Kane County Reporter

The Village of Huntley recently held a joint meeting with the planning commission to discuss a roadmap for the future as they work on updating its comprehensive plan that encompasses the long-term vision for the community.

“A comprehensive plan, what it is, it's a foundation for decision making,” John Houseal, president of Houseal Lavinge, said at the March 13 meeting. “I think that's the best way to describe it. It's not zoning, it's not regulatory, it does not dictate what you can and cannot do with your property. It articulates a vision for the community, what type of development you would like where, the character of that development, it can be the foundation for zoning changes in zoning amendments.” 

The leaders want to finalize the updates by the middle of 2024. The first step involves city officials and staff making a list of ideas. They will then meet with residents, businesses, business owners, and all other stakeholders to get their opinions. The city welcomed a consultant team from Houseal Lavinge, a group that has worked with the village on several projects in the past, including the downtown design and former strategic plans.

Comprehensive plans serve in land-use development, transportation, and community facilities, along with other aspects like economic development, zoning, and building. After soliciting suggestions from community members over the next several months as they make a draft of the plan, planners will present their plan and take suggestions before voting on the final version. While there are no community meetings scheduled right now, a community questionnaire is available to residents and businesses to give their input. There is also a map function that allows people to make comments about various areas of the city. 

The March 13 session was a workshop brainstorming session where they debated questions like identifying five issues facing Huntley right now. City officials brought up topics like the need for walkability, lack of affordable housing, inadequate services on the north side, managing growth and development, attracting new restaurants and retail, maintaining small town charm, and traffic concerns. They also ranked these concerns after sharing with the group, highlighting attracting retail and restaurants, affordable housing, and other housing issues. They also talked about projects they want to see happen, like getting more grant money for the community, improving the downtown section, and improving utility accessibility mainly to internet.

It’s important to update the plan regularly as it has a key purpose.

“It ought to be used by the Planning Commission and the Village Board when you review development proposals for consistency and alignment with your long-term vision, it's a blueprint for the next couple of decades,” Houseal said.