Do you want to shape Glencoe’s future policies and development?

We want to hear from you! Check out the Virtual Open House and spend anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes sharing your feedback on the Draft Big Ideas & Goals.

Why are these important?

All In, Glencoe will use a set of “Big Ideas” as the guiding framework for the Comprehensive Plan. Draft Goals (the lettered statements under each Big Idea) are the high-level policies that advance each Big Idea.

These will be followed by more detailed objectives and implementation strategies. But first, we want to confirm that the community agrees with the overall policy direction.

Monday Greetings! First of all, big thanks to those who braved the cold and joined us on Saturday morning for the first Community Open House! We received thoughtful input on the Draft Big Ideas & Goals from meeting participants. The project team is working on summarizing the in-person feedback and will share key takeaways on the website soon.

If you couldn’t make it on Saturday, no problem! Please visit the Virtual Open House to provide input on the same content.

Thank you in advance for your participation! Community input will directly inform next steps of the planning process, which will include more specific implementation strategies to help Glencoe achieve its goals.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18: Stop by the Glencoe Library anytime between 9 and 11 a.m. for a cup of coffee and to review and provide feedback on the draft “big ideas.” These will become the framework for the comprehensive plan, and we need your input to confirm they’re on the right track! The project team will be there to listen to your ideas and answer any questions about the planning process.

Bring your family and friends! The open house will include activities for all ages.

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Join us for a community open house on Saturday, March 18 from 9-11 a.m. at the Glencoe Library. Let’s envision Glencoe’s future together!

This will the first in-person, community-wide workshop in the process of updating the Village’s comprehensive plan. Attend to learn about and provide feedback on the draft “big ideas” that will become the framework for plan recommendations.

This event is free to attend and for all ages. Coffee will be provided.

Last Sunday, the All In Glencoe project team had the pleasure of joining Glencoe’s Council for Inclusion & Community and members of the faith community at Am Shalom for an afternoon of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event followed an interfaith, MLK Day Unity Service hosted by St. Paul AME Church, Glencoe Union Church, and North Shore United Methodist Church (watch the live stream here!).

As we collectively sorted donations of winter coats, candid conversations were had about belonging and what it means to be inclusive. One idea for fostering a welcoming community? Create spaces and opportunities for people to gather together and share stories – just like last weekend’s event.

Many thanks to Rev. Kirk of St. Paul AME Church, Rabbi Lowenstein of Am Shalom, and the Glencoe Council for Inclusion & Community for inviting us to join the conversation as part of the comprehensive plan visioning process.

We will soon be hosting another opportunity to gather and share! Watch your inbox for a save the date for our upcoming community workshop.

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Season’s Greetings, Glencoe!

Engagement Update

Since launching this planning + visioning process in October, we have been pleased to see steadily increasing community involvement! To date, we have collected:

• 1,500+ website views and almost 900 unique site visitors
• Nearly 300 starter poll responses
• Almost 200 individual ideas (check them out and add more via the comment map and ideas wall!)

Community conversations have also been taking place and will continue through meetings with the Village Plan Commission, other Village Boards and Commissions, local jurisdictions (School Board, Park Board, Library Board), one-on-one stakeholder interviews, and focus groups.

All of this is part of the first phase of this process, focused on community engagement, learning, and understanding.

Starter Poll Summary

Many thanks to the nearly 300 people who weighed in on the starter poll. A total of 277 responses came in from October through mid-November. Results are summarized here.

State of the Community / SWOT Analysis

The project team presented a preliminary Community Assessment / SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats/Challenges) Analysis at the November 30 Plan Commission meeting. The full presentation can be viewed here. We encourage you to provide feedback on anything that may be missing via the contact form or email! This initial assessment will continue to be refined and ultimately becomes a starting point for development of draft themes, goals, and objectives for the plan.

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More engagement opportunities to come – stay tuned and thank you for participating!

A Donut for Your Thoughts? Oct 1 Pop-Up Follow-Up

The first community event for All In, Glencoe took place on Saturday, October 1 – a perfectly crisp and sunny fall day made complete with a pop-up tent, donuts, and great conversation.

Thank you to all who stopped by! The project team was thrilled to meet and talk with so many residents, and we collected over 40 initial ideas to kick-off this community visioning process to update our comprehensive plan. This is just the beginning, and we loved seeing the early enthusiasm!

The main takeaway from folks we talked to? Glencoe is already great and well-loved – our plan for the future should preserve what makes our town special and build on existing assets.

Glencoe is already great and well-loved – our plan for the future should preserve what makes our town special and build on existing assets.

Other ideas shared include…

• Zero Carbon
• No chain stores/restaurants
• Ban private mosquito spraying – save the pollinators
• Affordable/accessible housing options for people with disabilities
• Family friendly bar and restaurant
• More parking in town
• Biking like in Amsterdam
• Preserve historic homes and buildings
• Support and raise awareness for local artists to activate Tudor Court

View the Ideas Wall and Comment Map to read all ideas shared so far, and then add your own! Use that to brainstorm before taking the 3-minute starter poll. All of this input will help shape the plan’s next steps, and we appreciate your participation!

BONUS: Take the poll and/or subscribe for project updates and you will be entered to win a $25 Hometown Coffee Gift Card!

Stay tuned for more project updates and be sure to subscribe to get them delivered to your inbox.