Downtown Streetscape Plan - Village of Roundlake IL

Welcome to the project webpage for the Round Lake Downtown Streetscape Plan!

About this project:

The Village of Round Lake is studying the utilization of the public way within Downtown Round Lake. The public way is generally defined by the roadways, sidewalks, plantings, green spaces, and plaza spaces controlled by the Village. Although private properties will be evaluated for context, the Village does not intend to make any recommendations to modify private properties.

Downtown Round Lake owes much of its existence to the 1901 establishment of the railroad station and the platting of roadways oriented to the station area. Today, steps away from the Metra station, Downtown Round Lake is home to a vibrant mix of shops, restaurants, and businesses, and is nearby to attractive neighborhoods, pristine natural spaces, and recreational trails.

The purpose of this Downtown Streetscape Study is to gauge community interest in developing features that would support Downtown with welcoming entrances, attractive business areas, and vibrant gathering spaces. Streetscapes include publicly controlled spaces between buildings, such as roadways, sidewalks, public parking, alleys, and green spaces .

This Streetscape Plan builds upon previous planning studies that have been put to work and identifies further opportunities to benefit downtown businesses, residents, and visitors.

Focus areas for this study:

The planning process is designed to offer viable downtown enhancement options that enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety, on-street and off-street parking, community gathering spaces, outdoor seating and dining, lighting, pavement, plantings, site furnishings, and gateway and wayfinding signage.

Outcomes of the study:

The outcome of this program would be a Downtown Streetscape Plan report paired with concept plans to help guide future Village discussions and decision-making about public and private investment in Downtown.

Study Area:

The project area is generally between Hart Road (to the north); Nippersink Road (to the south); Cedar Lake Road Realignment (to the west) and existing Cedar Lake Road / Lincoln Avenue (to the east), as illustrated in the map below:

Get Involved!

To ensure the plan’s recommendations reflect community priorities, your input is important to us. There are three ways to get involved today!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the poll. Your helpful comments and insights are important to us. The poll is now closed and a summary report may be viewed here.
Thanks to all who joined us at the regularly scheduled Village Board meeting on April 17^th to hear the Preliminary Streetscape Plan presentation. The presentation may be viewed here.
Sign up for the Village Newsletter to receive important updates about this project and other Village-related happenings.
Stay tuned! As the project progresses, presentations will be made to the Village Board. Materials will be linked to this website.

FAQ’s

What does “streetscape” mean and why is this plan necessary?

Streetscape refers to the public rights of way associated with a roadway. This generally includes the roadway itself, sidewalks, parkways, and the open spaces in between. As Round Lake continues to plan for the future of downtown, maximizing the value of public rights of way will support business access, vitality, and an overall sense of place in Downtown Round Lake.

What is the Cedar Lake Road Realignment Project and how can I get more information?

The Village has been working with the Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) on the Cedar Lake Road Realignment project. Due to current and projected traffic needs, and the Village’s desire to support a pedestrian-friendly Downtown area, the new Cedar Lake Road realignment is planned along the west side of Downtown. Beginning in 2017, LCDOT has been conducting Cedar Lake Road Realignment public meetings. Round Lake is seizing this opportunity to improve Downtown with a special focus on pedestrian uses, including strolling, shopping, seating, outdoor dining, and community gathering. For more information about the Cedar Lake Road Realignment project, please see the project website: https://cedarlakeroadrealignment.org/

What kinds of improvements can we expect to see after completing the plan?

This project includes planning for long term infrastructure improvements, such as enhancements to pedestrian and bicyclist safety, on-street and off-street parking, community gathering spaces, outdoor seating and dining, lighting, pavement, plantings, site furnishings, and gateway and wayfinding signage.

While these types of improvements can take many years to implement, your input will help us determine which enhancements should be prioritized.

What do you mean by on-street and off-street parking enhancements?

One of the Village’s parking goals for downtown is to better connect and utilize the Metra train station parking lot to serve downtown users and visitors who drive. Additionally, the Village wants to maximize on-street parking inventory while maintaining the Village’s street network. This can be accomplished with improved parking management, informational signage and pedestrian connections between Metra parking and the surrounding Downtown Area.

Where can I review Round Lake’s past plans that relate to this study?

The Round Lake Downtown Streetscape Plan builds upon past planning efforts by the Village of Round Lake. Links to relevant past efforts follows below:

Comments and Questions?

Please contact Katie Parkhurst, Director of Economic and Community Development. Phone/email. 847-546-5400 ext 3008. [email protected]