“I am extremely pleased that the comprehensive plan has come this far,” said Morton Mayor Norm Durflinger Monday night after seeing downtown development design concepts.
Downtown development has been on the minds of Mortonites ever since last year, but it seemed to fade from a serious undertaking to just talk.
That has not been the case.
The Morton Economic Development Council has been hosting various meetings between business owners and designers for the past several months. Perhaps designers and participants were just waiting to give us a big surprise.
Based lfrom Monday night’s presentation, the team has come a long way, showing off not just drawings, but a well-considered plan for the future of Morton’s commercial regions.
It is important that those new to the topic not jump to conclusions about the designs. As design team members acknowledged, they are the result of a one-day brainstorming effort between volunteers. Really, it is encouraging to see such progress on the idea of improving the look and feel of Morton’s retail hot spots.
Early concept drawings show a lot of promise for a downtown that, currently, is far from a destination for many shoppers. Even more encouraging is the fact that this was a collaborative effort between the design team and the stakeholders — business owners and property owners.
For this project to be successful, it will require a lot of cooperation among local business owners, the village and designers.
Additionally, the costs associated with such a project will require more revenue, something that is lacking in the village.
Creating a business district would surely create a stream of funding for the project. But, a lot of things would have to go right before business districts could be set in place.
Do not jump to conclusions — a downtown development project is not a definite, but more of a desire. And, for the businesses, it is a necessary desire. An improved downtown will increase traffic and bump sales.
For businesses that are not along for the ride, now is a good time to jump onboard.
