A presentation on possible options for a Downtown Improvement Plan is scheduled for the 6:30 p.m. March 16 Clarendon Hills Village Board meeting at Village Hall, 1 N. Prospect Ave.
Consultant Houseal Lavigne is expected to bring multiple ideas for consideration in its presentation.
Those ideas will be for the entire downtown Prospect Avenue study area and not limited to the Sloan Triangle at the intersection of Prospect and Park Avenues, said Assistant Village Manager Mera Johnson.
That particular location has been a hot topic, as the possibility of eliminating a right-turn slip lane there, in place of a plaza, has been discussed, and several residents have spoken out against that course of action.
Jaime Bautista, a 25-plus-year resident of the village, said at the Feb. 9 Village Board meeting that she would like to see the slip lane kept.
“(Clarendon Hills) has been rated a number of times as one of the best places to raise your children, and it’s a great place to live, and that’s because of the way it is,” she said.
“It’s practical to us to see the slip-lane; it’s functional, it’s efficient. The triangle and its purpose brings efficiency and also gives character to the town. Modernizing things to such a degree, it almost eliminates the beauty of the town, the quaintness of the town.”
No Village Board vote on proceeding with a specific Downtown Improvement Plan will be taken at the March 16 meeting, as a final vote is slated at a special Village Board meeting on April 13. With large crowds likely at both the March and April meetings, Johnson said she is working on creating an overflow space in the Village Hall lobby, with a TV and chairs.
“And as always, people can log in online and also comment online,” she said.
The Downtown Improvement Plan is billed by the village as “a roadmap for the future of downtown Clarendon Hills. It establishes a shared community vision to guide investment and design efforts over the coming years. The plan will outline strategies to strengthen downtown as a vibrant destination for residents, businesses, and visitors, while supporting economic growth, preserving character, and enhancing quality of life.”
The March 16 presentation by House Lavigne follows a community survey, along with public meetings in October and November 2025, and a Feb. 5 community open house to gather input.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
