After a year of study, a task force looking into downtown revitalization is ready to unveil its vision of what the city’s center should be.
The Batavia Task Force will present its Strategic Business Plan for Downtown at a joint public meeting of the City Council and Plan Commission on Wednesday.
Without giving too much away before the unveiling, Marianne Fasano, Task Force chairwoman, said the plan contains eight guiding principles, or goals, that officials should consider when making decisions that affect downtown.
“It defines our market position, which is a niche that is quite unique in the whole Fox Valley,” Fasano said. “In today’s competitive environment, a market niche is vital to survival.”
While communities such as Elgin and Aurora have cast their lots with riverboat gambling, and others such as Geneva and St. Charles are havens for retail businesses and restaurants, Batavia’s downtown is family-recreation oriented, Fasano said.
The plan also details suggestions for capital improvement projects and infrastructure repairs the task force feels will improve the chances for redevelopment.