Village looking at plans for downtown

Consultants present residents’ responses, concerns about density

A future town center in Homer Glen would likely require more housing units, but Homer Glen officials said they are opposed to high density housing or apartments.

The village hired consultants The Lakota Group to explore what residents would like to see in a town center, which would be a mix of housing, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and recreational opportunities. The Lakota Group conducted surveys and workshops with residents and appeared at festivals and other village events throughout the last year as a way to gauge resident feedback.

The plan is a starting point to a potential town center or community gathering place and would be a useful tool for future developers, village officials said.

The study said that housing would be critical to the development’s economic feasibility as it would bring people to the center’s retail and civic offerings.

“Many more rooftops would need to be built to attract and keep the restaurants, eateries and smaller scale retail shops desired by residents in a town center, said Janie Patch, Homer Glen’s economic development director. “Current code does not allow denser housing.”

Kevin Clark of The Lakota Group said that the center may include single family homes on smaller lots, townhomes, row houses or multifamily homes.

Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said a misconception floating around town indicated the village would approve apartment complexes as part of the town center.

“I’m absolutely not for apartments,” she said.

Other trustees agreed.

“I’ll never support high density,” Trustee Dan Fialko said.

Trustee Sue Steilen said the village’s founders believed in low density housing, and that has not changed. Residents have long advocated for the village’s motto of community and nature in harmony, she said.

“I sincerely question the rooftop concept,” Steilen said. “We’ve heard that for 22 years and yet we still get businesses here. … I don’t think you need to do the density before you get the busi