Commercial growth, PACE facility top the list
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
The village of Plainfield is poised for growth, following what the mayor says was a successful 2017, with more on tap for 2018.
On Jan. 24, Mayor Mike Collins delivered the State of the Village address to a crowd of more than 200 people at a luncheon at the Opera House, sponsored by the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
At the top of the list of accomplishments in 2017 – the $5.8 million Pace Park and Ride facility, now under construction.
“They hope to have it open this summer, they’ve already completed some work over there,” Collins said.
The 400-stall parking lot and depot along Van Dyke Road is expected to boost the village’s transportation opportunities, providing more parking and a shelter for bus passengers who commute to Chicago.
Additional development at the site is also expected to attract commercial businesses by way of a public-private partnership, Collins said.
Collins also pointed to additional development in 2017, including the opening of several new businesses in the historic downtown district, rehabilitation of the old trolley barn and the old fire station, expansion of C.W. Avery YMCA, and redevelopment of the Plainfield Plaza at Route 59 and Fort Beggs.
The mayor also noted revitalization in one of the village’s older commercial districts.
“We used to have a place in town referred to, from people like myself who have been around for a long time, as the box factory, where they just made boxes,” Collins said. “But, this has changed names, and what it is referred to now is the warehouse district. It’s become a destination over the past few years, with businesses such as Werk Force Brewing, Tailwinds Distilling, Ten Drops Coffee Lab, and Warehouse: 109.”
Collins noted that Plainfield saw $5.3 million in commercial improvement values in commercial spaces in 2017.
Additional commercial space added to the village in 2017 totals more than 38,000 square feet of space.
Collins also noted proposed residential expansions underway in Plainfield.
“The village continues to see renewed interest in housing construction,” Collins said. “We issued 144 single family homes [permits] in 2017, and for the first time since 2013, we annexed two major parcels for subdivisions.”
In addition to the proposed Brummel and Riverstone subdivisions near the intersection of Plainfield-Naperville Road and 127th Street, additional homes are nearing completion inside the Grande Park subdivision.
“The village is still focused on key initiatives, such as traffic, transportation, infrastructure, and our strategic plan,” Collins said. “I’ve been a member of the board since 1989, and this is the most comprehensive [strategic] plan the village has ever seen. We’re actually moving forward, we do short term, and five-year, 10-year, and 20-year goals. We’ve stuck to it, and over the last five years we have really moved forward with a lot of things. I see a lot of improvement in the village.”
Collins pointed to several completed projects as part of a successful 2017, including:
- Completion of the Route 30 reconstruction project
- 127th Street reconstruction
- Downtown parking lot improvements
- Shared use pedestrian path construction/expansion
- Riverfront path improvements
- Bott Park Rec Center approval/start of construction
“Many of these great public projects are possible because of the village’s solid, conservative financial approach,” Collins said, noting that the village’s finance department has been recognized for outstanding financial reporting.
Collins said in 2018, the village will focus on capital projects, including a planned two-year project to upgrade water and sewer infrastructure inside the Village Green, as well as construction projects along Route 30 and 119th Street, and 127th Street and Plainfield-Naperville Road.
Collins also noted that the Plainfield Police Department’s K-9 memorial along the riverfront is expected to be completed and dedicated this spring.
The village board is also working on the budget for the next fiscal year, which is expected to be approved in March.