Geneva downtown plan gets first public airing
A proposed plan for development of downtown Geneva drew only a handful of questions and comments Wednesday night at a public forum.
About 60 people attended the meeting on the Downtown/Station Area Master Plan the city commissioned. Many had attended community-input workshops or, as civic leaders, had spoken to the firm hired to design the plan.
The document, more than a year in the making, cites goals, explains history, reviews marketing and demographic statistics, identifies seven areas as “opportunities” for redevelopment, and makes recommendations for building and land use and transportation.
But several businesspeople attended to express concern about the plan’s effect on their South First Street (Route 31) businesses. The plan outlines areas where Geneva could increase parking, and their properties — south of the railroad underpass near the Metra station — have been identified as a spot for a parking structure.
“I would really like to see that west-side parking get off your plan,” said Madeline Roth, owner of Pariscope Design, 610 S. First. Three buildings house five businesses in what has been “successfully re-purposed” in to a kind of mini-home-design center, she said.
Lee Singer, owner of Duke and Lee’s automotive service shop at Batavia Avenue (Route 31) and Third Street, echoed his neighbors’ concerns. He wants to expand the business.
“I don’t know where I would go. I probably would have to move out of Geneva,” he said, because there aren’t many places in town, with that high visibility, which are designated for automotive service.
Community Development Director Dick Untch and consulting planner John Houseal stressed, however, that the plan is meant to address what could happen, should owners decide to sell their properties. Untch directed Houseal to “beef up” language to reflect the plan relies on willing sellers. “They are not recommended developments. They are not recommended site plans.”
Several people applauded the plan’s idea to restore diagonal parking on State Street several blocks west of Fourth. State (Route 38) is a state highway, and in the 1990s the state wanted to convert it to parallel parking throughout the downtown, for safety. People have trouble seeing traffic as they are backing out of the spaces, especially if parked next to a pickup truck or SUV. Going to parallel parking would cut spaces.
And resident Dave Shepherd suggested the plan should include another site, the private Geneva Golf Club on South Street. The small club is operated by its members. “It’s a wonderful course supported by a lot of people that won’t be here in 20 years,” he said, and he suspects it would be redeveloped into housing. The plan should include connecting South to Anderson Boulevard through it if that happens, he said.
The same presentation will be given at the city-sponsored Downtown Merchants committee meeting at 8 a.m. July 11 at City Hall, 22 S. First St. The plan, and how it was developed, can be viewed on the city’s website at geneva.il.us/CommunityDevelopment/PlanningDiv/news.htm. Comments are being taken online, by phone, by email and regular mail. The revised version will be presented to the city council at an unspecified date.
Plan: Revised version after public input will be presented to city council