EDC Minutes 2002 12-19-02 Downtown Plan Presentation i
UNITED CITY OF YORKVH LE Revised: 2/18/03
DOWNTOWN PLAN PRESENTATION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2002
7 P.M.
ATTENDANCE:
Mayor Art Prochaska; City Administrator Tony Graff, Aldermen Rose Spears, Larry Kot,
Rich Sticka, Joe Besco, Valerie Burd and Mike Anderson; Brent Ericson, Grainco FS;
Darren Baughman; Shari Bossie; John Church; Dan Waitt, Beacon News; Cary Colby; R.
J. Groner; Robert Dearhorn; Dan Nicholson; Dan Nicholson, Jr.; David Schmelzle;
William Davis; Jack Steinhoff, Kelly Kramer; Kathy Farren; Roger Dahlstrom and
Theresa Wittenhour, from Northern Illinois University.
PRESENTATION OF THE DOWNTOWN PLAN
Mayor Art Prochaska introduced Roger Dahlstrom from Northern Illinois University who
conducted the study. Prochaska said the study was conducted to provide the city with
suggestions for land use and to see how the downtown can develop.
Prochaska said about 1 '/2 years ago the city applied for a grand from the State of Illinois
for sidewalk improvements. He said the state wanted to know how the improvements fit
into the city's downtown plan. Since the city didn't have one, it didn't receive the grant.
Prochaska added that there is a lot of competition for grant money and one of the
components every town needs is a plan.
Roger Dahlstrom said he and his assistant, Theresa Wittenhour, spend a fair amount of
time in the city's downtown area on their feet. He said they have to get out and walk
around to get the feel for the city.
Morgan and Mill streets, the Fox River and Van Emmon Street, bind the downtown area.
There is an area south of Van Emmon that is referred to in the plan as the courthouse
block.
Dahlstrom said the city's ultimate goal is to make a downtown plan part of the city's
comprehensive plan. He said he tried to find things in the comprehensive plan to see
where the community wants the downtown to go. Also, he said they held a series of three
focus group sessions to get a community perspective.
They took what they heard from the sessions, looked at the comprehensive plan, walked
the downtown, and did some surveying of the town to create the plan.
Dahlstrom said they also used a copy of the history of Yorkville from 1836 to 1986 to
include in the plan. He said the downtown has always been a vital part of the community.
He said railway connections have always been an important part of downtown. He added
that railways tend to follow rivers, especially in the Midwest.
Page I of 8
Continuing with the history, Dahlstrom said three dams have been built in the Fox River
over the years. He added that the former electric light plant might lead itself to adaptive
use.
He said it was interesting to find that Route 47 was a big issue in the 1920s on whether it
should go through the center of town and it's an issue today regarding widening.
Imulementation . Stratesies
After going through the existing comprehensive plan and listening to the focus groups,
they came up with a set of objectives and policies to guide some of the decision making
about the downtown. They also added a section in the plan on how to make things come
about. Given the location and types of issues that exist, they categorized some of the
implementation strategies. They broke them up into geographic and functional strategies.
There are three treatments they're suggesting.
1. Conservation areas — areas that just require maintenance.
2. Revitalization areas — areas that are basically in good shape and should be built up
3. Redevelopment areas — areas that are physically depreciating or economically
obsolete.
4. Downtown core area — the area that includes the frontage along Ridge St., Route
47, and running south of Hydraulic. Those types of areas are called the core area
of a community.
5. View Shed areas — one of the unique attributes of the downtown area is the view.
After he and his colleagues gained a perspective many residents don't have because
they're used to the community. He said there are things that he saw that residents are
used to seeing and either do not appreciate or don't criticize enough.
Dahlstrom defined two conservation areas that need to be maintained — the courthouse
and another block area with a great view.
The revitalization areas, which require some sort of elevated levels of public and private
investments, cover the majority of the downtown area.
