Community Meeting #4 (June): Strategies + Projects

On June 4th, Community Meeting #4 was held in at the Early Action Project Site: The Western Avenue Greenway. The meeting gathered approximately 30 participants. Attendees included residents from Heritage Place Apartments and the Bicentennial Bluffs Planning Area. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to engage in discussions, share insights, and contribute to the planning process for the neighborhood.

The goals of this meeting focused on:

• Identifying priority people strategies for residents of Heritage Place Apartments.

• Reviewing the refined housing design concepts and gather feedback to inform future design iterations.

• Engaging residents in discussions on key neighborhood focus areas, strategies, and projects.

• Providing updates on the early action project, and continue creating momentum around its implementation through youth engagement activities.

  
  

The meeting utilized an interactive format, featuring engagement stations with materials and prompts designed to gather resident input. Additionally, breakout sessions facilitated small-group discussions, allowing for more

in-depth dialogue on key topics and community priorities.

• People’s Bucks: Residents prioritized people’s strategies through a participatory budgeting exercise.

• Housing Concepts: Residents reviewed refined concepts that were developed with their input from the last meeting, and provided additional feedback about housing types, open space, and amenities.

• Neighborhood Strategies: Residents learned about neighborhood focus areas and provided feedback on proposed neighborhood strategies.

• Early Action Project: Residents were updated with the results of the Bicentennial Bluffs Neighborhood signage design survey, engaged and played through a pollinator-themed youth activity, and received updates of the implementation process.

People's Bucks

Through Working Groups hosted in March and May, 18 potential projects were identified for inclusion in the plan, aligning with the key themes of Education, Health, Income and Employment. To assess community priorities, participants were given a theoretical budget of $100,000 each to allocate toward the projects they deemed most critical. Collectively, participants allocated a total of $4,620,000** across all projects. The top 6 priority projects, as determined by resident voting, include:

1. Connect residents to mental health services

2. Organize sports and other recreational programming along the riverfront

3. Increase participation to existing programming at the Boys and Girls Club

4. Create on-site financial literacy classes

5. Create on-site multi-generational and cultural programming

6. Provide on-site community classes for senior residents

Housing Design Residents were asked to provide feedback on three main aspects of the design concepts of Heritage Place Apartments and the Former Lyons Lumber Yard site:

• Open Space: What types of activities would you prioritize for the open spaces?

• Housing: What do you like most about the housing proposed?

• Amenities: What services or amenities would you prioritize?

Some key highlights focused on the following:

Open Space:

Safe public spaces and parks, trails, biking infrastructure, playgrounds, community gardens, water features, dog parks, and multi-generational recreation spaces that provide opportunities for gathering, play, exercise, and riverfront access.

Housing:

Mixed-income and lower-scale with accessible senior units, shared porches, river views, and high-quality architectural design and construction that supports community interaction and neighborhood character.

Amenities & Services:

Affordable grocery stores, fresh food markets, restaurants, coffee shops, healthcare and clinic services, fitness facilities, public transportation, neighborhood retail, and mixed-use development that supports local businesses.

Neighborhood Strategies

Through voting boards and an interactive map, residents reviewed and prioritized strategies and projects structured in four themes: Transportation & Mobility, Parks & Recreation, Amenities & Services, and Identity & Culture:

Transportation & Mobility

• Improve transit accessibility and frequency, install bus shelters for weather protection, and expanded Sunday service.

• Enhance pedestrian and bicycle connections between Bicentennial Bluffs, Downtown, and key destinations in the Planning Area.

Parks & Recreation

• Expand youth programming, community events, and recreational opportunities in Bicentennial Bluffs and Southeast Downtown.

• Improve open spaces with trails, sports facilities, picnic and BBQ gathering areas.

Amenities & Services

• Increase access to grocery and healthy food stores, pharmacies, healthcare services, community centers, and support of local businesses.

Identity & Culture

• Activate vacant storefronts and support new businesses in Downtown and Bicentennial Bluffs.

• Expand public art, cultural programming, and beautification efforts, particularly along Hickory Street and key neighborhood corridors.

Early Action Station

The Early Action Station provided attendees the opportunity to express themselves while learning more about planned improvements and future project steps. The meeting was held at the Western Avenue Greenway, the selected site of the Early Action project. This two-block, City owned corridor between Broadway and Pine serves as a gateway to the Bicentennial Bluffs Neighborhood.

An overview of the proposed Western Avenue Greenway improvements, including seating, landscaping, pollinator habitats, and a new neighborhood sign, were presented to attendees. Additional feedback was collected throughout the meeting.

Pollinator Activity

Pollinator habitats and native landscaping are a prominent feature of the Early Action project. Attendees expressed their excitement for pollinators through an interactive painting activity. Bees, hummingbirds, flowers, and bugs were painted on the community banner. The banner sported the community voted tagline “Bicentennial Bluffs Neighborhood - Love Where You Live.”

Thank you to the staff from the City of Joliet, the Housing Authority of Joliet, and the Bicentennial Bluffs Neighborhood Association for their support, as well as to the Joliet Public Library and the Joliet Fire Department for engaging with residents. We are also grateful for all the participants that joined us and engaged in the conversations and activities.