"Planning the future with citizen input is critical for the well-being of our community. Teska Associates, Inc. did an excellent job engaging our residents through a dynamic and inclusive process. The residents and I are very pleased with the results."
- Jim Holland, Mayor of the Village of Frankfort
Congratulations to our friends at the Village of Frankfort for winning the APA-IL Daniel Burnham Award for the Your Future, Your Frankfort 2040 Comprehensive Plan. A lot of hard work and community input went into this plan, and it was an honor for our team to provide the tools to assist with aligning possibilities with consensus and direction. What started with a single post-it note, comment, anecdote, and conversation led to a community-guided strategic effort... that's already being realized.
Aligning Possibilities with Consensus and Strategic Direction
The Your Future Your Frankfort 2040 Comprehensive Plan is designed to guide community leaders and decision-makers on matters related to growth, development, and quality of life over the next 20 years. In addition to taking a broad, Village-wide approach to future land use planning, the Plan also addresses five key subareas of Frankfort and includes a detailed set of residential design guidelines that are already in use. The Design Guidelines, developed and solidified through extensive community input, workshops and polling, encourage thoughtful and appropriate rehabilitation, alteration, and new development in Frankfort’s cherished and historic downtown neighborhood.
“There are tons of cyclists; more cafes/stopping points along the trail would be great. Better walkability, ADA access, and a trail connecting the park to Old Plank Trail.”
- Hickory Creek 7th Grade Focus Group
The Comprehensive Planning effort spanned almost two years, culminating with unanimous adoption by the Village Board. Integral to the process was a detailed community outreach campaign and dedicated Working Group, who reviewed progress and goals as new topics were raised and consensus achieved.
Since adoption, the Village has already seen implementation success. Most notably, the Downtown Frankfort Residential Design Guidelines have become an integral piece in the Village’s development process, providing straight-forward recommendations that speak to the history and character of the community. These guidelines, which identify the attributes the community wants to see elevated and preserved, are helping to bridge the gap between existing and new housing stock in Frankfort.
Frankfort is a community that is deeply committed to quality. From top‐notch parks and education to the design and construction of new homes and businesses, quality matters a great deal to the Village and its residents.
Check out the full highlight reel below to learn more about these efforts, along with the APA-IL Opportunity and Empowerment Award-Winning Austin Quality of Life Plan and the 2020 ILASLA Award-Winning Fountain Square Plaza.