Campton Hills Continues Planning Project

Campton Hills is updating its comprehensive plan to help guide land use and other decisions for decades to come.  As part of that effort, the Village is inviting local residents, business owners, community leaders, and other stakeholders to attend a special community planning event.

More than 100 people attended the first public meeting held in May, when participants defined community values and identified key issues and opportunities for the vVillage. The second public meeting is designed to build on those efforts and gather ideas for ensuring that community values and assets are preserved into the future. The meeting will be held on Monday, September 26, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Wasco Elementary School, 4N782 School Street, Campton Hills, Illinois 60175. Registration for the event will begin at 6:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided.

RSVP by calling Village Hall at (630) 584-5700 or by emailing RSVP@villageofcamptonhills.org.

The Campton Hills comprehensive plan will include recommendations for future land use, community character, natural resources, open space, housing, transportation, and economic development. A grant to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is enabling CMAP staff to provide technical assistance to the Village of Campton Hills, including help with public participation and plan development. 

Planning Process

In the plan’s first phase of development, an existing conditions analysis was completed to verify current land use, study community facilities, and obtain initial public input regarding the issues and opportunities of the area.  The second phase of planning, which is being kicked-off at the September 26 meeting, will be to create a shared vision for the community with specific goals and recommendations to help achieve the community’s vision.  The third phase of planning will include development of an implementation strategy that will assist the Village, residents, and others in undertaking the plan’s recommendations.

HUD and CMAP build capacity for local planning

Especially in challenging economic times, many communities have difficulty allocating enough resources to plan as proactively as they would prefer.  At the same time, proactive planning is necessary for economic prosperity and protecting community assets.  The HUD-funded effort is helping fill this gap by making staff resources and grants available to assist with local planning projects that help to implement GO TO 2040, the first comprehensive plan for metropolitan Chicago in more than 100 years. 

The HUD grant to CMAP was announced one day after leaders of the seven-county region, on October 13, 2010, unanimously adopted GO TO 2040.  The region’s plan establishes coordinated strategies that help the region’s 284 communities address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues.  See www.cmap.illinois.gov for more information.

With the three-year $4.25 million HUD award (http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/press-release-10-14-10), CMAP has begun a new Local Technical Assistance program sponsored by HUD as part of the federal interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. CMAP issued a call for projects in early 2011, prompting more than 220 proposals from over 130 municipalities, counties, interjurisdictional groups, and nongovernmental organizations -- an indication of significant unmet demand for local planning capacity. 

In March, CMAP began partnering with the first wave of 62 local governments, nonprofits, and intergovernmental organizations selected for assistance.  Like the Fairmont area effort, these projects address local issues at the intersection of transportation, land use, and housing, including the natural environment, economic growth, and community development.  Download a full list of projects at http://goo.gl/1nYBM.

CMAP is the official regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will.  

Media contact:  Justine Reisinger, 312-386-8802 or jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov

Program contact:  Pete Saunders, 312-386-8654 or psaunders@cmap.illinois.gov