Study of downtown Mt. Prospect moves forward
An ambitious plan to assess future development opportunities in downtown Mount Prospect continues to move toward completion.
On Wednesday, the village hosted the third and final public discussion about the downtown area. The comments and suggestions provided by residents will be inserted into a draft final report from the village’s consultant, the Lakota Group of Chicago.
That report, which village officials hope to receive in September, will include recommendations about how the village should move forward with new development in the downtown area.
“The amount of public input we received was fairly good overall,” said Nellie Beckner, a long-range planner with the village of Mount Prospect. “What was particularly nice to see was the variety of people who took part — young people, older residents, moms, dads. It was a great mix.”
The village and Lakota are working together on what is known as a Downtown Implementation Plan, a guide to future development of the area. The effort is being funded in part by a grant from the Regional Transportation Authority, and transit in all its forms is a big component of the study.
A number of specific redevelopment opportunities have been discussed as part of the planning process, including the nearly vacant shopping center at Central Road and Route 83 and the Chase Bank site at Busse Avenue and Emerson Street.
The village and Lakota have also identified development possibilities south of the railroad tracks that cut through the downtown. These include streetscape enhancements in the existing Prospect Avenue business district and new residences along Prospect Avenue near Lions Park.
Information about the plan is available at thelakotagroup.com/mountprospect.