Ogle County communities seek input from residents for community revitalization plans

The communities of Mt. Morris, Oregon and Polo have partnered with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) to do a community revitalization plan.

High prices and low inventory have led to a housing crisis in Ogle County communities and beyond. A number of towns in the area are working to resolve those issues, but first, a more precise picture of what is going on locally must be made clear. The communities of Mt. Morris , Oregon and Polo have partnered with the Illinois Housing Development Authority to do just that via a community revitalization plan.

The planning process being undertaken builds upon and links to existing planning and development efforts, identifies strengths and needs within the community, and increases local capacity to connect housing and economic development with community goals. IHDA provides technical assistance throughout the process to bring together various data sources, organize community members and stakeholders, and evaluate the conditions and needs of the community to inform the final plan. The Ogle County communities involved are currently in the first step of the process, which asks residents to give their feedback via survey.

Individual community surveys are currently available and can be accessed at oglecountyedc.com/communities. Any questions regarding the survey or the planning process can be directed to Liz Hiemstra, executive director of the Ogle County Economic Development Corporation, at director@oglecountyedc.com. More information on IHDA’s community revitalization plans can be found at www.ihda.org/developers/market-research/cr-plans/ .