The redevelopment areas, where land use should be changed, include only a few areas
along the Fox River. Dahlstrom said they are designated so based on opportunity. They
could be used to a higher level in the community. He showed a picture of an old grain
elevator and a house. He then showed a picture of what the area would look like if the
elevator and house were removed.
Dahlstrom said there are some beautiful areas in the downtown with some beautiful
views. He suggested the community consider its view sheds when drafting the future of
the downtown.
Page 2 of 8
Dahlstrom said that the Fox River and Route 47 are fixed points so he considered those
functional concepts rather than geographic concepts.
He added that at the focus groups, residents seemed to be concerned about having
provisions for adaptive reuses of buildings and property such as converting residences to
office buildings. He said they citizens want to retain the architectural character of the
residences.
As for general design concepts, Dahlstrom said that just some basic general things could
be done to improve the downtown such as repaving parking lots and reorganizing
dumpsters.
Dahlstrom said that the Fox River is the first view people get of the downtown. He said it
is a great opportunity to impress people.
He added that as Route 47 continues to expand and use grows, there are increasingly
more vehicles traveling at high speeds very close to those walking on sidewalks to
businesses along the highway. When the line of parked cars goes away, so goes the
protective covering, he said.
In the plan, he came up with several ideas for improving the safety. One is to put up a
form of decorative railing on the sidewalk to use as a buffer. He Dahlstrom said it is
relatively inexpensive. A more aggressive and costly option, he said, is to enclose the
buildings along Route 47 up to the sidewalks. He said that option also would require a lot
of participation by private landowners.
Another option, he said is for business owners to invite people to come to the rear
entrances of the buildings along the highway. He said the city could broaden its fagade
program to encourage improvements to rear entryways. Dahlstrom said that if business
owners were to take advantage of that program and create inviting rear entryways, people
would not feel like they had to walk to the front of a business to enter. He then showed a
picture of the back entrances and another picture of what the area could look like if the
dumpsters were removed and awnings were erected.
Dahlstrom also said there are a number of different zoning classifications downtown and
that's okay. But he said the core area should be considered for a special zoning called
non - conforming to show that is the core area.
General Design Elements
Dahlstrom said that everything doesn't have to cost a lot or take a long time. Some of
them do, such as acquiring river frontage as it becomes available could take decades.
Other improvements can be done very easily, he said, such as removing dumpsters or
adding plantings to an area. He showed a picture of a parking area and what it looked like
after it had been resurfaced and plantings were added.
Page 3 of 8
He said changing the views of some of these things would encourage people to come
from other towns.
Agenda for Action
Dahlstrom said no plan should be adopted without some agenda for action that directs the
city on where to go form here. But he doesn't have answers as to how to city can
accomplish some of the suggestions made in the plan. Essentially, the suggestions fall
into five categories.
1. Capital improvements. Many of the suggestions require capital improvements
such as improving parking lots. They're types of things that require public or city
funding that can be done now or in the future.
2. Programmatic adjustments. They are things such as adding rear entry
improvements to the existing fagade program.
3. Regulatory amendments. They include things like zoning ordinance changes such
as to the town's core center.
4. Selected land acquisition. This includes suggestions such as buying river front '
property as it becomes available. Dahlstrom said it could take a lot of money and
decades to achieve.
5. Design Considerations. These are things like taking a look at would need to
happen such as moving dumpsters to a common spot. Some of it is just a matter of
rethinking ways of doing things.
Dahlstrom then concluded his presentation and asked for comments from those in
attendance.
One resident asked what would bring people to the downtown if the riverfront just
included open space, as suggested in the plan. He said there already are businesses there
to attract people.
Dahlstrom said he's not suggesting that existing businesses be torn down, He said that if
opportunities present themselves to bring back as much open space along the river as
possible, the city should take advantage of those opportunities. Whether it's reuses or
new construction, he said the community should take the view sheds into consideration
when making decisions about the river front.
