Oak Forest, IL

Revitalizing from Within

How This Dynamic City Is Redefining Its Downtown and Economic Future

Nestled in the south suburban region of Cook County, the City of Oak Forest is blending small-town community culture with bold economic redevelopment. Surrounded by forest preserves and connected by key transportation corridors, Oak Forest has long been a desirable bedroom community. Today, that foundation of livability is becoming a platform for growth as the city reimagines existing properties, upgrades core infrastructure, and concentrates development around its transit assets.

“We’re fully built out,” says Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development Paul Ruane. “Everything we do now involves reimagining what we already have—redeveloping properties, modernizing infrastructure, and creating new opportunities for residents and businesses.” That approach is shaping a new identity for Oak Forest as a transportation-anchored destination where mixed-use projects, infrastructure renewal, and a strong sense of community are working in concert.

A Vibrant Downtown

The focal point of the city’s vision lies at Cicero Avenue and 159th Street, where the Metra station anchors an emerging downtown district. Transit is the catalyst. By concentrating investment around the station area, Oak Forest has set the stage for a more walkable, lived-in center. The flagship mixed-use development at the core features 75 residential units and 15 rowhomes paired with active commercial frontage along Cicero.

It transformed an underutilized block into a model of urban living that can support dining, services, and daily retail within steps of the train. Mayor Jim Hortsman is clear about the goal: densify the core, bring people close to amenities, and build a place where you can live, work, and walk to the station—rather than a downtown dominated by single-family lots.

To make that possible, the city took a hands-on posture. It acquired blighted or unsafe properties, cleared long-standing liabilities, and worked directly with developers to return sites to the tax rolls in a stronger form. That strategy has already produced a second wave of momentum at Waverly Creek, a redevelopment just across from the station on the former Ace Hardware site.

The project includes roughly 5,000 square feet of commercial space—two-thirds already committed to a Midwest Express Minute Clinic—and a ready-to-market drive-thru bay suited to food, beverage, or service users. Contemporary townhomes round out the residential component. The developer, EM8 Properties, is now preparing a third, larger investment in Oak Forest, an indication that the city’s “open for business” posture is resonating with the private sector.

The city has built a pragmatic incentive toolkit to help projects pencil in a high-cost environment, especially given the tax differentials that exist between Cook County and neighboring jurisdictions. For existing businesses, a new business improvement grant—funded directly from the general fund—helps owners refresh storefronts, address accessibility needs, and expanding the operations of their current businesses.

For larger redevelopments, Oak Forest leans on Cook County’s widely used Class 8 property tax incentive, while also deploying the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association’s reactivation grant in cases where city- or nonprofit-owned parcels return to the tax rolls; Oak Forest inaugurated the program locally when relocating a Dunkin’ near 159th and Cicero.

The city complements those tools with redevelopment agreements tailored to the pro forma—combining Tax Increment Financing with fee and permit relief when needed—to close gaps and keep investment within city limits. “We don’t wait for investors to find us,” Ruane says. “We build the framework that makes investment make sense.”

Infrastructure to Support Growth

Beneath the visible change, Oak Forest is investing heavily in what residents rarely see: core infrastructure. Much of the city’s water and sewer network dates to the 1960s and ’70s. Each year, Oak Forest pairs street resurfacing with underground utility replacements to modernize mains and lines rather than simply repave over aging systems. “It’s not cheap,” Mayor Hortsman acknowledges, “but it’s essential. You can’t attract new development without a reliable foundation.”

A Business Forward Approach

On the commercial side, the city coordinates closely with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to ensure modern sanitary connections and capacity. Sidewalk programs and trail linkages are also a priority, with new segments tying neighborhoods to the station area and to commercial corridors. Infrastructure, in Oak Forest’s view, is as much about connectivity and safety as it is about pipes and pavement.

Several major projects underscore how this approach scales. A 650,000-square-foot industrial development required intricate infrastructure coordination and new water and sewer service extensions negotiated across property lines; with those hurdles cleared, the project now anchors a stronger industrial base.

On the north side, a modern senior care facility has broken ground, with grading completed and vertical construction underway; a formal groundbreaking was held in late September —an investment that expands care options for residents while adding jobs. Meanwhile, the final “Gateway” pads at the northwest corner of 159th and Cicero are development-ready for commercial or mixed-use concepts, and the city is evaluating the conversion of a former mobile home park into a mixed-use neighborhood that pairs housing with supporting services. Each effort advances a simple goal: revive underutilized land in a way that adds value for the whole community.

Collaboration is central to Oak Forest’s progress. The city credits State Representative Bob Rita, State Representative Will Davis, and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller with helping secure grants and align county-led efforts, including the duplication of the regional water transmission line to ensure continuity of service. The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association remains an essential regional partner, while the city continues to reduce red tape in its own code and processes to demonstrate to developers that timelines and approvals can be managed responsibly. “We’re consistently tightening our internal playbook,” Ruane says.

“Developers know we’ll work with them, not against them.”

Looking Down the City Path

Looking ahead over the next 18 months, Oak Forest will keep pushing its downtown redevelopment around the Metra station, expand commercial investment along Cicero and 159th, and elevate community programming to make the district a true gathering place through concerts, markets, and seasonal events.

The city is also staying close to two broader catalysts with long lead times but significant potential impact: Cook County’s redevelopment of the Oak Forest Hospital site at the city’s edge and the state’s long-discussed third airport in the south suburbs. Either, if advanced, would require the city to respond quickly with infrastructure and land-use planning—and Oak Forest intends to be ready.

“We’ve got the location, the access, and the community spirit,” Mayor Hortsman says. “We’re not just redeveloping properties—we’re rebuilding opportunities.”

With a grounded incentive strategy, visible infrastructure renewal, and a downtown vision tied to transit, Oak Forest is proving how a fully built-out city can grow from within—and do it in a way that feels unmistakably like Oak Forest.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Oak Forest, IL

What: A growing and resident-focused city with a masterplan for commercial and housing expansion

Where: Cook County, Illinois

Website: www.oak-forest.org