Officials in La Grange are looking at how to improve one of the main thoroughfares in town.
The South La Grange Road Corridor Plan examines the stretch between 47th Street and Plainfield Road, along with adjacent areas along the route.
“The Corridor Plan actually builds upon your 2024 La Grange Forward Comprehensive Plan, which identifies the south La Grange Road corridor as a subarea for further study,” Todd Vanadilok, of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, told trustees at a July 13 Village Board meeting.
The plan was created by a steering committee who compiled public input gained through several open meetings and input from CMAP. It will serve as a framework for the village to make decisions regarding land use, transportation, economic development and infrastructure improvements along the corridor, officials said.
The plan consists of four main areas of interest, including accessibility and safety, corridor vitality, infrastructure and corridor character.
With the area being a busy thoroughfare, resident input has indicated that the area is not suitable for walking, with many calling for more visually appealing corridors.
Infrastructure includes stormwater mitigation, as the village has experienced severe flooding in recent years and will soon be implementing the 50th Street Stormwater project.
Recommendations include focusing on safety by coordinating with the Illinois Department of Transportation to make the road safer for pedestrians, as well as enhancing corridor vitality by improving infrastructure and establishing the area’s character as a southern gateway to the village.
Vanadilok elaborated on community feedback.
“We started to see a lot of common themes, based around development, infrastructure, particularly stormwater management, and then traffic and pedestrian safety,” he said. “That (pedestrian safety) was, by far, one of the paramount issues that we need to look at for the corridor.”
Trustee Beth Augustine wondered where village officials should begin the process, calling the plan “a big document with a lot of options.”
“There’s a lot of things we can do here. Is there a question of what order, is that something we all decide?” she asked.
Vanadilok pointed out that all of the steps mentioned were categorized as near-term (within 5 years), medium-term (5 to 8 years), and “anything long-term is 8-plus years, those things that just take a while to get traction.”
Because of its usual summer hiatus, the next La Grange Village Board meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Monday, August 24th at the La Grange Village Hall, 53 S. La Grange Rd.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
