Village to Ask for Input On Route 59 Future

So far, village board members — and the plan commission, and the historic preservation commission — haven’t come to a consensus on a united vision for the future of the Route 59 corridor.

Should it remain BTD (business transition district), with an emphasis on lower-impact office uses and a focus on converting homes to businesses, rather than demolishing them?

Or should the village consider allowing more intensive — and higher-traffic — commercial uses along the corridor?

Now, the village is turning to residents to see what they think. Officials have announced the Division Street (Route 59) Visioning project, which will include opportunities for stakeholders — that means you — to share their thoughts and help provide a long-term vision for the Route 59 corridor between Main Street and Union Street.

In a news release, the village has this to say: “Staff hopes to utilize an active and contemporary approach in reaching out to the community and stakeholders and getting input on their vision for the corridor.”

So what does that mean?

According to Planner Michael Garrigan, the village is in the planning stages of a project that will use crowd-sourcing — generating feedback through social media — as well as old-fashioned public meetings to solicit input from residents.

“It will probably be an outreach of more traditional and social-media crowd-sourcing,” Garrigan said, saying the village will likely use Facebook to solicit input from Plainfield residents.

“That’s a real possibility,” he said. But there will also be opportunities for the less Internet savvy or Facebook-averse to get involved, he stressed.

Garrigan said the program will likely appear on the July 9 Committee of the Whole meeting. From there, the village board would have to approve it.

In the meantime, tell us what you think? Should the Route 59 corridor remain BTD, or do you think it lends itself to more intense commercial use? Share your opinion in the comments, and tell us why you feel that way.

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