Oswego wants to hear from the community as it begins the process of updating the village’s comprehensive plan, which officials say lays out “the aspirations of the village.”
“It there’s one takeaway from our discussion it is that your voice matters,” Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman announced at a recent Village Board meeting.
Public participation is essential as Oswego updates its comprehensive plan for the first time in a decade, he said.
“We want to hear from you and the more responses we get the better,” he said.
The Oswego Village Board on Feb. 18 approved a resolution authorizing a professional services agreement with Oak Park-based Ginkgo Planning and Design, Inc. to help with the update of the plan. The village will pay the firm $185,000 for its work.
Voting in favor were Trustees Karin McCarthy-Lange, Karen Novy, Andrew Torres, Jennifer Jones Sinnott and Tom Guist. Voting the other way was Trustee Kit Kuhrt.
The village last updated the comprehensive plan in 2015 with the assistance of a consultant team headed by the same firm, Oswego Community Development Director Rod Zenner said in his report to trustees.
The 2015 plan was an update to a 2006 plan to “reflect the market demands, goals and vision of the village,” Zenner said
“It has been 10 years since the last update and we are looking to update the plan to reflect the current market demands for development while balancing the character of the community,” he said.
The village issued a request for proposals last November for a firm interested in working with Oswego on the project. Village staff members reviewed the responses from eight firms in early January.
The firms were weighed based on experience, project understanding and approach, as well as cost and intangibles, village officials said.
A selection committee comprised of a village trustee, planning and zoning commissioner and members of the administration narrowed the list to four firms, Zenner said.
“The selection committee met to discuss the different firms and ultimately decided to select Ginkgo Planning and Design, Inc. based on their history with the village, strong research, methodologies, community firm focus and their cost effectiveness,” Zenner said.
Kauffman said the plan essentially “lays out the aspirations of our community.”
“It says here’s the over-arching plan of what we want our village to become. It also says what we don’t want our village to become,” Kauffman said.
The alternative is to “hope for the best,” he said.
“I like having a plan and laying things out clearly so residents can see what we envision,” Kauffman said.
The work to update the plan is scheduled to begin in March.
The consultants will begin their work by gathering data and conducting an analysis of the village’s current conditions, officials said. As part of the update, key stakeholders will be interviewed. There will be opportunities for public participation as well, village officials said.
There will be public participation throughout the process including a website, workshop, open houses and public events, according to officials.
Trustee Karin McCarthy-Lange suggested the community events to gather input be held during the warmer months to encourage optimal engagement and participation in the process.
A steering committee involving Village Board members will review the information that is gathered plus review policy and goals. Drafts of the updated comprehensive plan will be brought to the Village Board for review and comment. The process is anticipated to take about 18 months to complete, village officials said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
