Huntley picks path for downtown
Like Goldilocks and her three bowls of porridge, Huntley trustees have decided on a downtown plan that's not too hot and not too cold but just right.
The board decided to pursue a "hybrid" plan that would redevelop and expand the downtown while still preserving some of its historic features.
I think trustees are on the right track. The aggressive option they considered would be costly and potentially destroy the things that make Huntley unique.
The conservative plan probably wouldn't do enough to draw people from Huntley and the surrounding area into the downtown.
It will be interesting to see how many of the trustees' suggestions make it into consultant Houseal Lavigne Associates' revitalization plan. Ultimately, the board will have control over what specific strategy the village pursues.
Trustees Harry Leopold and Paul Mercer shared a couple of interesting ideas with me recently. The first is to push for the downtown to become a regional destination with specialty shops.
This cannot be stressed enough. The downtown can't compete with the giants of Randall Road and Route 47 in terms of sheer retail dollars.
If Huntley leaders want to attract people to the downtown, they need to offer a unique experience - not necessarily anything different from other successful downtowns, but something a world apart from the sameness of the outlets.
People want to feel they are in a hometown, a unique one at that, with a variety of gift shops, restaurants, clothing stores and places to unwind.
My ideal downtown Huntley would have a midpriced Mexican restaurant, a classy Asian fusion joint, a used CD and record store, a bookshop, a low-key coffee shop, a microbrewery and perhaps a food store with dairy items and other products that highlight Huntley's farming heritage.
Someone else may have a different vision. But the point is to create an area that has unique businesses that generate buzz and a following among residents of Huntley and surrounding towns, a place where young people, families and retired folks can spend a relaxing afternoon.
The second idea that intrigued me was to expand the downtown to include future businesses on the west side of Route 47. I wouldn't want to cross Route 47 at too many spots right now, but trustees envision linking the two halves of the future downtown, presumably with some kind of crosswalk.
I'm curious how that would work with the planned widening of Route 47. To truly link the two areas, you'd have to slow traffic way down with lower posted speed limits, medians and landscaping - all of which would seem to be at odds with the expansion of the state road (if not forbidden by the Illinois Department of Transportation).
Trustee Mercer has proposed a walkway that would run along the front of the new Route 47 businesses, providing easy and safe pedestrian access.
Mercer's idea and the others need to be explored, but they will ultimately depend on the creativity of local entrepreneurs, the pace of the economic recovery and how much money the village is willing to commit to retain its vaunted country charm.