PLACEMAKING IN THE PARKS

In 2022, Place Foundry began placemaking consulting services for The Parks Chamber of Commerce, the joint chamber of commerce for the City of Loves Park, IL, and the City of Machesney Park, IL. The overarching mission of this placemaking endeavor, dubbed “Placemaking in the Parks,” is to provide comprehensive land use and development plan to create magnetic destinations for residents and visitors of the two municipalities and the Rockford Region. Placemaking in the Parks is a five-year strategy focused on six distinct “districts” in Loves Park and Machesney Park. A strategic plan for the first of these Districts, Riverside Commons, was completed in April 2023. 

Through Place Analysis, Place Foundry conducted thorough marketplace research to identify key consumer trends and demand that will influence future retail attraction and development. Next, through Place Mapping, our team integrated these marketplace findings with demographic and policy conditions to produce a variety of land use scenarios, cost estimates, and potential funding strategies for the Parks and other stakeholders to review. Finally, through Place Blueprinting, our team developed an in-depth land use strategy with schematic design, policy recommendations, and cost analyses based on priorities identified during the Place Mapping process. Place Foundry’s work with The Parks has extended beyond the planning phase into organizing the Box Market Implementation Work Group, a cohort of local property owners, business leaders, and municipal officials focused on implementing critical components of District 1 (Riverside Commons) Blueprint.