Highland Park council lays out 2025 goals: redevelopment, Main Street support, river trail and infrastructure among priorities

Highland Park council members and the mayor mapped out 2025 goals at a work session, identifying short-term (by June 30) and longer-term (by Dec. 31) targets across economic development, parks, utilities, public works and social services. The session produced committee commitments to advance redevelopment planning, boost Main Street and business outreach, pursue river-trail partnerships, and examine staffing and capital needs.

Mayor Foster opened the goals-and-priorities discussion by asking each committee to list achievable midyear targets and longer-range items. “We are looking at what it is that we wanna accomplish in the next 9 months,” Foster said, framing the session as a way to produce check-off items that would guide administrative work and budget priorities.

Economic development and redevelopment topped the agenda. Council members set two milestone dates: June 30 for preparatory work (selecting consultants, forming stakeholder committees, assembling outreach materials) and Dec. 31 for activity tied to implementation and public hearings where projects advance. Priorities described in the discussion included:

- Track C / South Third / Third Avenue…