Alderman Valerie Burd asked if removing power lines, as Dahlstrom presented in one of
his pictures for improvement, was expensive. Dahlstrom said it is very expensive.
However, he said if the city undertakes a capital improvement project in an area with
power lines, it could have in its plan to talk to the utility companies about burying the
lines.
Burd then questioned one of the photos Dahlstrom showed of a view of the river from the
bluffs. She said the property is private property and wondered what Dahlstrom was
suggesting. Dahlstrom said he was not suggesting anything be done with the property. He
wanted to show the community the views that are available from many residents' front
yards.
i
Page 4 of 8
I
Summing up his assessment of the presentation, Prochaska said that what he understands
the city should take advantage of the river as much as possible and work those uses into
redevelopment.
Dahlstrom said the city would have to evaluate each opportunity on its own merit. If
property becomes available, the city may want to have money saved to buy it.
Another resident asked about pedestrian crossings either over or under Route 47.
Dahlstrom said the plan talks about the concept of an underground crossing. He said the
crossing over the highway is hard to get approved by the Illinois Department of
Transportation. An under crossing would be costly but more conceivable. He said it's
worth at least looking at the possibility.
Prochaska said MOT is looking at working on a pedestrian crossing at Hydraulic Street.
Another resident said a developer has told him that each piece of property along the river
could probably sell for $1 million each. Dahlstrom said if they are worth $1 million each,
that means the property has a lot of potential. He said that the land is real valuable for the
individuals who own the land and for the community.
Burd asked if by creating rear entrances the businesses could convert it to a mall area.
Dahlstrom said they could. However, he said he's not sure how far the community wants
to take the improvements. If the city were to do something like that, Dahlstrom suggested
the city seek a TIF (tax increment financing) district to help fund it.
Burd then asked if he found any uniqueness to the sawmill along the river. Its one of the
few saw mills operating in northern Illinois, she said.
Dahlstrom said that to be honest, he believes the sawmill would be better located
elsewhere. Burd then asked if he thought the sawmill could be used as a tourist attraction
and Dahlstrom said it was doubtful.
Burd also asked what would be unique in the community to use as a tool to attract people.
Dahlstrom said marketing is not in his area of expertise.
In response to a question from someone in the audience who asked where the funds for
the study came from, Dahlstrom said he did not know. He said he is under contract with
the city and that the contract is for $22,100.
Another audience member asked Dahlstrom to further explain the revitalization area in
the plan. Dahlstrom said that the revitalization area covers most of the downtown. He
said the majority of the area is in reasonably good condition, but there are some areas
such as those along Hydraulic that will need improvements probably through private and
public funds.
Page 5 of 8
He said the city needs a rehabilitation program somewhat like the fagade program to
focus on the hard aspects of improvements such as the structure of buildings or plumbing.
Dahlstrom said these types of programs run in other communities usually work on a
rebate basis and tend to be very successful.
Phil Freeman, owner of Freeman Sports, commented that he took advantage of the fagade
program and has nothing but compliments on the results. Dahlstrom said that as an
outsider his perception was different than that of those who are here everyday.
Dan Nicholson who owns the sawmill asked what Dahlstrom has in mind regarding the
area of the sawmill and the adjacent area. He said he saw a photo in the report, which
showed a 2,000 square foot building on about $2 million worth of property. He asked
how do you get a capital end for someone who is willing to pay $1,000 bucks per square
foot.
On a different subject, he said Farm Service has been on the property for a long time. He
said the federal government has put the FS in a pickle. He said he was hoping to get some
direction from Dahlstrom.
Dahlstrom said that he has been told that there is some kind of problem according to the
Environmental Protection Agency. He said he's not sure what can be done. He has seen
in some communities where the area could be encapsulated possibly by putting a parking
lot over it.
He said the picture was made to show the possibilities of what someone else could do to
the site or to what Nicholson might decide to do there.
