Friday, April 19, 2013
The Fox River in Algonquin is expected to continue to rise in the coming day, causing issues for those living in the area. Village officials are urging motorists to avoid the downtown area.
Widespread flooding Thursday left its mark on the area and could continue to wreak havoc for some McHenry County residents as we head into the weekend — especially those living near the Fox River in Algonquin. The village of Algonquin declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon as the Fox River rose above its flood stage of 9.5 feet to 11.9 feet. The waters are expected to crest at 14 feet on Saturday before starting to recede. McHenry County also declared a state of emergency Thursday. With more flooding expected, police are urging motorists to avoid the downtown Algonquin area. “We don’t want people near the river getting sucked in and there’s water on the streets,” said Michael Kumbera, Algonquin's assistant village manager. The…
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The study found the downtown needs more "destination businesses," according to the Northwest Herald.
Drawing in destination businesses, putting in bike lanes and creating a marketing task force were among some of the suggestions planners hired to study Algonquin's downtown have for the village, according to the Northwest Herald. Planners recently completed the Downtown Algonquin Planning Study, which is expected to be reviewed by the Algonquin Village Board next Tuesday, according to the NW Herald. The study suggested some of the destination businesses the village should look into attracting include a microbrewery or a children's dance school and planners also encouraged the village to look into the possibility of a "recreational paddling and white water park," according to the article. The downtown planning study has been underway for …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Lulu's Wiggin Out in downtown Algonquin has closed up shop.
One downtown Algonquin business has shut its doors and moved its merchandise to its Crystal Lake location. Lulu's Wiggin Out closed at 128 Main Street in Algonquin last week. The business has moved to its Crystal lake Shop at 63 N. Williams Street to consolidate all its merchandise—which includes women's clothing, accessories and a wide variety of wigs—under one roof, according to a post on the Lulu's Wiggin Out Facebook page. “We have brought all of our services to a single location to better serve our customers," said Luann Bauer, owner of Lulu’s Wiggin Out, in the Facebook post. "Our downtown Crystal Lake store is a popular location, easily accessible, and offers the room to expand our collection of women’s accessories." Lulu's is …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Residents have until Jan. 18 to comment on the village’s downtown plan.
The village has developed a Downtown Planning Study that outlines ideas for the future but wants residents’ input. The study outlines ideas for the village to take on different topics like transportation and transit, recreation and future development. One recommendation is having Algonquin post more speed signs along Route 31 and enforce traffic laws to send a message the roadway will become geared toward pedestrians once the Western Bypass is built. The bypass, current under construction, will help redirect traffic around Route 31. Additionally, the study recommends encouraging redevelopment of the northwest corner of Algonquin Road and Main Street as a mixed-use site or commercial mixed with residential. Algonquin officials are looking…
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Algonquin Village Board approved in a 5-2 vote Tuesday night an amendment to its planned unit development for Riverside Plaza that would allow the development to move forward as a rental property.
The Riverside Plaza project will move forward as a rental project. The village of Algonquin has been working with the developer of the project, John Breugelmans, to come to a compromise on what to do with the building that continues to sit vacant at Route 31 and Route 62. The building was originally approved for development of condos. As the economy has shifted, Breugelamns said no bank would finance condos and requested a shift to rentals. In September, Algonquin Committee of a Whole in an unofficial vote turned down Breugelmans request for 69 rental units, requesting fewer and more spacious units in the building. On Thursday, the Algonquin Village Board voted 5-2 to approve an amendment to the planned unit development allowing a change …
Friday, September 14, 2012
Algonquin's committee of a whole on Tuesday rejected a plan for 69 luxury apartments in Riverside Plaza.
Once again, this question looms: what's next for Riverside Plaza? In an informal vote Tuesday, the Algonquin committee of a whole rejected a plan by Riverside Plaza developer John Breugelmans to develop 69 rental units in the highly visible building at Route 62 and Route 31 in downtown Algonquin, according to the Northwest Herald. When Breugelmans first took on the project, condominiums were planned for the building. The economy has thrown a wrench in those plans, and Breugelmans has said there is no market or financing available for condos. And while Algonquin's Planning and Zoning Commission OK'd Breugelmans' plans for 69 rental units for Riverside during an August meeting, COW members told Breugelmans Tuesday they hope to see fewer …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Algonquin Road just west of Route 31 to Meyer Drive will be reduced to one lane starting Sept. 10 as the main portion of Western Bypass construction project gets underway.
Village officials are encouraging motorists to find alternate routes to a portion of Algonquin Road just west of downtown Algonquin as the main portion of the Western Bypass construction project is slated to get underway in coming weeks. The $71 million project is meant to relieve traffic congestion with a new four-lane two-mile stretch of roadway that will bypass downtown Algonquin. The new bypass is expected to open in summer 2014. Read More: Western Bypass Timeline While grading and excavation work, which started in April, is expected to continue through December on the bypass, the main portion of the construction project will begin Sept. 4. During the first week of construction, crews will work mainly to remove trees, according to the …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
A public workshop will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church and School this evening.
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Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Village of Algonquin requests public input regarding enhancement opportunities for its downtown. Over the past few months, the village’s planning consultant Land Vision, Inc. has examined the existing physical and market conditions in Downtown Algonquin and an open public workshop to continue to identify existing assets and desired improvements will be held on Thursday, July 19 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School, 300 Jefferson Street. The public input session will last approximately 90 minutes and the village is encouraging residents, businesses, and downtown property owners to attend and provide their recommendations. An interactive program is planned and persons interested in attending are asked to arrive…
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Algonquin's Planning and Zoning Commission met Monday to hear Riverside Plaza developer John Breugelmans new proposal to create rental units within the facility.
To develop Riverside Plaza as a rental property or not to— that is one of the main questions still swirling around the vacant building. The Planning and Zoning Commission met Monday to hear a request from developer John Breugelmans to create 69 rental units instead of the 54 condominiums originally proposed for the brick building at Route 31 and Route 62 in Algonquin. Following two hours of, at times, heated discussion, the planning and zoning commission decided to delay a vote and further talks on the proposal until the Aug. 13 meeting as commissioners had more questions. Specifically, the commission wanted more information on how much parking space is needed for those living and working at Riverside. During Monday’s meeting, …
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Algonquin Downtown Steering Committee met Thursday, June 28 to discuss a preliminary report for future uses of the downtown area.
Members of the downtown steering committee met Thursday, June 28, to discuss a preliminary report that looked at future uses for downtown Algonquin once the Western Bypass is completed. The report was created from a study led by Land Vision Inc. A 10-minute survey was conducted in which 480 people responded to questions about dining, traffic and businesses, among other topics relevant to downtown Algonquin. Seventeen hour-long interviews also were completed with business and property owners in the downtown area. Follow Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch on Facebook Here is a breakdown of some of the major topics discussed at the steering committee meeting: Parking: Is More Space Needed Downtown Stacey Meekins, of Sam Schwartz Engineering, …
Debbie Morano-Mahler
1:18 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
Get rid of the condo eyesore and put in a municipal parking lot. Develop the river front along with downtown but give the folks somewhere to park. more ›