On Tuesday, March 15th, the Northfield Road Corridor Plan was officially adopted as part of the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. Prior to such, on March 2nd, the Plan was recommended for adoption by the Village’s Plan Commission. The Public Hearing, which took place at 7pm at Village Hall (361 Happ Road), included a presentation by project consultants Teska Associates, Inc., based out of Evanston, Illinois. Michael Blue, FAICP, project manager with Teska, provided an overview of the study and plan components, including the robust outreach process and key recommendations.
“The plan puts us in a good position to make the recommended zoning changes and continue working with property owners to implement proposed corridor enhancements.”
– Steve Gutierrez, Community Development Director.
Plan Overview
The Northfield Road Corridor Plan provides a long-term vision for the M-1 zoning district along Northfield Road and its connection to the Village Center. It is the result of an extensive community outreach process (involving stakeholder interviews, advisory committee meetings, and public meetings) as well as evaluation of land use, zoning, transportation, urban design, local real estate markets and development economics.
The corridor was historically home to light manufacturing businesses that served the region, but is transitioning into a commercial district that directly serves the residents of Northfield and nearby communities. The purpose of this plan is to reestablish how the Northfield Road corridor can fit into the community’s vision for the future and thrive within the context of local real estate markets.
A few key recommendations are noted below:
- Create a new zoning district to reflect the trend toward service commercial
- Consider redeveloping a large, vacant industrial site into multi-family residential
- Establish a parking lane along Northfield Road to respond to parking deficit
- Revise Village parking standards to reflect current demand
- Create cross access between parking lots
- Design and install a multi-use path to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists
- Straighten the geometry of a critical intersection to improve traffic facilitation
- Extend residential road to address resident and emergency access issues
- Reduce superfluous curb cuts
- Enhance the river area to serve as a community gateway
- Apply urban design guidelines
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