Nicholson said that the best advocates of the community are the people who live here and
who have made investments in the property. He asked how
Dahlstrom said his role was to bring the community a plan offering constructive
suggestions for improvements. How the suggestions are acted upon is up to the city and
the landowners, he said. The plan sets out policies that guide the decision making
process, he said. The community will ultimately decide what is going to happen
downtown, he added.
I
Prochaska said that Dahlstrom is suggesting the city update zoning so that the city can't
lose what is already there.
Also, Prochaska said there are other types of funding available for certain projects, such
as from the federal and state governments, but they want to see a plan. The start of this is
to look at some of the ideas and pick out the ones that can be done, such as sidewalks on
Route 47.
Dahlstrom said that whatever happens along the river, the city needs to be sensitive to it.
He said that if a major developer comes in with plans for a development along the
Page 6 of 8
riverfront; the plan gives the city some guidance such as not allowing any three -story
buildings near the river to block the view.
One resident asked if Dahlstrom was going to let the community know what happens
next. Prochaska aid that Dahlstrom and his staff have offered the city and business and
property owners a lot of suggestions. Property owners need to look at the plan to see what
they like and what they don't like.
It was then asked if the city would hold more meetings. Prochaska said that Economic
Development Committee would come up with some recommendations on what the plan
suggests.
Dahlstrom said when the city creates the agenda for action; the timelines will differ on
the suggested actions. Some of the projects could take decades to complete, he said.
Others can be done in a relatively short period of time.
Burd said some of the suggestions have already started to happen. The fagade committee
already allows improvements to rear facades in the fagade program.
City Administrator Tony Graff said there usually is a road map to follow about what
steps to take next. The next step generally is for the city to hire a professional land
planner to do a comprehensive downtown plan.
Prochaska said he sees things in the plan that the city can immediately start looking at
such as possible zoning and land use changes. As for the backs of buildings, he said that
is something the landowners would have to agree on. He said there's a fine line as to
what government can tell people what to do with their property.
One resident asked what the timeline is to approve the plan and implement some of the
suggestions, especially keeping in mind the state of finances of the State of Illinois and
the United States. He also wondered when the state would make road improvements such
as widening Route 47.
Prochaska said he doesn't know when the state will widen Route 47. As far as doing the
rear facades, he said that the city needs to try to get the plan together so that is could
possibly get money for projects such as parking lot resurfacing.
The resident then stated that for business people, it might be a great financial burden to
put out money for improvements. Prochaska said that if improvements were made to a
piece of property, it would increase the value of the property. He also said the city might
decide to add an incentive for improvements through rebates.
Graff said that in response to the question about what happens next. Generally speaking
is that the plan ultimately needs to be adopted by the City Council. The next step is to
take the plan to the Plan Commission. The Plan Commission will give some direction to
Page 7 of 8
the city council. The next public meeting where the plan will be discussed will probably
be at the February Plan Commission meeting.
One resident suggested that a representative from the state come to the next meeting.
Graff said that the state wants to put in a pedestrian crossing along Hydraulic and put in
planters. He said they're in phase 2 of the engineering, which should be completed in
May or June. He added the state wants to know what plans the city has for the downtown.
The city should know in about a year where the plans sit in the budget process.
Prochaska said the plan needs to be adopted so that when funds become available, the
city can be first on the list to be looked at. Adopting the plan, prepares the city so that it
won't be caught off guard if state funds become available.
Nicholson asked what this plan really means to the property owners, specifically the part
about open area view sheds.
Dahlstrom said the view shed isn't about empty fields. He said the plan is a policy
document, not a zoning ordinance.
Prochaska said that if someone buys property and wants to take advantage of the view,
there might be funding available to help the view be maintained.
Dahlstrom said copies of the slide presentation are available for people to look at. He
then thanked everyone for coming to hear the presentation.
