The village of Skokie took a proactive step to increase downtown business vitality, by clearing a path for employees to get to restaurants and businesses, at a recent Village Board meeting. The Board on Nov. 4 unanimously approved a consent agenda item to demolish the former site of Annie’s Pancake House and two other businesses at 4900-4906 Oakton Street. It will then remove a barrier and extend the adjacent Lamon Avenue, creating a passageway from Oakton Street to the Illinois Science + Technology Park to connect the tech workers and visitors to downtown Skokie, according to the village’s Communications and Community Engagement Director Patrick Deignan. But there will also be space for a new development. Per an Oct. 30 memo from the village’s Assistant Finance Director Michael Aleksic to Village Manager John Lockerby regarding the future configuration, Aleksic said, “The property will be a prime redevelopment opportunity for a mixed-use development. After demolition, Village staff will market the property to potential developers for such a use.” According to village records, the village is paying the $92,000 cost to demolish the building using funding from the village’s Oakton-Niles Tax Increment Financing District. The demolition of the building will also include the demolition of a concrete barrier that cuts off Lamon Avenue from the north to Oakton Avenue on the south. Currently, the side street is referred to on Google Maps as Oakton Terrace, but can be changed to Lamon Avenue. At least three restaurants have opened in downtown Skokie in 2024. Guatemalan/American diner Don Julio Cafe opened its doors on Lincoln Avenue in May. Sweet Reserve Café and Bakery and Slyce of NY opened, with both businesses being recipients of the village’s Storefront Enhancement Program. Sweet Reserve Café received $37,000 and Slyce received $35,000, according to Deignan. A fourth restaurant, The Spot, an Asian hotpot restaurant on Lincoln Avenue, is expected to open in the coming month.