Riverwoods plan commission opens targeted update of comprehensive plan, prioritizes sustainability and land-use guidance

Riverwoods Plan Commission members voted to delay a full rewrite of the village comprehensive plan and instead begin with targeted amendments to update several topics the commission identified as priorities, including sustainability, stormwater management, land use and affordable housing.

The decision followed a presentation by planners from Tesco Associates that framed what comprehensive plans typically do — set community goals and guide regulation and spending — and offered the commission options for either a page-by-page overhaul or a focused amendment process. Michael Blue and Lee Brown of Tesco Associates described comprehensive plans as policy guides that inform zoning, budgets and grant applications rather than direct regulatory tools.

Commissioners and staff emphasized that the village’s existing document is a solid foundation but requires updates where conditions have changed. Director Witt told the commission that several recent studies and ordinances — including a sustainability plan, a stormwater study, a land-use study and the recently adopted plan-development ordinance — should be incorporated. Witt said the amendments would also help the village set clearer expectations for imminent redevelopment proposals.

Tesco’s presentation stressed common elements of plan-making: assessing conditions, public engagement, defining goals and producing a land-use map or targeted area studies. The consultants and commissioners agreed that the land-use map remains one of the clearest signals to developers and that targeted area studies could add more detailed guidance for specific sites rather than changing the entire village map.

Commissioners debated process. Several members urged a careful read-through of the existing plan to identify specific passages that now conflict with village goals or newly adopted regulations; others urged the commission to avoid early “wordsmithing” and instead collect broad conceptual comments first. Commissioner Tim Buzard and other members favored an amendment-and-restatement approach: amend the plan where necessary and then restate affected sections so the final document reads cohesively.

The commission set these next steps: commissioners should reread the current comprehensive plan and submit additions, deletions or modification suggestions within about three weeks; staff will circulate a Word version of the plan to facilitate comment; Tesco Associates and village staff will support the process; and the commission will consolidate comments for discussion at the next meeting, currently scheduled for July but subject to change because of the holiday. Director Witt asked commissioners to indicate availability for that meeting so the date can be finalized.

Public-engagement strategy also factored into the discussion. Tesco emphasized that outreach should run throughout the process and include residents, businesses and other stakeholders so community ideas are reflected and later development proposals can be compared against an agreed vision. Commissioners noted that educating residents about woodland protections, stormwater and other regulations will be an important component of the update.

No ordinance changes or formal regulatory actions were adopted at the June 5 meeting. The commission deferred approval of prior meeting minutes until a quorum of members who attended that earlier meeting is present. Chairperson Verlag closed the meeting after a motion to adjourn was seconded and approved.

Looking ahead, the commission will gather written comments and return to the topic with consolidated items for policy-level decisions before drafting specific regulatory language or zoning changes.