Survey asks Mt. Prospect residents about housing, development issues

Concerned about the amount of affordable housing in Mount Prospect? Think the village needs more bike trails, more transit options or more training programs for small-business owners?

Mount Prospect leaders want to hear about it.

The village is conducting a public survey that asks residents for input on issues like housing, roads and economic development.

In the immediate term, the information will help determine how federal grant money is spent in future years. More broadly, it will give village leaders a better idea of what the community expects from them, officials said.

"It will help us understand what residents' priorities are," Janet Saewert, Mount Prospect neighborhood planner, said Wednesday. "If something jumps out at us when we analyze the responses, we'll forward it to the appropriate department, whether its public works or the fire department or whatever."

Residents have until Aug. 1 to respond to the short survey, which can be found at the village's website, mountprospect.org. A few hard copies will be available at village hall and other civic buildings.

The survey results will be incorporated into the village's Consolidated Plan, a 5-year planning document the village prepares in order to access federal Community Development Block Grant funds. CDBG funds, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, can be directed toward a variety of projects as long as they benefit lower- and moderate-income residents.

Saewert said that roughly 100 survey responses had been filed by Wednesday. She hopes the number rises steadily during the coming week.

"We're off to a better start this time because of our social media push," she said. "I hope many more residents decide to respond. People's opinions do matter."