A future town center in Homer Glen would likely require more housing units, but Homer Glen officials said they are opposed to high density housing or apartments.
The village hired consultants The Lakota Group to explore what residents would like to see in a town center, which would be a mix of housing, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and recreational opportunities. The Lakota Group conducted surveys and workshops with residents and appeared at festivals and other village events throughout the last year as a way to gauge resident feedback.
The plan is a starting point to a potential town center or community gathering place and would be a useful tool for future developers, village officials said.
The study said that housing would be critical to the development’s economic feasibility as it would bring people to the center’s retail and civic offerings.
“Many more rooftops would need to be built to attract and keep the restaurants, eateries and smaller scale retail shops desired by residents in a town center, said Janie Patch, Homer Glen’s economic development director. “Current code does not allow denser housing.”
Kevin Clark of The Lakota Group said that the center may include single family homes on smaller lots, townhomes, row houses or multifamily homes.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said a misconception floating around town indicated the village would approve apartment complexes as part of the town center.
“I’m absolutely not for apartments,” she said.
Other trustees agreed.
“I’ll never support high density,” Trustee Dan Fialko said.
Trustee Sue Steilen said the village’s founders believed in low density housing, and that has not changed. Residents have long advocated for the village’s motto of community and nature in harmony, she said.
“I sincerely question the rooftop concept,” Steilen said. “We’ve heard that for 22 years and yet we still get businesses here. … I don’t think you need to do the density before you get the businesses. I just think that there has to be another approach. We have to be more creative than that. This community has demonstrated over and over again that we can be creative.”
The Lakota Group evaluated eight potential locations for a new downtown area, with the preferred location on about 480 acres south of Village Hall, 14240 W. 151st St.
The village does not have a developer right now interested in creating a town center.
The land owners have not indicated they are interested in selling this property, Neitzke-Troike said.
“It’s just a study to see what the residents want to do,” she said.
Residents pointed to downtown Frankfort as one of their favorite examples of a town center. Downtown Frankfort includes about 23 acres organized around a town green. It has about 137,000 square feet of commercial space with 30 housing units in the core and nearly 560 housing units within a quarter mile radius, Clark said.
Other places Homer Glen residents enjoyed visiting included Naperville, Burr Ridge, Downers Grove and Lemont, he said.
“Despite any concerns for density, residents will continue to dream about a town center,” Patch said. “People still want to gather in place. People are leaving town to get the experience they want and spend their money in other suburban town centers outside of Homer Glen. This is something to consider when sales tax is the largest piece of the village’s revenue pie.”
A plan based on the community’s vision gives the village more leverage toward a future development, Patch said. The plan needs more community feedback, she said.
Trustee Rose Reynders said The Lakota Group’s plan promoted the village’s rural charm, which was important.
“In moving forward with something like this, it is within our control,” she said. “They gave us the vision, and it’s up to us to be able to incorporate in that vision anything that we want to see for our community. If we want senior housing there, if we want small shops, if we just want a gathering space, it’s really within our control.”
The preferred location could take 20 years or more to fully build out, village documents said. The development could be built between 151st and 159th streets and head east towards Parker Road. It could also add additional north-south and east-west roads.
Some trustees said that a referendum proposal may be another tool the Village Board could utilize to get resident feedback on a town center.
A town center concept was included in the 2005 comprehensive plan, and residents have repeatedly told village officials they were interested in having a town center, Patch said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
