Lake Zurich receives best marks yet for livability, economy and direction in community survey
The village of Lake Zurich received high marks from residents participating in the biannual community survey, with 97% of respondents rating their town as a good or excellent place to live, the highest result yet.
It is the fifth survey the village has conducted with the National Research Center at Polco in Boulder, Colorado.
In 2015, 94% of surveyed Lake Zurich residents rated the village as an excellent or good place to live; in 2017, the result was 95%; in 2019, it was 93%; and in 2021, it was 96%.
Another area where the village marks have increased over time is in resident's opinion of the local economy.
In 2017, just 61% of residents said they felt Lake Zurich's overall economic health was good or excellent, but the result has steadily risen since. In 2019, it was 64%; in 2021, it was 74%; and this year's result was 83%.
Another area of steady growth is in the direction residents feel the village is taking.
In 2017, just 49% of respondents had a positive opinion of that topic. But the number has grown steadily and was 68% this year.
"Our many successes are being positively recognized," Mayor Tom Poynton said. "But we also know that we have more work to do."
Just 33% of respondents said the vibrancy of Lake Zurich's downtown and commercial area was good or excellent. But that number has risen steadily over the years. In 2017, just 10% of respondents logged favorable opinions of the vibrancy of the downtown and commercial area.
Leaders have long tried to foster growth in the village's downtown. Last month, a proposal to build a two-story restaurant and commercial development on one of the remaining parcels of village-owned land at 173 W. Main St., referred to as "Block A," was unveiled to the public.
In July, the village sent surveys to 3,000 random addresses and received 630 completed surveys, a 21% response rate. That's 147 fewer completed surveys than in 2021, when there was a 26% response rate, but still was a high enough response that the results had a statistically valid 95% confidence interval, officials said.
"The NCS provides a social-scientific measure that is the most accurate data on hearts and minds compared to any other means available to the village," said Kyle Kordell, the village's management services director.
When asked to rate the quality of services provided by the village, 85% said it was good or excellent. Just 31% of respondents said the same about the quality of services from the federal government.