In May 2002 the Village of Homer Glen announced that they
were awarded a Green Communities Demonstration Grant in the amount of $110,000.
The grant will fund innovative plans that enable the public, community
organizations and governmental organizations to address environmental issues in
the rapidly growing area. "Not only will we be able to prioritize key community
issues and improve civic involvement within our community," notes Russ Petrizzo,
Mayor, "it will also provide a vital working document to help us preserve
and protect the ecological health of the community. In this way we
continue to ensure success by creating the benchmarks we need to support
sensible community growth."
Community benefits will be many. Sprawl is a term we
all know. It conjures up images of cookie-cutter subdivisions, endless strip
malls, lost open space, flooding, and traffic congestion. But the Village of
Homer Glen has a different, positive, GREENER vision for its future. With this
recent grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Homer Glen is
embarking on a unique community "visioning" process to explore innovative land
use and development options to conventional suburban development. The process
will engage community members, community organizations and regional
organizations to address environmental issues in the fast-growing community.
The input from a series of visioning sessions will help determine a long term
"green" land use and development plan for the community to ultimately make the
Village a better place to live and work, and protect the scenic landscapes and
Village character.
Participants will have a chance to view the best examples of
innovative green development and creative open space programs from the entire
region. Public input from these sessions will help determine a long-term
environmental plan that focuses on the priorities and concerns of area
residents.
"Community involvement is essential! Visioning sessions led
by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) will help us hear from
our residents, businesses and organization to help achieve a solid plan to
structure our growth and address environmental issues which are important to the
community at large," notes Margaret Sabo. "As Illinois" newest
municipality, we need to identify our challenges, trends, assets, and develop
the best strategies and action plan to preserve our unique community."
Additional Homer Glen long-term goals building upon
information gather during the grant's completion:
- Development of the first Homer Glen Green Vision Environmental Plan through
the year 2030.
- Development of new/updated zoning and subdivision ordinances.
- Development of ordinances for biodiversity conservation for such issues as
watershed protection, storm water and flood plain management, erosion control,
and wetland protection.
- Development of an open space and greenways protection plan.
- Development of creative, effective public education strategies and tools
that will broaden awareness for long-term environmental protection and
restoration efforts
- Creation of a transportation corridor plan, a trail system, and
beautification program.
- Identifying key resources such as, scenic landscapes, historical landscapes
and other unique features which have contributed to the unique character of the
village
The grant's steering committee is finalizing the plans,
locations and dates for the community input sessions. The public will have
hands on opportunity to make recommendations and give input in planning the
future of Homer Glen. Interested residents willing to participate are directed
to call the Village of Homer Glen at (708) 301-0632. When the final dates
have been confirmed a community wide invitation will be issued.