Shopping in Romeoville
Romeoville residents have always thought of Hampton Park Terrace, located at the intersection of Normantown Road and Route 53, as downtown, despite its lack of civic buildings, cultural icons and pedestrian appeal. When Richard Hitchcock of the Hitchcock Design Group was commissioned to create a master plan for the area, he had to ask himself, “Can this area really be the center of community life in Romeoville?” After much careful research and planning, his answer was an emphatic “yes” eloquently detailed in the landscape architect’s Downtown Master Plan.
The primary goal of the redevelopment is to make the downtown more pedestrian-friendly. The lynchpin of this effort will be the Village Square, a visually appealing, centrally located community gathering point. The prominent elements include a Grand Lawn, a water feature, plaza space and a pavilion. Extending and improving streets and sidewalks is also a must for increased connectivity and pedestrian access. On-street and off-street parking will be created for both casual browsers and shoppers on a mission. Modernizing the storm water system is also a vital area of focus for the planners. New storefronts and unique businesses will be installed to draw visitors from the more convenient Weber Road retailers. The village is also including a Community Center to promote cultural events at all times of the year and draw non-shoppers.
While much of the redevelopment will involve wholesale changes, the planners are also utilizing the area’s preexisting strengths. Residential neighborhoods surround the downtown, supplying a customer base within walking distance for potential businesses. High traffic counts on Route 53 will bring major automobile visibility to storefronts. The Master Plan notes that “businesses merely need to entice customers to stop, much easier than enticing them to drive to a less traveled location.” The Fountaindale Public Library and Robert C. Hill Elementary School also guarantee visitors to the area.
Like any undertaking of this magnitude, the infrastructure must be put in place first before major construction can begin. Since the release of the master plan, the village has been working out engineering issues, realigning streets and implementing an advanced water retention system. The lack of visible progress may seem frustrating, but Engels points out that before construction can begin on the landmarks and business, the area has to be “turned inside out” to accommodate pedestrians, perhaps the most important demographic of the project.
Once completed, this radical restructuring of downtown will turn it into one of Romeoville’s most treasured spaces. However, the master plan notes that the project cannot be accomplished through “sprucing up a few streets.” “The key to the success of this plan is to create a classic public/private partnership that passionately, continuously and systematically improves every aspect of the downtown from its land uses, to its infrastructure, to its image.”
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