Last April, the Village of Lisle's newsletter gave downtown a construction window. Crews would work on Main Street from early July through November 2026, starting on the west side, and Main would narrow to a single southbound lane between Ogden Avenue and Burlington Avenue. The Downtown Lisle Streetscape Project site now shows a later schedule. The Village plans to award the construction contract in late 2026 or early 2027, and work is expected to begin in spring 2027.
That delay matters for the downtown's newest businesses. Three places opened on or near Main Street this year, and the Village's posted schedule gives them their first fall and holiday season before any construction starts. The season runs from trick-or-treat hours through Lights of Lisle on Dec. 5.
What the rebuild will change, and when
Downtown Lisle's streetscape went in in 2008. Design work on its replacement started in early 2024. The project covers Main Street from Ogden Avenue to Burlington Avenue and School Street from Main Street to Spencer Avenue. The work includes:
- New sidewalks and curbs, with decorative brick pavers
- Fountain improvements and rebuilt planter boxes
- New benches, garbage cans and bicycle racks, plus accessibility upgrades in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act
- 25 new trees planted in soil cells, which the Village says will add variety to the downtown tree canopy
Both phases will reduce Main Street to one lane of southbound traffic between Ogden and Burlington. Angled parking on Main stays available for the whole project, and the Village says it will work to keep customer access open to every business in the area. For updates, the Village lists Assistant Public Works Director Michael Barbier as the project contact at 630.271.4172.
The rebuild is separate from Main Street's road surface. In her Fall 2026 newsletter message, Mayor Mary Jo Mullen wrote that the Village secured more than $1.1 million in Surface Transportation Program funding to resurface Main Street in two stretches: Burlington Avenue to IL-53, and Warrenville Road to Ogden Avenue. Those stretches lie outside the downtown streetscape block, so the street work planned along Main reaches beyond the downtown core.
Three new places that open onto the current streetscape
The same Fall 2026 newsletter names Mosaic Coffee & Co., Kaia Bowls and Sunnyside Social as recent downtown openings. The mayor encouraged residents who haven't stopped in yet to give them a try. Two of the three are on the Main Street block that will be rebuilt, and the third is on Burlington Avenue.
Sunnyside Social, 4700 Main St. Patch reported that the restaurant officially opened Aug. 12 and serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast includes omelets, skillets, ancient grain bowls, chilaquiles, blueberry cheesecake buttermilk pancakes and taffy apple crepes. Lunch is available all day, with a hot honey chicken sandwich, fish tacos, grilled cheese and smash burgers. The menu also has vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
Kaia Bowls, 4751 Main St., Unit 2B. The Lisle menu includes poke, açaí, banana, spirulina, green and coconut bowls, along with smoothies, juices and toast. Sunnyside Social covers breakfast and lunch, and Kaia Bowls covers the cold, quick end of the block.
Mosaic Coffee & Co., 1012 Burlington Ave. Mosaic describes itself as a coffee shop serving coffee, refreshers, sandwiches and salads. It has a communal gathering space and a dedicated prayer space, and it posts current hours on its website. It sits on Burlington, a few blocks from Village Hall at 925 Burlington Ave. That puts it close to most of the fall and holiday events listed below.
The corner at Main and Ogden is still a proposal
The other big change downtown is at the southeast corner of Main Street and Ogden Avenue, the former Family Square Plaza. In August 2025, the Village announced that developer Flaherty & Collins Properties had acquired the property. By April 30, 2026, the Daily Herald reported that demolition of the long-empty strip mall was nearly finished. The Daily Herald described the concept as about 224 apartments over roughly 13,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The developer had not yet filed a formal planning and zoning application.
In August, Patch reported that the Village's Economic Development Commission was scheduled to discuss draft redevelopment plans and incentive proposals. The developer's first request for $14 million in incentives was expected to be cut substantially. Patch also listed a joint review board vote for Aug. 17 and a public hearing for Sept. 21.
The funding tool behind those talks has a new end date. Lisle set up its Downtown Tax Increment Financing district in 2015, and it was originally due to expire in 2038. The Fall 2026 newsletter says the Village is extending it through 2050, which gives the Village more time and money to support improvements downtown. The newsletter does not give a construction schedule for the Family Square corner.
The calendar from now through Lights of Lisle
Most of the dates below center on Village Hall, the Burlington Avenue end of downtown, or the Morton Arboretum.
- Friday, Oct. 23. The Lisle Park District holds Kids Night Out for ages 3 to 9, 5 to 8 p.m. The next one is Friday, Nov. 13.
- Week of Oct. 26. The Village's loose-leaf collection starts and runs through the week of Nov. 30, with the final pass expected to begin Nov. 30.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. Trick-or-treating hours are 3 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. Pumpkin composting drop-off runs 9 a.m. to noon in the Village Hall parking lot, 925 Burlington Ave. Only bare pumpkins are accepted. The same day, the Park District holds the River Bend Turkey Shoot Golf Tournament.
- Sunday, Nov. 8. The Park District holds its Veterans Day Observance Ceremony.
- Friday, Nov. 13. The Morton Arboretum opens its new Pine Whistle Railroad experience, with add-on tickets at $7 for members and $9 for nonmembers. Children 3 and younger ride free. That evening, the 21-and-over IllumiBrew preview runs 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $85 for members and $95 for nonmembers, or $45 and $50 for designated drivers.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. Illumination opens and runs through Jan. 2, 2027. This year it adds four new installations, including a canopy inspired by the northern lights that stretches more than 400 feet. Adult tickets start at $17.60 for members and $22 for nonmembers. Prices vary by date and time.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17. Illumination Sensory Night offers static lights, quieter music and limited capacity.
- November through January. Village Hall has a collection bin in its vestibule for old or broken holiday lights, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It takes mini lights, C7 and C9 bulbs, rope lights, LED strands and extension cords. It does not take garlands, wreaths or lighted outdoor figures.
Dec. 5 on the current Main Street
Lights of Lisle returns Saturday, Dec. 5. Here is the schedule from the Village's Fall 2026 newsletter:
Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
2:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Seasonal food, drinks, music, ice carving | Lights of Lisle tent, commuter lot next to Village Hall |
4:30 p.m. | Santa parade and tree lighting, countdown led by Mayor Mary Jo Mullen | Parade ends at Village Hall |
After dark | Thousands of luminaria along the streets | Downtown Lisle |
4 to 7:30 p.m. | Once Upon a Christmas, with Santa and free old-fashioned activities | Museums at Lisle Station Park |
The Lisle Heritage Society and the Lisle Park District host Once Upon a Christmas together. If the Village sticks to its posted schedule, this year's luminaria walk will take place on the 2008 sidewalks and planters, with crews due to arrive in spring. Sunnyside Social closes at 2 p.m., so the parade-day plan works best as a late breakfast on Main Street before the tent opens at 2:30.
Our team at DPG Real Estate Agency works out of downtown Lisle, so the streetscape schedule and the Family Square plans are news from our own block. If you'd like to talk about what downtown changes could mean for a home you own or want to buy nearby, we're happy to talk it through with you. Work With Us.