The discussion ended at 8:30 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Dina Gripe
Revised by Jackie Milschewsla
Page 8 of 8
0
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
DOWNTOWN PLAN PRESENTATION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2002
7 P.M.
ATTENDANCE:
Mayor Art Prochaska; City Administrator Tony Graff, Aldermen Rose Spears, Larry Kot,
Rich Sticka, Joe Besco, Valerie Burd and Mike Anderson; Brent Ericson, Grainco FS;
Darren Baughman; Shari Bossie; John Church; Dan Waitt, Beacon News; Cary Colby; R.
J. Groner; Robert Dearhorn; Dan Nicholson; Dan Nicholson, Jr.; David Schmelzle;
William Davis; Jack Steinhoff, Kelly Kramer; Kathy Farren; Roger Dahlstrom and
Theresa Wittenhour, from Northern Illinois University.
PRESENTATION OF THE DOWNTOWN PLAN
Mayor Art Prochaska introduced Roger Dahlstrom from Northern Illinois University who
conducted the study. Prochaska said the study was conducted to provide the city with j
suggestions for land use and to see how the downtown can develop.
Prochaska said about 1 '/Z years ago the city applied for a grand from the State of Illinois
for sidewalk improvements. He said the state wanted to know how the improvements fit
into the city's downtown plan. Since the city didn't have one, it didn't receive the grant.
Prochaska added that there is a lot of competition for grant money and one of the
components every town needs is a plan.
Roger Dahlstrom said he and his assistant, Theresa Wittenhour, spend a fair amount of
time in the city's downtown area on their feet. He said they have to get out and walk
around to get the feel for the city.
Oregon and Mill streets, the Fox River and Von Emmen Street, bind the downtown area.
There is an area south of Von Emmen that is referred to in the plan as the courthouse
block.
Dahlstrom said the city's ultimate goal is to make a downtown plan part of the city's
comprehensive plan. He said he tried to find things in the comprehensive plan to see
where the community wants the downtown to go. Also, he said they held a series of three
focus group sessions to get a community perspective.
They took what they heard from the sessions, looked at the comprehensive plan, walked
the downtown, and did some surveying of the town to create the plan.
Dahlstrom said they also used a copy of the history of Yorkville from 1836 to 1986 to
include in the plan. He said the downtown has always been a vital part of the community.
He said railway connections have always been an important part of downtown. He added
that railways tend to follow rivers, especially in the Midwest.
I
Page 1 of 8
Continuing with the history, Dahlstrom said three dams have been built in the Fox River
over the years. He added that the former electric light plant might lead itself to adaptive
use.
He said it was interesting to find that Route 47 was a big issue in the 1920s on whether it
should go through the center of town and it's an issue today regarding widening.
Imulementation Strategies
After going through the existing comprehensive plan and listening to the focus groups,
they came up with a set of objectives and policies to guide some of the decision making
about the downtown. They also added a section in the plan on how to make things come
about. Given the location and types of issues that exist, they categorized some of the
implementation strategies. They broke them up into geographic and functional strategies.
There are three treatments they're suggesting.
1. Conservation areas — areas that just require maintenance.
2. Revitalization areas — areas that are basically in good shape and should be built up
3. Redevelopment areas — areas that are physically depreciating or economically
obsolete.
4. Downtown core area — the area that includes the frontage along Ridge St., Route
47, and running south of Hydraulic. Those types of areas are called the core area
of a community.
5. View Shed areas — one of the unique attributes of the downtown area is the view.
After he and his colleagues gained a perspective many residents don't have because
they're used to the community. He said there are things that he saw that residents are
used to seeing and either do not appreciate or don't criticize enough.
Dahlstrom defined two conservation areas that need to be maintained — the courthouse
and another block area with a great view.
The revitalization areas, which require some sort of elevated levels of public and private
investments, cover the majority of the downtown area.
