Need Seen for University in Southwest Suburbs

TINLEY PARK, IL-The southwest suburbs are almost a market onto themselves, and it doesn’t hurt to be near what many consider to be the “crossroads of America.” Still, the submarket tends to get less attention than other suburban areas.

At least one local official thinks the submarket is missing one crucial piece to the puzzle, which would spur further development in an area that still has available land for growth. “The single problem for Tinley Park…is not having a labor force for business,” says Patrick E. Rea, executive director of the Illinois Development Finance Authority and a village trustee. While the population is there to support businesses, Rea thinks higher education is the area’s missing ingredient, and made a pitch for that at the village’s Industrial Commercial Commission’s annual business breakfast.

“Will County should continue to grow. Tinley Park should continue to grow unabated. The housing stock here is among the best in the Midwest. We have some of the most modestly priced housing in the Midwest,” says Rea, adding the available choices for house hunters hit all income levels. “Our weakness is we don’t have a research university to support 21st-century type businesses.”