Huntley Aims to Create a Charming Downtown

Lots of northern Illinois towns want their downtown to look quaint like St. Charles or Geneva.

Huntley wants its downtown to sparkle, too.

It has a long way to go, but the Village Board is considering a way to help business and property owners to improve their buildings. A Façade-Improvement Program would offer a 50/50 grant to make improvements to downtown buildings.

Village staff has been researching similar programs, including one in St. Charles, to give the Village Board an idea of the types of grant programs available.

What the village board needs to consider a few factors:

• Does it want to pursue a façade-improvement program?
• The board would have to decide how to fund it and how much should be offered. The amounts discussed at last week’s meeting ranged from $25,000 to $100,000.
• What geographical area would it cover? Would it apply to downtown businesses only or to peripheral businesses, as well? Also, would it be available to just business, or should it include homeowners?
• Would the improvements be for exterior or interior projects? The village could choose one or both. An exterior project could include landscaping.
• What would be the requirements? Would the village want to establish requirements to have more control over how the downtown would look?

Development Services Director Charles Nordman said Huntley officials made downtown revitalization a key point in the village’s latest strategic plan. A façade-improvement plan would fall in line with that goal, staff said.

Trustees had a mixed reaction to the plan.

“I would say yes I would like to go forward with this program,” Trustee Pam Fender said. “Obviously, during the next budget process we have to figure out how to fund this. I guess its wishful thinking for now.”

To listen what trustees had to say about the idea, watch the Huntley Village Board’s July 21 meeting.