Arlington Heights starts to chart next 5, 10 years

What should Arlington Heights look like five or 10 years from now?

That was the question the Arlington Heights village board spent more than three hours discussing Tuesday, along with long- and short-term goals for how to reach that vision.

“This is a very important part of our process of serving the village,” said Village President Tom Hayes.

The group spent time discussing how well the board itself operates, its long-term vision for the community and what trends or issues might arise in the next few years. Then the board prioritized what needs to be addressed in 2017.

Fixing the village's infrastructure and flooding issues was a top priority. The village recently received results of several flood studies and later this year will begin discussing what fixes should be done and how to pay for them.

Bolstering economic development was also a major topic of discussion.

“I would like to see empty storefronts filled up as much as possible,” Trustee Robin LaBedz, adding that she wants the north, downtown and south parts of town to feel more cohesive.

Trustee Michael Sidor said, “I think we could be a really powerful entertainment and dining district, which would bring in millennials, who would then want to stay and raise their families in Arlington Heights.”

The board also discussed how to address increasing demands from residents with limited staffing and budget. Some trustees said they would like to see more resources and staff allocated to the planning department to help reach economic development goals, while others favored focusing on infrastructure and other needs first.

“I have a hard time with the idea of expanding parts of the village when we already have a hard time funding the basic services,”said Trustee Bert Rosenberg said.

When discussing how well the village board works together, members said they enjoy the tone of debate among elected officials.

“I appreciate that we can take different points of view and walk away still feeling like there is respect among the group,” LaBedz said.

Several trustees said they hope to get in touch with residents more through social media and better online communication, while Trustee Carol Blackwood suggested holding town-hall meetings to hear from the public.

Village Manager Randy Recklaus said the staff will put together a strategic priorities document for the board to discuss and approve, as well as review later to see how much of it was able to be accomplished.