Huntley village board closer to downtown revamp

Downtown Huntley, prepare to be revitalized.

The Huntley village board on Thursday put the finishing touches on a Downtown Revitalization Plan, signaling the 18-month process of developing the plan is nearly through.

The document, developed by Naperville-based Houseal Lavigne Associates, is a guide for refashioning the downtown in ways that draw more people to Huntley and surrounding towns while retaining the area's historic character.

Thursday's discussion stressed that the plan is just that until an imaginative developer or entrepreneur comes along.

"Until we get a developer with an idea, our plan is just a plan," Huntley Trustee Pam Fender said. "It's a wish list."

But Village Manager Dave Johnson said even if the process is slow, the plan will serve as a blueprint for changes in the downtown.

"It gives the general guidelines - for what we'd like to see in our downtown development," Johnson said.

Among those guidelines:

• A focus on mixed-use development, with stores, restaurants or entertainment on the first floor, and apartments or office space above. New or newly designed buildings would have to be two to three stories high and incorporate high quality, appropriate architecture.

• Expansion of the village square, which would involve closing Church Street between First and Woodstock streets, relocating the American Legion and razing Old Village Hall.

• Creating a unique and attractive look to the downtown by installing new, wider sidewalks; wayfinding signs; landscaping; public art; decorative lighting; and trees.

• Maximizing use of streets by shifting to parallel parking (currently spaces are diagonal) and creating 20 new parking spaces, primarily north of the village square.

Village staff submitted grant applications this week to the Illinois Department of Transportation that could help fund bike paths, aesthetic improvements and a pedestrian bridge in and around the downtown.

The village board is expected to formally adopt the Downtown Revitalization Plan on Sept. 23. Between the state grants and two existing downtown vacancies, village staff could begin implementing the plan very soon.

"There are some opportunities there if someone comes forward with an idea," Johnson said.

Downtown: Plan is just a 'wish list' so far