Mayor's Message - Summer 2014

Mayor’s Message

 

Develop a Plan and Work the Plan you've developed.

 Government is not immune to a lack of planning and if ignored, will lead to the demise of the community. We are no exception and need to develop a plan to meet the needs of the community for the foreseeable future.

The Comprehensive Plan of the Village was recently revised and is more of a land use document than an operating strategy. The Plan Commission recently met with the public at four meetings scattered around town to solicit input from you for inclusion into this plan. Jon Siner, Chairman and Adam Winston, current Plan Commission member presented the findings to the Board recently and although nothing was new, it did rekindle a need to address formally your agenda.

All these items taken individually and addressed one at a time are not an operational plan. I am going to propose to the Board of Trustees to fund a series of public meetings facilitated by professionals to identify pertinent issues, create options to solve those issues and implement a plan to be worked on by all of us. Nothing will be excluded for discussion at these meetings. We need more of your input in this process

if we are to be successful in devising a long term strategy.

Glenwood has been very aggressive in expanding job creation within the Village. We have been successful because we have a plan. Expansion of the retail base has suffered for numerous reasons but it has suffered.

Litigation of the plaza on Halsted Street should be completed soon and we need your input for the redevelopment of the property if tax dollars are going to be used to partially fund the project. The Master Plan for the Halsted Corridor created an Implementation Task Force that due to the litigation has been inactive. This Task Force needs to be active again.

Land along 394 will become more attractive as the Illiana expressway moves forward. We have a plan for development of that site, the revised Melaniphy Report but does it meet the current needs of the Village?

A large tract of unincorporated land to our north is currently under review for annexation into Glenwood. With the support of the current owner and IDNR (Illinois Department. of Natural Resources) this large tract of land may develop into a regional park, with uses determined by those that speak their minds and make their opinions heard.

Part of the Plan will be the marketing of our Village to prospective home buyers. We need to be proactive and aggressive if we want to be the destination for new owner occupied residents. We do not want to be a community of rental property which is occurring throughout southeast Cook County.

Please plan on attending the meetings as we schedule them and be prepared to provide input.