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DDA outlines wayfinding, social‑district and multimodal plans; HRC presents $40,000 SMCOG planning grant work
Summary
The Romeo DDA described conceptual wayfinding and social‑district planning and a new CRM; planning consultant HRC presented a draft capital improvement plan built with a $40,000 SMCOG planning grant and listed water, sewer, roads and downtown sidewalk projects.
The village’s Downtown Development Authority told trustees April 21 it has approved conceptual wayfinding designs, is advancing a multimodal streetscape plan and is preparing documentation for a possible social‑district designation and related liquor licenses.
At the meeting a DDA representative said a first conceptual design had been approved and that the DDA will submit conceptual plans, engineering reports and grant applications to SEMCOG by June 2025. The DDA said it has contracted POW Strategies for a five‑year action plan and has adopted a CRM tool (District 360) to track business and stakeholder contacts.
The DDA noted four businesses have expressed interest in participating in a social district: Peach’s Brunch House; Younger (Main Street Kitchen and Bar); JL’s; and one other named in the packet. The DDA cautioned that any social‑district licenses must meet MLCC criteria and that the licensing body will consider violation history.
Separately, Karen Stickle of HRC presented results of work funded by a $40,000 SMCOG planning assistance grant. The HRC presentation summarized prior SAW grant work on wastewater and sanitary mains and laid out CIP priorities across zero‑to‑five and longer‑term horizons for wastewater treatment plant repairs, sanitary‑sewer rehab and CCTV, drinking‑water improvements and a potential lead‑service‑line verification project that will start shortly. Stickle noted the village is preparing a congressional funding request (submitted earlier by President Posnansky) for a larger wastewater package and said not all items would be done at once; costs were separated into short‑ and long‑term phases.
Trustees asked clarifying questions about downtown sidewalks, parking‑lot costs and grant timelines. HRC said parking‑lot rehabilitation costs remain to be determined pending investigations; some work will be eligible for grant reimbursement but could trigger additional storm‑water requirements if full reconstruction is needed.
Next steps: the DDA will continue design and outreach, the HRC/SEMCOG grant work continues through June and the village will pursue additional grant rounds for residential sidewalks, water‑system verifications and federal funding for wastewater improvements.
