When developers and village officials recently discussed building a new grocery store and car dealership in southern Glenview, Louise Curry was thinking about a different part of town.

“When I lived here, downtown Glenview was a vital, active community, and it has ceased to be that way,” the 43-year Glenview resident said.

Like other residents who addressed the Plan Commission at a recent meeting, Curry was concerned that building a new retail center on the former Avon cosmetics property at Golf and Waukegan roads would hurt what they see as an already struggling central business district.

Oak Brook-based Regency Centers has proposed redeveloping the vacant Avon site with a Mariano’s grocery store and a new McGrath Audi dealership.

But hearing about a potential new supermarket more than a mile from downtown Glenview, which lost its Dominick’s to The Glen Town Center several years ago, frustrated Glenview native Kristin Pilant.

Pilant said Mariano’s sounds like it would be a good anchor for the central business district, but building it on the outskirts of Glenview sends a message that downtown takes a backseat to economic development in other corridors.

“It says we’re looking for near-term tax revenues at any cost and are unconcerned about the more significant, long-term declines of property values of both residential and retail properties and the further declines of downtown retail sales and leases,” she said

Pilant added that she has heard about a plan for downtown by the village, but she still sees a “virtual ghost town.” The village needs to put forth a clearer downtown plan, she said.

Pilant said about 150 Glenview residents and retailers signed a petition supporting her sentiment.

Glenview resident Tim Miller, who also told the Plan Commission he is a broker working with Regency Centers on the Avon redevelopment, wasn’t one of those signatories.

Addressing the commission, Miller took issue with the stance taken by people like Pilant and Curry.

“It’s easy to point fingers at the (village) and say, ‘Let’s revitalize our downtown, let’s fix our vacancies,’” he said. “You know, aside from the Dominick’s relocating … these retailers are struggling from lack of support. It’s important as residents to take a look in the mirror and support these businesses.”

Miller said Glenview can only grow by supporting new businesses like Mariano’s and the retention of others like McGrath.

But Glenview resident Mary Georgopulos noted that not every local institution would benefit from the proposed development.

While the village would collect sales and property tax revenues, Glenview Public School District 34 would not receive any tax dollars, she said.

The proposed development is in Golf School District 67, according to a village impact study. Glenbrook High School District 225 also would not benefit form tax dollars, as the property is within the boundaries of Niles Township High School District 219.

Glenview resident Curry drew parallels with the development of The Glen Town Center on the site of the former Glenview Naval Air Station, which some residents and retailers have claimed drew business away from downtown.

Curry said that with Dominick’s now in The Glen and Mariano’s scouting property at Golf Road why any grocery store would consider moving to downtown and serve as a much-needed anchor for the business district.

“Glenview has lost both of its anchor stores in downtown,” she said. “We’ve lost a grocery store and we’ve lost a hardware store, and we’re losing all the small stores in between.”

Those who spoke about the Avon property in relation to downtown development represent a second group of people with concerns about Regency’s proposal.

Neighboring residents of the village of Golf and the Glenview subdivision of Golf Acres also have said they oppose the project due to the traffic they feel it will attract and other nuisances it could bring.