Project Overview

The Village of East Dundee has launched a comprehensive planning process for the Fox River riverfront that is intended to enhance recreational function, river ecology, cultural importance, and stewardship of East Dundee’s most valuable natural resource. The Village has engaged a consultant team of planning, design, and engineering professionals led by Hitchcock Design Group (HDG), to develop a compelling vision for approximately 1-mile of the Fox River from Williams Place, north to Lincoln Street, building upon the natural beauty of the Fox River while evaluating recreational opportunities, public access, and connections to the downtown.

The planning effort will follow a five-phase process starting with the Analyze Phase, which will identify assets, issues, and site context along the river corridor.  The Connect Phase will feature extensive public outreach including a web-based survey and focus group discussions with community stakeholders.

Preliminary strategies will be developed during the Envision Phase based on local and regional market characteristics, physical, cultural, and financial resources, and the expectations and requirements of the community and regulatory stakeholders. The Envision Phase will develop riverfront framework plans to address connectivity, access, recreation, branding, ecology, and water quality improvements.

Using alternative framework plans and input, the Prioritize Phase will further refine the Framework Plan and develop implementation recommendations to identify costs and guide sequencing in the final Implement Phase.

During the Implement Phase, the consultant team will build consensus on an overall strategy, develop implementation recommendations including short and long-term public policy, operational, and capital improvements. The team will document final recommendations in a Riverfront Master Plan and seek adoption from the Village Board.