The Village of Lombard’s Economic and Community Development Committee approved a recommendation to subscribe to Placer AI, a location‑analytics service, at a cost of “around $20,000 for the year,” and recommended that the village expand the downtown grant program boundary roughly south along Main Street to Washington Boulevard.

Trustee Lavec, reporting to the Board of Trustees Oct. 16, said the committee unanimously supported the Placer AI purchase to help understand where visitors come from and where they shop in Lombard as the village builds its strategic economic development plan. "It's around $20,000 for the year," Trustee Lavec said.

Lavec said the committee also recommended expanding the geography for the downtown grant program, approximately south on Main Street to Washington Boulevard, to provide more flexibility for incentives and to bring more commercial property into the program. The committee report named the new library near the proposed southern boundary as a local anchor.

During the discussion Trustees and staff noted other commercial hubs in Lombard that could be considered for targeted incentives, including Eastgate Shopping Center, Brixmor Shopping Center, Yorktown and Birch Plaza. A staff member identified as Scott explained that the geographic definition of downtown intersects with the village’s economic incentive policy and that other designated key development sites already exist.

The committee’s recommendation to expand the downtown boundary was included on the Oct. 16 consent agenda and was approved by the Board as part of that consent motion. The transcript does not include a breakdown of the Placer AI contract terms beyond the approximate annual cost or an implementation schedule; staff follow‑up was indicated.