stretches of Bank Lane are not in the Lake Forest Historic District and, consequently, are not protected by Lake Forest’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. Without binding design parameters for private development along Bank Lane, the most beautifully designed pedestrian corridor could quickly become an uninviting urban canyon through private development that is not sympathetic in scale, design, and finish with Lake Forest’s Heritage Buildings.
The highlights of the LFPF statement include:
Beautifying the portion of Bank Lane from Illinois Rd. to Deerpath Rd., through improved sidewalks and crossings, landscaping, paving materials, signage, and gateway features, that better unite the Historic Business District on both sides of Deerpath Rd.
Reimagining the currently uninviting stretch of Bank Lane from Wisconsin to Westminster as a pedestrian corridor with more green space and features consistent with the ambiance of Market Square.
Ensuring that any new development along Bank Lane is visually compatible with the Heritage Buildings within the Historic Business District -- no boxy, monolithic structures with undifferentiated facades and no character.
We encourage all to read the entire statement here and attend the public meeting.