What is a Comprehensive Plan?

The Comprehensive Plan is a long-range strategy that will guide Shorewood’s future development and address Village needs about housing, commercial areas, industrial uses, and economic development. It will also evaluate transportation and infrastructure requirements and include a Recreation Master Plan.

Do we have a Plan now?

Shorewood’s current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2007, which was prior to the Great Recession. As many economic factors have changed since adoption of the plan, and the Village has grown and changed, the Village Board decided to complete a new Comprehensive Plan that reflects current market realities.

Why do we need a Comprehensive Plan?

Comprehensive planning formalizes and communicates a community’s vision for its future, which serves as its guide for economic sustainability. Specifically, the Plan is a tool to manage growth, respond to the evolving economy, and inform public policy and investment. A Comprehensive Plan is essentially a community’s investment guide for the private and public sectors.

What does the Village hope to gain through this process?

Through this process, the Village hopes to achieve the following:

• Provide Continuity – give future Village Boards and officials a common framework for addressing development and land use issues over time.
• Balance Competing Interests – evaluate the community as a whole in order to create orderly and rational development patterns.
• Protect Public Investments – promote system expansion as part of orderly and phased development.
• Preserve Valued Resources – plan for the enhancement or protection of natural resources by future development.
• Shape the Appearance of the Community – establish policies and guidelines that foster a distinctive sense of place.
• Promote Economic Development – clearly communicate Shorewood’s expectation as it relates to economic sustainability.
• Validate Decision-Making – provide a factual basis by which the community can make sound zoning decisions.
• Build Community Consensus – encourage public support for a collective vision that provides clarity and consensus when proposed projects are consistent with the plan.
• Build Community Capacity – engage residents, business owners and other partners and empower them to participate in carrying out Shorewood’s shared vision.

What are the topics?

The Comprehensive Planning process will begin with an evaluation of existing conditions including the built environment, the market, and residents’ opinions.  Recommendations will be made as part of an overall implementation strategy relating to the following topics:

• Community Vision, Identity, Marketing 
• Housing – Housing Types, Design 
• Commercial – Retail, Offices, Restaurants 
• Industrial – Opportunities, Jobs, Logistics 
• Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces 
• Transportation & Infrastructure 
• Economic Development 
• Sub-Area Planning

What’s the process?

The Comprehensive Planning process will take approximately 14-16 months.  It begins with data collection and community feedback.  A draft plan and subarea plans will be prepared and the community will be invited to provide additional feedback.  Once the vision is refined, the final plan will be prepared for review by the public, and formally considered at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting before being adopted by the Village Board.

What is a subarea?

Some parts of the Village, and areas that may be part of the Village in the future, have development and design opportunities. The Plan will focus on more detailed suggestions for these subareas, relating to what development could look like there and how to best serve the Village. For this Comprehensive Plan, subareas to be evaluated and planned for are:

1. I-55 corridor from US 52 to Black Road,
2. IL Route 59 corridor from DuPage River to I-55 interchange,
3. Earl Road and Geneva Street area,
4. Mound Road to I-80 from railroad tracks to River Road, and
5. Ridge Road at US Route 52.