
The Central Business District (CBD) in the Village of Glen Ellyn is a historic downtown dearly loved by its residents. The CBD features an exciting mix of uses including commercial, civic, and residential and is served not only by automobiles, but by robust transit, bike, and pedestrian usage. Civiltech provided Design Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and extensive public engagement services on the Village’s CBD Streetscape and Utility Improvements project, creating a revitalized downtown with exciting and sustainable streetscape and landscape features. Prior to Design, Civiltech conducted a Phase I Environmental Study with extensive community collaboration. The Study looked at relieving congestion, improving safety, and providing better bike and pedestrian access. The pedestrian-focused design is forward-looking while preserving the CBD’s historic feel.
The project was selected to receive a Special Achievement Award as part of the ACEC Illinois 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards. Also, the project received the APWA Suburban Branch Project of the Year for Transportation, $5 million to $25 million. Civiltech submitted the project for the ACEC award and the project’s Phase III consultant, BLA, Inc. submitted the project for the APWA Award.
With this project, all streets within the CBD were reconstructed or resurfaced and all pedestrian facilities were improved and brought up to current ADA standards. Utilities were replaced or rehabilitated throughout the CBD. To create more meaningful pedestrian space, the design modified curb lines and parking configurations. The increased pedestrian space allowed for robust landscaping and streetscaping elements such as large planters, decorative furnishings, and bike racks. The design also provided local eateries with increased space for sidewalk cafes.
A primary design goal was to ensure that the trees lining the streets of the CBD would grow to full maturity which can be difficult in urban environments. This was especially critical since the overall reconstruction project involved removing the Village’s existing trees. Civiltech specified an innovative technology called Soil Cells. The Soil Cell technology is a suspended pavement system that allows uncompacted planter soil to be installed under areas of pavement. Typical tree pits do not allow the soil volume needed for the size and species of trees desired, thus the soil cells allow additional planter soil under the pavement. The soil cells also provide the needed planting soil without competing for sidewalk space with street furnishings, pedestrian access, or business uses such as café seating as would happen with oversized planters.
Another innovative technology applied to this project was Civiltech’s use of video animation, an exciting, powerful, and cutting-edge tool the team employed to assist the Village. Civiltech’s digital rendering team created an animation used in public meetings to illustrate how the improvements would look and function in a way that people could easily understand. One animation moved through the finished project illustrating how the streetscape would look and feel. The dynamic streetscape animation brought the improvements to life with images of people moving through the downtown and experiencing the new features.
A second animation for Glen Ellyn focused on construction phasing. This video clearly illustrated how pedestrian access would be managed during construction as well as the resulting finished product. The ability to see how the construction phasing would work helps build a partnership and cooperation with stakeholders impacted by the construction rather than the frustration created by impacts that they did not anticipate. The construction sequencing video proved extremely beneficial. A member of the community that was in attendance expressed concerns over perceived negative impacts from the forthcoming construction. When the video ended, the room was silent. Everyone had their questions and concerns addressed.
Two overarching project goals worked to advance a positive public image of the engineering process and create a successful outcome. One was to keep the public highly engaged in the process, building collaboration, and supporting their vision for their beloved downtown. Secondly, a project goal was supporting economic development in the downtown.
To engage the public in the process, Civiltech, together with MUSE Community + Design, engaged in robust public outreach. One meeting, early in the process was a public design workshop held in a downtown fire station during the CBD’s annual sidewalk sale day. The workshop included a variety of creative activities to allow the community to take part in the design process. Civiltech also led a wide range of stakeholder meetings including a steering committee and various community groups to build design consensus.
As part of the efforts to gather meaningful community feedback, Civiltech’s Landscape Architect, Phil Hutchinson, PLA, conducted interviews with Glen Ellyn community members regarding streetscape design components. The Village installed sidewalk treatment mock-ups including 3 different brick paver options and 2 different exposed aggregate options as part of the new downtown streetscape design. The mock-ups remained in place through a winter and into spring to test their resistance to snow and de-icing. The public was then asked to vote on their favorite design and material.
In support of economic development, Civiltech worked with the business community to create a street design that worked for their unique needs. With the arrival of COVID shutdowns during the preliminary design phase of the project, this goal took on an added dimension. Civiltech assisted the Village in exploring options to expand outdoor dining possibilities to help their local restaurants that were facing COVID restrictions. Civiltech provided consultation on developing a strategy for placement, temporary street closures, and ideas to enhance the outdoor spaces with unique and attractive ambiance.
The Civiltech team also developed recommendations and renderings for traffic control, safety, and aesthetic treatments during the COVID shutdown. Traffic control recommendations looked at traffic barriers and road closures. Safety issues included locating hand washing and sanitizing areas and appropriate dining table placement. Aesthetic enhancements involved screening strategies such as planter placements and creating a fun and inviting environment with festoon lighting.
As described above, the project included social design considerations in pursuit of public enthusiasm through robust engagement, economic design considerations in prioritizing design in support of economic development, and sustainable design considerations in the approach to creating a mature urban forest. These three goals came together in the horticultural approach to tree species selection.
Previously, the Village had a monoculture in its streetscape plantings: just two species of trees. Installing a diverse selection of tree species protects the urban forest from a virus or infestation that can destroy a specific species. Prior to specifying the diverse species, the team gave a series of educational presentations with a variety of different groups including community members, the Village board, and various stakeholders. These meetings helped build consensus for the approach of using a diverse and native mix of trees and plantings in the design. These meetings also helped ensure the community that while they were losing their existing trees, the new design increased the quantity, tree size, and canopy.
The soil cell technology and ability to plant trees that will grow to maturity offers a number of sustainable benefits. Mature tree canopies in urban areas provide shade and mitigate heat island affect. Mature plantings also are beneficial to storm water management, and in urban settings, are shown to attract more foot traffic, thus people are more engaged with the local businesses.
Accessibility and equity in the pedestrian facilities were also social and sustainable design considerations aiding the improvement of the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The design included shortened pedestrian crossings created from curb bump outs and the reduction of traffic lane widths. Also, the design brought pedestrian facilities up to ADA compliance.
The design process included examining the broader urban story. The historic architecture was studied and used as inspiration for the streetscape aesthetic and the materials that were selected. Patterns and materials, such as granite planters and pavers, were inspired by downtown facades.
The Civiltech team worked closely with the people of Glen Ellyn to ensure that the design respected the historic downtown and provided economic benefit to the many unique businesses. This forward-looking undertaking by the Village demonstrated a commitment to sustainability in the improvement and preservation of their lovely downtown with an emphasis on pedestrian convenience, safety, accessibility, and making the downtown area a thriving and fun destination. Sustainable downtowns understand their community’s needs and maintain the resources to adapt when necessary. They rely on community input, outside help, and a clear path to the future. A broad coalition of community stakeholders reinforces community driven imperatives. The Village of Glen Ellyn has shown their commitment to a sustainable community through this streetscape and infrastructure improvement.