Saturday, February 28, 2015

RAMSEY - Be on notice about stepping carefully this wintertime.

Are unnatural accumulations of ice and inadequate lighting a Flaherty problem in Ramsey?

NO EVIDENCE OF THAT: But there is online reporting here (and derivatively, here) of a lawsuit alleging such stuff about Flaherty's Orland Park, Illinois, adventure. That adventure was started and completed roughly on the same timeframe as the Ramsey adventure; with the Chicago Trib noting:

The suit seeks compensation of at least $50,000 for injuries and damages.

While the injury "certainly didn't help" her business, O'Malley's attorney, Michael Bolos, said the La Grange Road widening project also contributed to the shop's closing.

"It at least in part got zapped by the road construction," Bolos said. "Foot traffic dropped off a lot."

Flaherty & Collins could not immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit. The village of Orland Park, which financed the $63 million development in a public-private partnership, is also named in the suit but village spokesman Joe La Margo said the village would not be liable for any damages.

Ninety7Fifty on the Park was the first development project in the Main Street Triangle neighborhood village trustees have said they plan to turn into the heart of Orland Park's developing downtown area.

Since Amano Vivere Café closed, all 4,000 square feet of retail space in the apartment complex's first floor have stood empty.

Chris Kirles, vice president of development with Flaherty & Collins, said in July that residential occupancy rates and rents were above expectations and the commercial vacancies didn't reflect lack of interest.

"We could have gone out and leased the space pretty darn easily awhile ago, but we haven't been presented with the right user," Kirles said.

So be on notice. Be careful. It is next to city hall and attached to the city's parking ramp, so be careful for your own safety and for the city to avoid related liability.