As part of its 2019 Comprehensive Plan Update, the City of Rolling Meadows wanted to focus on four subareas, each of which has distinct characteristics and serves a purpose in the wider community. For example, the Kirchoff Road Corridor is important as it is the “center of town,” home to City Hall and other important civic uses, and also as the location of an 11-acre vacant former Dominick’s site. The Adopted Plan highlights realistic strategies for enhancing each of these subareas, with actions ranging from streetscape enhancements to redevelopment opportunities.
Working in close coordination with City staff, Teska led a thorough planning process that featured a community survey, focus groups, a pop-up idea booth at an outdoor concert, and two community-wide open houses. The Planning and Zoning Commission oversaw the process as the lead policy body and provided input on recommendations that were organized into the following chapters: Sense of Place, People, A Great Place To Be, Getting Around, and Environment & Infrastructure. Strategies are also ranked by priority (highest, medium, and lesser).
Upon finalizing the 2019 Comprehensive Plan Update, the City committed to making more materials available in Spanish, creating greater accessibility for the 20% of the population that speaks Spanish instead of English at home. Teska translated the document, working diligently to ensure that the translated Plan captured the vision and spirit of the English version as closely as possible and provided links to Spanish-language resources where possible.
As a Plan implementation action, Teska also assisted the City of Rolling Meadows with an update to their Zoning Ordinance.
