Planning Programs and Projects

The City Council unanimously approved the plan on September 14th, 2011 as an amendment to the City's Comprehensive Plan and Design Guidelines.

Preliminary results from the systems analysis component were presented to the RTA Board in May 2005. The Final Report was completed in April 2006.

The final draft zoning code amendments are complete and are ready for Village Board adoption as revisions into the zoning ordinance. The RTA will monitor progress of adopting the revised zoning code amendments.

In 2019, the Village Council approved zoning changes that sought to attract businesses and developers to the Village's Downtown Business District. Some of the approved changes were proposed during the zoning code update project that the Village completed in collaboration with RTA. In 2020, the Village Council approved additional modifications to the Village's zoning map.

Forest Oaks, a 56-unit multi-family development that offers affordable housing for seniors, was completed in 2020. Located at 7228 Circle Avenue, Forest Oaks is adjacent to the Harlem/Lake Green Line station and is an example of the type of development that is now permitted following the Village's adoption of the zoning amendments developed during the zoning code update project.

Phase I of the nine-building Cardinal Square development, an 84 unit building located directly east of the Metra Station, was completed and occupied in 2008. Phase II, a 65 unit building, was completed in 2015. As of October 2022, construction of Phase III (180 units) is ongoing and nearing completion. The Village, in partnership with Weston Solutions, broke ground on a new mixed-use biulding in April of 2013. This new building is part of a larger redevelopment of the Village Center and will include a new village hall and new retail/office space. Construction is completed and the Village held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 6, 2014. As part of this project, the Village also constructed a new public right-of-way, Plaza Circle, to provide better access to the Metra station and Village Hall. In October 2022, the Village approved a redevelopment plan for a 165 unit development adjacent to the new Village Hall on Plaza Circle. To implement these projects, which were central recommendations of the 2005 TOD plan, the Village purchased ten acres of land previously occupied by an industrial building. The tenant of the building was relocated to another Village-owned property immediately south of the Metra commuter parking lot.

In an effort to improve pedestrian circulation in the station area, the Village designed and constructed a pedestrian overpass at the Metra station. The project was awarded CMAQ funding in October 2015 and was completed in October 2022. In fall of 2015, construction began on Fairhaven Crossing, a 40 unit affordable residential development for families and individuals with disabilities located on Hawley Street within convenient walking distance of the Metra station. Construction was completed in fall of 2016 and the building is currently occupied.

In 2020 the Village purchased a former recycling center at 101 E. Maple in Mundelein's downtown district to encourage new retail or resident development of the site, which would be more fitting with the rest of the downtown area. In October 2022, construction began on a 139 unit development at this location, bounded by Morris Ave, Park St. Seymour Ave, and Maple Ave. The Village is also constructing water/sewer, roadway, and pedestrian infrastructure improvements on Seymour Ave, Morris Ave, and Park St to support the development. Construction is expected to wrap up in Spring 2024.

The Village revised their zoning ordinance in 2008 per a recommendation in their Station Area Plan and developed a Unified Development Ordinance, which allows them to provide optimal transitions between incompatible land uses, incorporate design controls, and focus on transit-supportive uses. 

The Front Street Lofts, an 82-unit condo loft development located in the TOD area along the I&M Canal, is completed and occupied. Additional residential and mixed use development has taken place along Talcott Ave., also in the study area. 

In January 2015 the Village held a Developer Discussion Panel coordinated through the RTA and ULI to solicit advice from development experts on ways to proactively attract infill development near the Metra Station along two Downtown corridors, Main Street and Canal street. The report can be found in Related Reports.

Work on the project began in March 2023 with meetings among the project team and the project’s Steering Committee. Work on the project continued throughout 2023 with community engagement, existing conditions analysis, and development of draft recommendations. The project team prepared a draft plan for Village staff, Steering Committee, and Planning and Zoning Commission review and made revisions based on comments received. The plan was approved by the Village Board of Trustees at their April 22, 2024 meeting. You can read the plan in the "Related Reports" section of this page.

The study was completed in June, 2010. In July of 2011, an RFP was released and proposals sought for the Southwest Will TMA Implementation and Travel Demand Study by the Joliet Arsenal Development Study and the City of Joliet. A committee consisting of JADA, Will County, Will County Governmental League, Will County Center for Economic Development and the City of Joliet selected Ruettiger & Tonelli / AECOM after the interview process. The project commenced in the summer of 2013.