Story posted Thursday, March 4, 2010
Comprehensive Plan Update On Horizon
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
This April, Palatine councilmen will receive a report outlining comments and suggestions pertaining to the village's Comprehensive Plan---which looks at issues facing the village over the next 10 to 20 years.
According to Ben Vyverberg, director of planning and zoning, since the council last April approved a bid not to exceed $82,000 to Camiros, Ltd. for services to update the Comprehensive Plan, approximately 400 people have chimed in on what they would like to see occur in the village over the next two decades.
Some of those people are citizens who voiced their opinions through public meetings and an online survey. Others are stakeholders from the library, school district 15 and 211, Harper College, and the chamber of commerce to name a few.
Last June, village staff and a consultant began working on updating the village's Comprehensive Plan. This involved updating general demographic data, revisiting themes and changes since the adoption of the 1990 plan and subsequent amendments, and interviewing stakeholders.
Since 1990, there have been significant changes to the village's population growth, annexations, downtown redevelopment, and Rand Road corridor redevelopment. According to Vyverberg, major areas of focus will be Rand Road, Dundee Road, Northwest Highway, and downtown.
"With the Comprehensive Plan for a community of our size, we want as much public outreach as possible," said Vyverberg. "When it's all said and done, the final draft will probably not be presented to councilmen until October the latest. The meat and bones of this plan will occur this spring and summer."
Between the outline councilmen will receive in April and the time the final draft is presented to them next fall, Vyverberg said there will be more public meetings and additional opportunities for public comments.
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