1 Introduction Relevant Plans and Documents Though this is the Village of Bellwood’s first Comprehensive Plan, there are several Plans that reference Bellwood and that include recommendations for development of specific corridors or on a specific topic such as housing. How this comprehensive Plan addresses the recommendations can be found in the Appendix at the end of the Plan. These plans are: • GO TO 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan, 2010 (GO TO 2040) • Homes for a Changing Region, Phase 3: Implementing Balanced Housing Plans at the
Local Level, 2012
• Mannheim Road Corridor Revitalization Plan, 2008 • St. Charles Road Redevelopment Plan, 2008
Public input overview The success of Bellwood’s Comprehensive Plan depends on how well it reflects the vision and desire of the Village’s residents, business owners, and other stakeholders. In order to ensure support and “buy-in”, the planning process employed a variety of public input techniques to gather information providing a conduit for expression of concerns and hopes for the future . The following is a brief summary of the public input process.
Project Steering Committee A Steering Committee was established in the fall of 2012 to oversee the year long comprehensive planning process. The committee, representing diverse sectors of the community including business leaders, residents, and town officials, helped develop the Plan’s Goals, associated Objectives, reviewed and provided input for the drafts of the Plan and kept the community informed.
Key Stakeholder Interviews Part of the public input included invited representatives from various groups within the community for informal conversations about Bellwood’s future. The groups included Village staff, the Mayor, residents, park and library representatives, business owners, social and community services, and local clergy.
Public Workshops On the evening of November 1, 2012, the public was invited through media announcements to the Eisenhower Center to take part in visioning activities and discussion. Following a Power Point during the public workshop introducing planning trends, economic sustainability, and housing issues. Attendees were then asked to work in small groups to mark their comments on large maps to identify issues, concerns, needs or desires. A second public workshop was held on January 10, 2013 to collect input for the first comprehensive plan for the Village of Bellwood. It is the goal of this planning process to balance essential needs with visionary objectives.
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V i l l ag e o f B e l lw o o d, I l l i n o i s