McHenry Times

The village of Huntley is working on the creation of a strategic plan.

The Village Board recently help a joint meeting with the Planning Commission to discuss a new comprehensive plan. A comprehensive plan is a long-term vision for the community, and the village decided it was time to update its plan, with the goal of having it finalized by mid-2024.

"So, a comprehensive plan what it is?" said John Houseal, president of Houseal Lavinge Associates, which specializes in community planning and urban design. "It's a foundation for decision making. 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. 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.”

The first step in the process involves a brain dump of sorts from city officials and staff, before they go on to meet with residents, businesses, business owners and all other stakeholders for their input. In addition to Houseal, the city welcomed principal planner Charlie Hogan, and project manager Brandon Nolin. They have worked with the city on several projects in the past, including the downtown design and former strategic plans.

The primary function of a comprehensive plan are land use development, transportation and community facilities, along with other aspects like economic development, zoning and building. The consultants and city will continue to take input from community members over the next several months as they make a draft of the plan, which they will then present and take suggestions on before voting on the final version. 

While there are not currently any community meetings scheduled, there is a community questionnaire available to residents and businesses to give their input. There is also a map function that allows you to make comments about various areas of the city.

City officials held a workshop to brainstorm ideas during the meeting, answering questions like, What are five issues facing Huntley right now? Officials introduced 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. 

City officials also discussed projects they would like to see happen, like getting more grant money for the community, improving Main Street and improving utility accessibility – mainly to the internet.

A video on YouTube of the meeting can be seen here.