Village Adopts East Side Plan

It may take years — or even decades — before it’s a reality, but on Wednesday, the village officially adopted a plan for .

Developed by consulting firm Teska & Associates, the East Side Plan is a blueprint of sorts, outlining potential uses for the area surrounding the future Romeoville Metra station.

“This is one of the most exciting things for the community over the next 20 to 30 years,” Mayor John Noak said.

“This will take time,” Noak added.

Konstantine Savoy, principal urban planner for Teska, outlined some of the uses that could fit into the redeveloped East Side, including office, industrial and residential.

The Metra station is scheduled to be built south of the Citgo Lemont Refineray at New Avenue and 135th Street by 2014.

Savoy said nearby uses could include small-scale, neighborhood-oriented commercial developments such as offices, a “very high end” business or industrial park and multi-family developments such as townhomes.

Higher density residential developments would be concentrated closer to the Metra station, with lower-density single family homes farther away.

The plan was developed with an eye to balancing development with the preservation of open space, Savoy said, saying the plan preserves 50 percent of the existing natural areas and creates new bike paths and trail linkages.

The plan also puts emphasis on creating connectivity between the East Side and the village’s downtown area, which is also slated to undergo a revitalization.

Funded mainly by an $80,000 Regional Transportation Grant, the plan was created using feedback not only from village staff and transportation officials, but also the public. Several public meetings were held during development of the plan, with opportunities for community members to offer suggestions and opinions.

“This is truly a citizen-driven plan,” Savoy said.

Noak said while the East Side redevelopment could take years to complete, it’s not an unreachable goal.

He cited plans to develop Weber Road, not long ago and open stretch of road.

“They said, ‘Well, that’s just never going to happen,' and look where we are today,” Noak said. “The pieces all come together.”

For a look at the East Side Plan documents, visit the project website.