West Dundee downtown plan moves forward
West Dundee's downtown makeover is a go, at least on paper.
The village board earlier this week adopted a downtown redevelopment plan that took nearly a year to develop with input from residents and business owners. It includes recommendations for creating more public spaces, making downtown more pedestrian-friendly and improving accessibility, sprucing up storefronts, and attracting new retail and residential developments.
"We're more optimistic now than we have been in a long time," Village President Christopher Nelson said. "It's a good time for the downtown. The establishment of the vision will help us when we are looking for private investment in the downtown area, as well."
Nelson said residents likely will start seeing a visible change on downtown within a year.
"The projects that we are talking about with private developers involve some very significant parcels in the downtown area," he said, adding that upgrading existing buildings is key to redevelopment. "Improving the interior spaces and making consistent the exteriors will go a long way toward making the downtown more appealing to not only developers, but also the tenants."
Twenty percent of the buildings on Main Street are vacant and more than 50 percent of the buildings are suffering from neglect or deferred maintenance.
Giving aging buildings a facelift will help draw tenants seeking visibility along Route 72, which bisects downtown, Nelson said.
"Traffic exposure is really a major strength of the community," he said.
Among the plan's proposed improvements are building a promenade, a riverwalk park and plaza at First and Main streets, opening up the riverfront to the public; a bike and pedestrian bridge over the Fox River connecting to East Dundee; and expanding the downtown area.
The next step is getting a new community development director on board, likely by the end of May, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said.
In the next year, officials will begin prioritizing and implementing the recommendations, craft budget parameters, and earmark funds for projects, he added.
Some village trustees suggested further discussion on parts of the downtown plan, such as creating transitional zoning for new, mixed-use developments and getting downtown property owners to contribute toward projects benefiting businesses, like parking and marketing, Cavallaro said.
The proposed riverwalk, streetscape and parking improvements could collectively cost $8 million. Though many of the improvements would be developer-driven, the village could be investing millions of dollars during the next five years, starting with an estimated $790,000 in 2015-16.
To view the Downtown Redevelopment Plan, visit wdundee.org.