Oak Park launches master-plan update; city to distribute community survey June 23

Consultants for Oak Park told the planning commission on June 15 that the city has begun a 10-year update to its master plan and will roll out a community survey on June 23 as part of broad public engagement.

Joe Tangary and Eric Peach, representing the planning consultant team, said staff has gathered background materials and already conducted some public engagement. They outlined a tentative schedule: a summer drafting period, an open house in the fall to present draft ideas, a two-month public review near year-end, and a goal of completing the plan in the first quarter of the following year.

Peach read the plan's vision statement and emphasized three pillars—"community, culture, and commerce." He reviewed goal areas under each pillar, including cultivating a sense of place and expanding housing options (community), maintaining cultural programs and sustainability initiatives (culture), and encouraging business growth, updating zoning maps, and improving commercial corridors (commerce).

Commissioners asked about the survey distribution and reach; staff said the communications department will promote the survey widely, including at the State of the City event, the farmers market, the library and parks, through community organizations, social media and by providing hard copies on request. Questions about future land use categories and whether some municipal properties should be rezoned (for example, carving municipal parcels out of R1 to RM1/RM2 depending on desired building form) were raised; staff said those are issues the update will consider and invited commissioners to submit recommendations.

Staff emphasized the briefing was informational only and required no formal action by the commission at this meeting.