The Village of Tinley Park recently announced it is partnering with a developer that has acquired the final parcel of property needed to move forward with construction of Harmony Square, a new multi-use plaza that will be located at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and North Street in Downtown Tinley.
“This has been in play for many years, and this parcel was the one piece we were waiting for to bring this great project to fruition,” Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz said. “This is something that will benefit the entire Tinley Park community for decades to come, and I can’t wait for Harmony Square to be done so everyone can start enjoying it.”
Harmony Square, which was designed by the Lakota Group and will be constructed on 1.6 acres, will include an adaptive plaza space that will have events scheduled all year long, from summer to fall to winter to spring. Features will include an artificial turf lawn, a concert stage on one end and a focal “gateway” plaza on the other, seasonal fire pits, a splash pad for summer that converts into an ice rink during the winter, and a support building for skate rentals and a warming hut, as well as other amenities.
“Harmony Square is part of a bigger plan to redevelop Downtown Tinley, which is already underway with the opening of the Boulevard at Central Station and the many new businesses along Oak Park Avenue,” Glotz said. “Once complete, it will be the living room of Tinley Park, a central hub where people will come to hang out and relax.”
Harmony Square is part of the Village’s “Life Amplified” branding effort, started in 2017, that puts music at the focus. The new plaza was designed using placemaking, a community-driven, collaborative, destination-focused process that pays attention to the interactions between the physical, social, ecological, economic and cultural qualities of a space.
“Harmony Square will also support the surrounding businesses and, in turn, the entire Tinley Park economy,” Village Manager Pat Carr said. “It will reduce the leakage of locally earned money being spent in neighboring communities, increasing the investment and tax base in Tinley Park and dramatically increasing visitor spending locally.”
Jim Fuentes, a longtime member of the Tinley Park business community who has seen the Harmony Square plans from vision to fruition as a member of the Marketing Commission, said he’s excited for what it will bring to the Tinley Park community.
“As a Downtown Tinley business owner, I couldn’t be more thrilled at the positive impact this new development will have not just along Oak Park Avenue, but Village-wide,” Fuentes said. “Harmony Square is a significant step forward, and it’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in years. I’d like to personally thank Mayor Glotz and Village Board for their leadership in making this happen.”
Construction of the plaza will include infrastructure improvements and the reconstruction and beautification of North and South streets with brick pavers and the construction of a new road, Festival Street, connecting North and 173rd streets.
“We have a great team that worked very hard to make this happen, from Village Board members to staff,” Glotz said. “I also want to thank Scott Freres and the Lakota Group for a great design, as well as Robinson Engineering and Christopher Burke Engineering for their assistance with installing the needed infrastructure to make this happen.”
The Village is still working on details with the developer and will have more information, including an official opening date, in the near future. View a video of the Harmony Square unveiling event held on Sunday, March 5 at www.TinleyPark.org/HarmonySquareUnveiling.
Plaza Renderings
For larger versions of the below pictures, please see the Harmony Square Renderings file.
Additional Details
Harmony Square, to be constructed at Oak Park Avenue and North Street, is a key component of the Village’s branding initiative that puts music at the core focus of Tinley Park’s "Life Amplified" music brand. With a robust, year-round programming schedule that includes music performances, outdoor exercise classes and ice skating, the new plaza will become the heartbeat of Downtown Tinley. Through Harmony Square and downtown redevelopment, the Village of Tinley Park aims to create a sense of place and a sense of community in Tinley Park and to meet the goals of reducing leakage of locally earned money being spent in neighboring communities, increasing the investment and tax base in Tinley Park and dramatically increasing visitor spending locally.
Harmony Square will include a performance stage and a splash pad/interactive water feature with overhead shade structures. An artificial turf lawn will provide plenty of room for informal play and space to picnic while watching musical performances. The turf area transforms into an ice rink in the winter months and will be large enough for free skate or hockey games. Skate rentals will be provided, along with a warming hut and fire pits that will be located near casual seating areas for those cold winter nights.
Construction of the plaza will include infrastructure improvements and the reconstruction and beautification of North and South streets with brick pavers and the construction of a new road, Festival Street, connecting North and 173rd streets.
Harmony Square was designed using placemaking, a community-driven, collaborative, destination-focused process that pays attention to the interactions between the physical, social, ecological, economic and cultural qualities of a space. Placemaking is not focused on constructing buildings, attracting great businesses or designing a plaza, but considers all those things. From redevelopment to streetscape improvements to events and programs this project focuses on placemaking in downtown Tinley Park. An important piece of this placemaking is Harmony Square. The placemaking process was interactive and featured multiple opportunities for the community to shape the final outcome of Harmony Square.
Harmony Square was designed by the Lakota Group, a planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm from Chicago, and engineered by Christopher Burke Associates and Robinson Engineering.