West Dundee board to vote tonight on downtown facelift
Downtown West Dundee is set for a makeover, with a proposed redevelopment plan calling for more public spaces, improved accessibility, spruced-up storefronts, and new retail/residential developments.
The village board tonight is expected to adopt the plan. It includes new features - such as a promenade, a riverwalk park and plaza, and a bike and pedestrian bridge over the Fox River connecting to East Dundee - and an expanded downtown footprint.
"It's important for municipalities to establish a vision," Village President Christopher Nelson said.
Nelson said officials looked at downtowns in Geneva, Highland Park, Naperville and St. Charles for inspiration. West Dundee's redevelopment plan already has piqued the interest of private investors, he added.
It took the village nearly a year to develop the plan with input from residents and business owners. The goal is to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly and improve the shopping experience.
A key recommendation is opening up the riverfront to the public with a plaza and park at First and Main streets, "accentuating that as a focal point for the entire West Dundee community," Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said.
"The other important aspect of this is establishing, continuing and strengthening that partnership with our river neighbor - East Dundee," he said. "The outside world doesn't view this as two separate downtowns."
West Dundee's recommended downtown expansion would require new zoning allowing for mixed-use developments on properties along the south side of Oregon Avenue. That would mean existing homes would be converted into professional offices/retail at the ground level with apartments above, Cavallaro said.
"We need to create more market-supported destinations," Cavallaro said. "Customers are becoming much more adept at the shopping experience. Businesses need to adapt to that ... parking, walking, accessibility, socializing, being able to incorporate all of those factors into what makes a successful downtown business."
The plan calls for demolishing the former Ace Hardware building at First Street and Oregon and converting it into a temporary parking lot until the site can be redeveloped into a retail/residential building, Cavallaro said.
Officials would like to see service businesses, such as bed-and-breakfasts, coffee houses and professional offices, and more dining and entertainment that would draw foot traffic downtown.
The plan also identifies problem areas, such as 20 percent of the buildings on Main Street being vacant and more than 50 percent of the buildings suffering from neglect or deferred maintenance.
The big question is how the village is going to pay for some of these improvements.
While much of it would be developer-driven, the village could be looking at millions of dollars in expenses during the next five years, starting with an estimated $790,000 in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Big-ticket items, such as the proposed riverwalk, streetscape and parking improvements, could collectively cost $8 million.
"If we are going to get a lot of this done, it's going to have to be through public-private partnerships," Nelson said. "It's possible there will be some debt associated with it."
Officials said they are not considering a special taxing district for downtown but might create special service areas to fund projects and use revenue generated from redevelopment for public improvements.
"The village is always willing to be an active partner in any redevelopment project, whether it's downtown or elsewhere in the community," said Cavallaro, adding that millions already have been invested in and around the downtown area for streetscape improvements, the riverwalk and burying overhead utility lines.
Cavallaro said among the priorities are improving communication with businesses and property owners and developing a marketing plan for downtown. The village also is looking to hire a community development director to oversee much of the implementation of the downtown plan. The salary range for that job is between $85,000 and $105,000, and officials are interviewing three finalists.
To view the Downtown Redevelopment Plan, visit wdundee.org. Residents can share ideas and give feedback on the project website, wdundeedowntown.com.