Kane County Reporter

The village board of Huntley plans their new improvements to areas of Main Street. At their March 23rd board meeting, village officials discussed plans for the future of the vacant lots located on the main street. The city recently acquired the areas of 11810 Main Street through a lease agreement. 

The properties sit between some other vacant lots and a new proposed business, and the council and city staff have been discussing what they could do to improve and develop the area.

"And again, this would be open to anybody and everybody," Village Manager David Johnson said. "The idea, again, is to create a walkway, a pocket park, if you want to call it that, between Main and Coral. You know, we've heard from the board loud and clear that, you know, the transformation of Coral is important. We think that this adds another element to that."

Village manager David Johnson, along with other village and downtown leadership, has been working with vendors and business owners on some ideas, including murals and wall art on the sides of the building adjacent to the vacant lot. 

One of the buildings next to the lot is owned by the Lincolns, who are opening a new store. They have proposed putting up some historical photos or art of Huntley on the side of the building, and across the lot, something that could function as an Instagram or photo backdrop for residents and visitors. Along with this, the village staff has proposed creating a brick and turf courtyard to encourage visitation of those art pieces, putting in a brick pathway with some chairs and string lighting between the buildings for people to sit and enjoy. The village would install the patio and turf, with total cost estimates of around $27,000, and the Lincolns would maintain all furniture. 

The western vacant lot would be much simpler, with new benches, enhanced landscaping and historic signage. They hope to have the benches dedicated to people or causes by some other residents. Board members were pleased with the enhancement to the downtown area, which is a project they are passionate about. They talked about potential painted murals on the buildings, however, that might be too much of a project currently going on, and the city has the ability to put vinyl pictures on the brick, which would be very similar to a mural but easy to swap out.