Elgin allocates $20,000 to fund transportation study

Revitalizing Elgin's downtown is taking some time, but you can't accuse city leaders of thinking small.

The Elgin City Council gave tentative approval Wednesday night to spend $20,000 on a study to redevelop the area around the National Street Metra station, which is just south of the downtown core.

The Regional Transportation Authority will pay the remaining $80,000 for the study, which will be headed up by Land Vision, Inc.

By this time next year, the St. Charles-based firm and four other consultants hope to have laid out a plan to redevelop the 10-plus acres around the train station, preferably with more links to Pace buses and a mix of commercial, retail and residential uses.

"This is an extension our planning and efforts to revitalize and to change the whole nature of our downtown," said Mayor Ed Schock. "I don't think we're biting off more we can chew. All of these plans, as ambitious as they are, we know they're going to take time. No one said it would be easy or happen overnight."

Schock also said any redevelopment that links people with public transportation and encourages people to walk or bike to destinations instead of using their cars dovetails with the city's goal of sustainability.

Officials from Land Vision plan to hold a kickoff meeting in about a month or so to input from residents. They also will work with other committees within the city.

"It's going to be an intense study," said David Waden, principal at Land Vision. "It's definitely a catalyst. When (development) does return, the city of Elgin staff is going to be bombarded with projects."

Nothing is set in stone, but officials will see whether a mixed-use building of three stories or more is feasible.

"There is a need to providing an opportunity for people who want to live near mass transit," said Sarosh Saher, a senior planner for the city.

The council is expected to give the final thumbs up to the study on April 8.

"If you don't have a plan you do things piecemeal and somewhere along the road you wish you did things differently," Schock said.