The redevelopment areas, where land use should be changed, include only a few areas
along the Fox River. Dahlstrom said they are designated so based on opportunity. They
could be used to a higher level in the community. He showed a picture of an old grain
elevator and a house. He then showed a picture of what the area would look like if the
elevator and house were removed.
Dahlstrom said there are some beautiful areas in the downtown with some beautiful
views. He suggested the community consider its view sheds when drafting the future of
the downtown.
Page 2 of 8
Dahlstrom said that the Fox River and Route 47 are fixed points so he considered those
functional concepts rather than geographic concepts.
He added that at the focus groups, residents seemed to be concerned about having
provisions for adaptive reuses of buildings and property such as converting residences to
office buildings. He said they citizens want to retain the architectural character of the
residences.
As for general design concepts, Dahlstrom said that just some basic general things could
be done to improve the downtown such as repaving parking lots and reorganizing
dumpsters.
Dahlstrom said that the Fox River is the first view people get of the downtown. He said it
is a great opportunity to impress people.
He added that as Route 47 continues to expand and use grows, there are increasingly
more vehicles traveling at high speeds very close to those walking on sidewalks to
businesses along the highway. When the line of parked cars goes away, so goes the
protective covering, he said.
In the plan, he came up with several ideas for improving the safety. One is to put up a
form of decorative railing on the sidewalk to use as a buffer. He Dahlstrom said it is
relatively inexpensive. A more aggressive and costly option, he said, is to enclose the
buildings along Route 47 up to the sidewalks. He said that option also would require a lot
of participation by private landowners.
Another option, he said is for business owners to invite people to come to the rear
entrances of the buildings along the highway. He said the city could broaden its facade
program to encourage improvements to rear entryways. Dahlstrom said that if business
owners were to take advantage of that program and create inviting rear entryways, people
would not feel like they had to walk to the front of a business to enter. He then showed a
picture of the back entrances and another picture of what the area could look like if the
dumpsters were removed and awnings were erected.
Dahlstrom also said there are a number of different zoning classifications downtown and
that's okay. But he said the core area should be considered for a special zoning called
non - conforming to show that is the core area.
General Design Elements
Dahlstrom said that everything doesn't have to cost a lot or take a long time. Some of
them do, such as acquiring river frontage as it becomes available could take decades.
Other improvements can be done very easily, he said, such as removing dumpsters or
adding plantings to an area. He showed a picture of a parking area and what it looked like
after it had been resurfaced and plantings were added.
I
Page 3 of 8
He said changing the views of some of these things would encourage people to come
from other towns.
Agenda for Action
Dahlstrom said no plan should be adopted without some agenda for action that directs the
city on where to go form here. But he doesn't have answers as to how to city can
accomplish some of the suggestions made in the plan. Essentially, the suggestions fall
into five categories.
1. Capital improvements. Many of the suggestions require capital improvements
such as improving parking lots. They're types of things that require public or city
funding that can be done now or in the future.
2. Programmatic adjustments. They are things such as adding rear entry
improvements to the existing fagade program.
3. Regulatory amendments. They include things like zoning ordinance changes such
as to the town's core center.
4. Selected land acquisition. This includes suggestions such as buying river front
property as it becomes available. Dahlstrom said it could take a lot of money and
decades to achieve.
5. Design Considerations. These are things like taking a look at would need to
happen such as moving dumpsters to a common spot. Some of it is just a matter of
rethinking ways of doing things.
Dahlstrom then concluded his presentation and asked for comments from those in
attendance.
One resident asked what would bring people to the downtown if the riverfront just
included open space, as suggested in the plan. He said there already are businesses there
to attract people.
Dahlstrom said he's not suggesting that existing businesses be torn down. He said that if
opportunities present themselves to bring back as much open space along the river as
possible, the city should take advantage of those opportunities. Whether it's reuses or
new construction, he said the community should take the view sheds into consideration
when making decisions about the river front.
