W E D N E S D A Y
November 29, 2017 Vol. 35, No. 15 ONE DOLLAR
@oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Tarzan’s home Homes page 21
High-end new assisted living home proposed for River Forest Three plans presented to the village board, Nov. 27 By NONA TEPPER Staff Reporter
A developer of senior living properties and a real estate investment firm recently unveiled plans for a new senior home to replace the abandoned TCF Bank building at the corner of Chicago and Harlem Avenues. At a village board meeting Nov. 27, developer Senior Lifestyle and the Kaufman Jacobs investment firm unveiled three sets of plans to River Forest’s trustees: ■ Plan A, the smallest of the three, would rise five stories, stretches about 37,100 square feet and includes 20 assisted-living and 60 independentliving spaces and 78 parking spaces; ■ Plan B, would rise 4-5 stories, stretch about 45,500 square feet and include the same number of assisted-living, independent-living, and parking spaces; ■ Plan C, the largest of the three, would rise four stories, stretch about 51,100 square feet and include 80 total assisted- and independent-living apartments and 88 parking spaces, according to See SENIORS on page 17
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
‘TIS THE SEASON: Tony Foley, who co-manages the Sandhill Christmas Trees lot at the corner of Chicago and Maple avenues, loads a tree for a customer on Nov. 27.
What Christmas ‘tree-cession’?
Oak Park sellers seem unfazed by national Christmas tree shortage By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
For the second year in a row, there’s a national shortage of Christmas trees across the country, resulting in higher
prices in certain areas, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Independent Christmas tree sellers in Oak Park, however, seem to be taking the shortage in stride. “It takes over 10 years to grow a tree, so you can’t just decide to increase supply in any given year because demand is high,” said John Brussock, 31, who owns and operates Sandhill Christmas Trees, on the corner of Chicago and Maple avenues. Brussock said every year his tree sales increase.
This year, he said, won’t be different. “Ten years ago, the recession hit and demand fell quite significantly,” he said, explaining the national shortage. “Prices fell a bit, too, and a lot of farmers lightened up big time on how many trees they were planting. So we’re seeing the effects of those lighter planting years 10 years later.” Brussock and the two other independent Christmas tree sellers in Oak Park See TREE SELLERS on page 16
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