The Washing city council heard a proposed plan for the Route 8 corridor development at a committee of the whole meeting Monday night.
The plan was the culmination of a project started in November with consulting firm Houseal Lavigne, which solicited responses from residents and business owners in Washington and East Peoria regarding the Sunnyland area, specifically the stretch between the East Peoria Events Center and School Street.
The plan consists of several recommendations that will guide the city in forming new policies, which will shape the outcome of new development and redevelopment in the future.
One example of such a recommendation is the overlay district, which will keep ordinances consistent in both the Washington and East Peoria sections of the corridor. Even if both cities adopt the plan presented Monday night, they would still have to discuss and vote separately to implement the overlay district.
Those looking for specifics such as when improvements will begin and how they will be funded were disappointed.
“It is important to understand that a plan is the first step,” said Courtney Owen of Houseal Lavigne.
Many of the changes discussed Monday night will be very incremental.
Although this could be frustrating for business owners and residents looking for answers, the plan is not only the necessary first step in the long process, it is also the right step forward.
This project will not have a definitive beginning and ending date.
Residents and business owners should stay abreast of policy changes that will affect them. They should attend city council meetings to be part of the discussion as these new ordinances are shaped.
The plan is a good start born out of lots of community input. That input, however, is still crucial to the process.