Alderman Valerie Burd asked if removing power lines, as Dahlstrom presented in one of
his pictures for improvement, was expensive. Dahlstrom said it is very expensive.
However, he said if the city undertakes a capital improvement project in an area with
power lines, it could have in its plan to talk to the utility companies about burying the
lines.
Burd then questioned one of the photos Dahlstrom showed of a view of the river from the
bluffs. She said the property is private property and wondered what Dahlstrom was
suggesting. Dahlstrom said he was not suggesting anything be done with the property. He
wanted to show the community the views that are available from many residents' front
yards.
Page 4 of 8
Summing up his assessment of the presentation, Prochaska said that what he understands
the city should take advantage of the river as much as possible and work those uses into
redevelopment.
Dahlstrom said the city would have to evaluate each opportunity on its own merit. If
property becomes available, the city may want to have money saved to buy it.
Another resident asked about pedestrian crossings either over or under Route 47.
Dahlstrom said the plan talks about the concept of an underground crossing. He said the
crossing over the highway is hard to get approved by the Illinois Department of
Transportation. An under crossing would be costly but more conceivable. He said it's
worth at least looking at the possibility.
Prochaska said MOT is looking at working on a pedestrian crossing at Hydraulic Street.
Another resident said a developer has told him that each piece of property along the river
could probably sell for $1 million each. Dahlstrom said if they are worth $1 million each,
that means the property has a lot of potential. He said that the land is real valuable for the
individuals who own the land and for the community.
Burd asked if by creating rear entrances the businesses could convert it to a mall area.
Dahlstrom said they could. However, he said he's not sure how far the community wants
to take the improvements. If the city were to do something like that, Dahlstrom suggested
the city seek a TIF (tax increment financing) district to help fund it.
Burd then asked if he found any uniqueness to the sawmill along the river. Its one of the
few saw mills operating in northern Illinois, she said.
Dahlstrom said that to be honest, he believes the sawmill would be better located
elsewhere. Burd then asked if he thought the sawmill could be used as a tourist attraction
and Dahlstrom said it was doubtful.
Burd also asked what would be unique in the community to use as a tool to attract people.
Dahlstrom said marketing is not in his area of expertise.
In response to a question from someone in the audience who asked where the funds for
the study came from, Dahlstrom said he did not know. He said he is under contract with
the city and that the contract is for $22,100.
Another audience member asked Dahlstrom to further explain the revitalization area in
the plan. Dahlstrom said that the revitalization area covers most of the downtown. He
said the majority of the area is in reasonably good condition, but there are some areas
such as those along Hydraulic that will need improvements probably through private and
public funds.
Page 5 of 8
He said the city needs a rehabilitation program somewhat like the fagade program to
focus on the hard aspects of improvements such as the structure of buildings or plumbing.
Dahlstrom said these types of programs run in other communities usually work on a
rebate basis and tend to be very successful.
Phil Freeman, owner of Freeman Sports, commented that he took advantage of the fagade
program and has nothing but compliments on the results. Dahlstrom said that as an
outsider his perception was different than that of those who are here everyday.
Dan Nicholson who owns the sawmill asked what Dahlstrom has in mind regarding the
area of the sawmill and the adjacent area. He said he saw a photo in the report, which
showed a 2,000 square foot building on about $2 million worth of property. He asked
how do you get a capital end for someone who is willing to pay $1,000 bucks per square
foot.
On a different subject, he said Farm Service has been on the property for a long time. He
said the federal government has put the FS in a pickle. He said he was hoping to get some
direction from Dahlstrom.
i
Dahlstrom said that he has been told that there is some kind of problem according to the
Environmental Protection Agency. He said he's not sure what can be done. He has seen
in some communities where the area could be encapsulated possibly by putting a parking
lot over it.
He said the picture was made to show the possibilities of what someone else could do to
the site or to what Nicholson might decide to do there.
