Huntley approves study of sites for Metra station

Huntley on Thursday signed off on plans to study two sites in the village that could one day be the location of a new Metra station.

The village will spend about $21,000 before being reimbursed for a study to determine which of the two sites would be most suitable for a Metra station.

The study, village officials hope, will pave the way for the extension of the Milwaukee District West Line to Huntley. The line now ends in Elgin.

"The end goal would be to find a spot" for a new station, Assistant Village Manager Dave Johnson said. The study will also look at appropriate ways to build on the two undeveloped properties.

Both of the sites -- where the Union Pacific Railroad tracks intersect Coyne Station and Kreutzer roads -- are slated for residential development.

The village has plans to extend Kreutzer northwest to Coyne Station.

The owner of one of the parcels, Par Development, will reimburse the village for the cost of the study, Huntley officials said.

"It's not going to cost us one cent," Mayor Chuck Sass said.

It could be at least 2015 before Huntley gets a Metra station, officials have said.

Under an agreement the village board approved Thursday, the Regional Transportation Authority will pay about $84,000, or 80 percent, of the cost of the site selection study.

The agreement also stipulates the RTA will provide its expertise to help Huntley choose the site.

The Lakota Group, a Chicago-based urban planning consultant, will conduct the study with the help of Civiltech Engineering, the village's traffic engineer.