W E D N E S D A Y
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JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
July 18, 2018 Vol. 38, No. 52 ONE DOLLAR
@oakpark @wednesdayjournal
Jewel signs as anchor tenant at MadisonOak Park
Jupiter Realty awaits village decision on preferred developer By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
Jupiter Realty crossed a major milestone this week in its plan to develop the 600 and 700 blocks of Madison Street – Oak Park to Wesley avenues – securing a letter of intent from grocer Jewel-Osco for a 55,000-square-foot store on the north side of the street, according to Jupiter principal Jerry Ong. The developer is working on the blockbuster development, which also includes property on the south side of the street, while it awaits a response from the Village of Oak Park on its request for proposals for the project. Jewel-Osco has long operated a much smaller store further east on Madison Street. The future of that site is uncertain at this time. Jupiter was chosen as the preferred developer in 2016 with a proposal that would have located a grocery store as the anchor tenant on the south side of Madison and reoriented the roadway to increase the size of the parcel of land between South Euclid and Wesley avenues. That proposal was abandoned when Jupiter was unable to secure an anchor tenant. Ong said in an exclusive interview Friday afternoon that his firm had reached a tentative deal with Mariano’s in the so-called “road-bend” iteration of the development plan, but within 30 hours of sealing the deal it was announced that Mariano’s parent company, Milwaukee-based Roundy’s, was See JEWEL on page 13
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
PURRFECT MATCH: Craig Barnes, left, and Christina Vasilakis play with the litter of kittens they are currently fostering for the Oak Park Animal Care League at their home in Forest Park.
Paws for inspiration
Woman fostered more than 100 cats for Animal Care League By NONA TEPPER Staff Reporter
In May 2016, a cat walked into Christina Vasilakis’ alley on the 1100 block of Ferdinand in Forest Park, eyeing her across a
lush garden. The scrappy calico, soon to be named Katrina, made eye contact with Vasilakis and held her gaze. After a few weeks, Katrina entered the garden and a bond formed between the stray and the Forest Parker. A routine began. Katrina would walk over daily, seeking shade in the greenery, and Vasilakis would put out food and water. Then she traveled to Berlin to visit her husband who was away on business. When she re-
turned, Katrina was gone. “She just disappeared,” Vasilakis recalled. “Then one day she reappeared, and I was like, ‘I gotta figure out about this cat.’” The next day, Katrina briefly hung out in the garden, then walked south across three neighbors’ front lawns. Vasilakis tiptoed behind her. The cat led her down See VASILAKIS on page 13