Nicholson said that the best advocates of the community are the people who live here and
who have made investments in the property. He asked how
Dahlstrom said his role was to bring the community a plan offering constructive
suggestions for improvements. How the suggestions are acted upon is up to the city and
the landowners, he said. The plan sets out policies that guide the decision making
process, he said. The community will ultimately decide what is going to happen
downtown, he added.
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Prochaska said that Dahlstrom is suggesting the city update zoning so that the city can't
lose what is already there.
Also, Prochaska said there are other types of funding available for certain projects, such
as from the federal and state governments, but they want to see a plan. The start of this is
to look at some of the ideas and pick out the ones that can be done, such as sidewalks on
Route 47.
Dahlstrom said that whatever happens along the river, the city needs to be sensitive to it.
He said that if a major developer comes in with plans for a development along the
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riverfront; the plan gives the city some guidance such as not allowing any three -story
buildings near the river to block the view.
One resident asked if Dahlstrom was going to let the community know what happens
next. Prochaska aid that Dahlstrom and his staff have offered the city and business and
property owners a lot of suggestions. Property owners need to look at the plan to see what
they like and what they don't like.
It was then asked if the city would hold more meetings. Prochaska said that Economic
Development Committee would come up with some recommendations on what the plan
suggests.
Dahlstrom said when the city creates the agenda for action; the timelines will differ on
the suggested actions. Some of the projects could take decades to complete, he said.
Others can be done in a relatively short period of time.
Burd said some of the suggestions have already started to happen. The fagade committee
already allows improvements to rear facades in the fagade program.
City Administrator Tony Graff said there usually is a road map to follow about what
steps to take next. The next step generally is for the city to hire a professional land
planner to do a comprehensive downtown plan.
Prochaska said he sees things in the plan that the city can immediately start looking at
such as possible zoning and land use changes. As for the backs of buildings, he said that
is something the landowners would have to agree on. He said there's a fine line as to
what government can tell people what to do with their property.
One resident asked what the timeline is to approve the plan and implement some of the
suggestions, especially keeping in mind the state of finances of the State of Illinois and
the United States. He also wondered when the state would make road improvements such
as widening Route 47.
Prochaska said he doesn't know when the state will widen Route 47. As far as doing the
rear facades, he said that the city needs to try to get the plan together so that is could
possibly get money for projects such as parking lot resurfacing.
The resident then stated that for business people, it might be a great financial burden to
put out money for improvements. Prochaska said that if improvements were made to a
piece of property, it would increase the value of the property. He also said the city might
decide to add an incentive for improvements through rebates.
Graff said that in response to the question about what happens next. Generally speaking
is that the plan ultimately needs to be adopted by the City Council. The next step is to
take the plan to the Plan Commission. The Plan Commission will give some direction to
Page 7 of 8
the city council. The next public meeting where the plan will be discussed will probably
be at the February Plan Commission meeting.
One resident suggested that a representative from the state come to the next meeting.
Graff said that the state wants to put in a pedestrian crossing along Hydraulic and put in
planters. He said they're in phase 2 of the engineering, which should be completed in
May or June. He added the state wants to know what plans the city has for the downtown.
The city should know in about a year where the plans sit in the budget process.
Prochaska said the plan needs to be adopted so that when funds become available, the
city can be first on the list to be looked at. Adopting the plan, prepares the city so that it
won't be caught off guard if state funds become available.
Nicholson asked what this plan really means to the property owners, specifically the part
about open area view sheds.
Dahlstrom said the view shed isn't about empty fields. He said the plan is a policy
document, not a zoning ordinance.
Prochaska said that if someone buys property and wants to take advantage of the view,
there might be funding available to help the view be maintained.
Dahlstrom said copies of the slide presentation are available for people to look at. He
then thanked everyone for coming to hear the presentation.
The discussion ended at 8:30 p.m.
i
Minutes respectfully submitted by Dina Gipe
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