Trustees choose middle way for Huntley downtown

The wrecking balls won't be flying in downtown Huntley anytime soon.

Nor will planners and consultants be boxed in by concerns about preserving the downtown's historic character.

Instead, village trustees have elected to go a middle route: keeping the existing flavor of historic Huntley while redeveloping properties in and around the area.

The village board this month endorsed the so-called "hybrid" plan for revitalizing the village's downtown. The proposal combines a conservative plan that would seek to maintain the current look of the area and an aggressive plan that would tear down existing buildings to make way for new uses.

"The historical preservation plan doesn't really introduce enough change," Trustee Harry Leopold said. "The second plan that they provided required too much public money. They hybrid plan is a good compromise."

The village has hired Naperville-based Houseal Lavigne Associates to help develop a plan to inject new life into the downtown, which has seen its importance decline over the past decade with the proliferation of large-scale commercial centers along Route 47.

So far, Houseal Lavigne has completed an inventory of the existing downtown and conducted focus groups with residents. Now, using feedback from residents, business owners and village officials, the consultant will develop a vision for the downtown that addresses traffic issues, pedestrian access and financing.

The village board already submitted some of its ideas and concerns to Houseal Lavigne. Trustees have proposed maintaining the current size of the village square while promoting specialty shops downtown and fostering new development on the west side of Route 47.

Trustee Paul Mercer has proposed a walkway that would run along the west side of Route 47, allowing easy access to new businesses.

"You can't cram everyone into what we call the downtown now. There just isn't enough room," Mercer said. "There won't be anything on the west side of 47 once they get this road going (widened), so we've got a blank piece of paper there."