Bensenville Approves New Comprehensive Plan
After months of dialogue with Stakeholders, the Village of Bensenville Board of Trustees approved a new comprehensive plan to guide growth and development within the community. The previous comprehensive plan was approved in 1980 and was dated in terms of the planning area and changing regional transportation infrastructure. Typically a comprehensive plan is written to provide guidance for a community to work towards its vision over the next 10 to 20 years.
The Village capitalized on an opportunity offered by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), when it was awarded a Local Technical Assistance grant. CMAP and Village staff worked together on a collaborative planning process to refine the future land use vision in Bensenville. "I would like to thank CMAP for awarding Bensenville their Local Technical Assistance grant." said Village President Frank Soto "This plan creates the framework to guide the Village in redevelopment decision-making. It is also a valuable economic development tool that will communicate our vision for re-investment by the development community."
The Bensenville Comprehensive Plan process benefited significantly from recent planning grants, including the 2011 RTA Transit Improvement Plan and Station Area/Corridor Study and the 2013 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy funded by the FAA to ensure the Village leverages benefit from the expanding O'Hare International Airport. The Comprehensive Plan will help strategically implement the recommendations of these independent planning studies. Topic areas addressed in the comprehensive plan include land use, transportation, infrastructure, parks and open space, housing, retail/commercial development, and community image and identity.
The planning process included three phases, with public input being a key component of each phase. The first phase involved a thorough analysis of the existing conditions within the community using information gathered through one-on-one stakeholder interviews, steering committee meetings, focus group workshops, public meetings, review of previous studies, and available data. Phase two focused on creating a vision for the future of Bensenville by identifying goals and objectives based on findings from the Phase 1 analysis and a public visioning workshop. The final phase combined efforts from previous phases to create the comprehensive plan document containing policies, programs, and action steps to be undertaken in order to achieve the community's future vision for the Village of Bensenville.
"This planning process will position our community to be ready for new private sector investment. Our preparation and exceptional location will differentiate the Village of Bensenville as new redevelopment opportunities gain traction in an improving economy," stated President Soto.
The plan can viewed on the Village website at www.bensenville.il.us