The Village of Morton Plan Commission will review the draft Downtown Development Plan on Monday, September 26th, at 6 p.m.

The public is encouraged to attend to comment on the draft plan.

The draft Downtown Development Plan will be presented for public review and comment at a meeting on Tuesday, June 21st at the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center  (350 N. Illinois Avenue, Morton High School) from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  Join us as we reveal the results of the this extensive planning process. 

The Existing Conditions Analysis, an interim report as part of the Downtown Development Plan process, has been posted for public review on the project website.

The next step in the Your Downtown Morton process will be a Vision Workshop scheduled for Thursday, April 7th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Jefferson Elementary School (220 East Jefferson Street).

The structure of the workshop will allow for residents, business owners, property owners, elected and appointed officials, members of the consultant team, and others to work together in creating a vision for Downtown Morton.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our workshops last week.  We had over 80 residents, business owners, building owners, and elected and appointed officials tell us what they like and dislike about Downtown Morton so that we can begin to formulate a plan for the future. 

If you weren't able to make the workshops, you can download and review summaries of each meeting.

If you have an answer to that question, we’d like to hear it!

Like all downtowns, Downtown Morton has evolved and changed over time.  How can we direct the future of Downtown so that its charm is maintained, while meeting the needs of residents and businesses? For example, how can we address issues regarding parking; safety needs of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists; housing choices; business expansion; and event space?

To answer the above questions, the Morton Economic Development Council, in partnership with the Village of Morton, is preparing a Downtown Development Plan. The Downtown Development Plan will develop a vision for downtown to keep what’s great and improve the things that aren’t. Initial work on the plan is just beginning.  This process is called Your Downtown Morton and is guided by a volunteer committee.

The vision for Downtown can’t be completed without the participation of residents, property owners and the business community. The planning process will include many opportunities to provide input.
 

Each of the following workshops will focus on a different audience, but all are open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend:

Downtown Business and Building Owners Workshop
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
5:30 p.m.
Main Street Deli
149 S. Main Street

Community-Wide Workshop
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
7:00 p.m.
Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center
350 North Illinois Avenue

The workshops will be an interactive experience designed to review, discuss, and identify conditions and potentials within the Downtown. The results and feedback from the workshops will be used in conjunction with other steps in the planning process to prepare a vision followed by detailed recommendations. All ideas and opinions are welcome!

Can’t make the workshops? There are a variety of ways to get information and express your views. You can go to the Morton Economic Development Council home page www.mortonedc.org to connect to the Your Downtown Morton website where you can get updates and announcements; use the online mapping tool; take an online questionnaire; review documents; and leave feedback or ask questions. You can also follow the process on Twitter and Facebook or subscribe to receive RSS Feeds.

For any questions or comments related to the Downtown Development Plan, please contact the Morton Economic Development Council at 309-263-2491.
 

Community input is a vital part of the Downtown Development Plan process.  Two questionnaires have been posted to the project website under the "Participate" section.  One questionnaire is targeted towards residents and another towards business owners.  All residents and business owners are encouraged to complete a questionnaire for Your Downtown Morton.

The Morton Economic Development Council (EDC) in partnership with the Village of Morton has begun work on a Downtown Development Plan to guide growth and development in the downtown area.  As the name suggests, this is Your Downtown Morton and there are several opportunties to get involved.  The project website has questionnaires for both residents and business owners as an important first step in the process.  The project website will be updated with updates, draft documents and event information throughout the planning process.  Stay tuned!