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2025 Appearance Plan Update
Reference the existing Appearance Plan.
Homewood's Appearance Plan is the most important document for steering the design of buildings and the built environment in the Village. Adopted in 1998, the original Appearance Plan accomplishes two key tasks for the Village:
1. Establishes the Appearance Commission and tasks them with reviewing new development, or changes to existing structures and sites, to ensure sound and sustainable design.
2. Guides design outcomes for all multi-family buildings, mixed-use buildings, and non-residential buildings (Note: does not apply to single-family homes, duplexes or triplexes.)
The Appearance Plan regulates the main areas of building and site design, including site design, building materials, landscaping, signage and more. Providing a set of flexible yet effective guidelines for design ensures that the Village is built to conform with both best practices in design and the vision for the community as stated by local residents.
However, the current Appearance Plan is 25 years old, and updates are essential for ensuring that the Village is well-equipped to guide new development. New updates are being planned to better align guidelines with the current vision of Homewood residents, accommodate new building technologies and provide guidance that responds to the best design elements of different areas of the Village.
Watch these short videos to learn about the baseline requirements of the zoning ordinance and how the Appearance Plan/Guidelines will build upon them!
How to Get Involved with the Appearance Plan!
1. Join the Appearance Plan Steering Committee!
The Village is assembling a steering committee to put residents in the front seat of developing the Village's Appearance Plan! This committee will participate in design workshops and help develop the final version of the Plan, which will steer design in the Village for the next decade! Come and join a group of committed residents dedicated to promoting sustainable, durable, and beautiful development in Homewood!
Interested in joining the Steering Committee? Click the link below to find an application and more information about how to get involved with the Committee. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis until March 24, 2025! Apply now!
Questions? Contact Noah Schumerth, Assistant Director of Economic and Community Development at nschumerth@homewoodil.gov or (708) 206-3380.
2. Send Us Your Comments!
Community design is a unique challenge - from the layout of a street to the signs on a building, design impacts the daily life of all Homewood residents. Therefore, we want to hear from all residents about the upcoming Appearance Plan!
We will regularly update this page with the latest versions of the Plan as it comes together. Along the way, leave us your comments or feedback so we can incorporate the community's voice into the final adopted Appearance Plan! To leave a comment, simply click the link below or email Economic and Community Development atpzc@homewoodil.gov.
Unable to send a comment here? Leave us a comment at (708) 206-3380!
Appearance Plan FAQ
After 25 years, new plan updates will bring sweeping changes to how the Appearance Plan regulates design across the Village. Have questions about these changes? We have answers! Read the FAQ below.
1. Why is this update happening now?
This update is occurring as the Village takes on a sweeping effort to modernize and improve the planning tools used by Village staff and elected officials. This effort was started with the approval of the 2023 Zoning Ordinance, and includes the revision of the Downtown TOD Master Plan, Village signage ordinances, and other tools. While not tied to any specific project, these guidelines are being revised to better serve the onset of new types of development coming into the Village, including mixed-use developments in Downtown Homewood.
Additionally, this update will address several key challenges created by the current Appearance Plan:
Revisions Needed to Align with New Zoning Ordinance: The new zoning ordinance, adopted by the Village Board on January 10, 2023, has more extensive design requirements, with some overlap with the Appearance Plan. The existing Appearance Plan does not clearly identify guidelines for how to best meet the new zoning requirements, and the new plan must be written to better address the currently approved Zoning Ordinance.
Clearer Recommendations Needed: The existing Appearance Plan provides considerations that are largely left open to subjective review by the Appearance Commission, and require clarification for developers, Village officials and members of the public alike. A revised plan more clearly communicate expectations for building and site design and present a prescriptive path forward for design in different areas of the Village.
More Public Input Needed: The current Appearance Plan was implemented with minimal public input. The new plan document will be written carefully to reflect current concerns and hopes of Village residents, given that the Appearance Plan is the most direct tool available to the public for steering and advocating for the design of new developments and projects in the Village.
2. How will the Appearance Plan work with other plans, such as the Downtown TOD Master Plan?
The Appearance Plan is an implementation tool for other plans, providing guidance for how to put other plans (such as the Downtown TOD Master Plan) into action. It is a set of guidelines which are flexible and accommodate various types of projects. The guidelines provide expectations for how projects, identified in other Village plans, should be designed and implemented.
If the Village's plan identifies where and what type of development should be built, the Appearance Plan identifies how those developments should be built.
3. What changes are being proposed for the new Appearance Plan?
The new Appearance Plan will include key changes to make the plan more effective and easier to understand:
Clarity of Guidelines: Most of the guidelines in the old (current) plan are vague and do not clearly tell a developer how to design a new project, or an official what they should look for in a new project, or a member of the public what a new development may look like. The new plan will have much more specific design guidelines which make the plan easier to use and understand.
District-Specific Guidelines: The old (current) plan tries to be "one-size-fits-all" with design guidelines. However, this ignores the rich differences which exist between neighborhoods in even a small community such as Homewood. Guidelines for the types of buildings constructed in Downtown should look different than those for buildings constructed in Southgate, for example. The new guidelines will reflect those differences and provide more area-specific guidance for new developments. This also lets neighbors more directly affect the design of their neighborhoods.
Visual Guidelines: There are virtually no photos of graphics in the old (current) plan, making it much harder to understand what the guidelines actually mean when put into practice. The new plan will include more photos, graphics, and illustrations to make it easier to understand what is being asked for in new projects.
4. I own a home in the Village. How will this affect me?
Design guidelines are not applicable to single-family, duplex, or triplex residential buildings.
The Appearance Plan design guidelines and expectations apply only to the following types of development:
- Non-residential buildings
- Multi-family residential buildings (>4 units)
- Mixed-use buildings (i.e. commercial and residential)
5. Are any other projects connected to this Appearance Plan Update?
Yes! Chapter 30 of the Village Code of Ordinances, which regulates signage is being revised at the same time as the Appearance Plan. These two documents go hand-in-hand, and both are regularly used by the Appearance Commission to evaluate developments. The final drafts of both the Appearance Plan and the Sign Code will be brought forward together for review and approval.
6. When will the Appearance Plan be complete?
Village staff anticipate the completion of a draft plan by August/September 2025.
7. How long will the Appearance Plan be effective?
The Appearance Plan, unlike other types of plans, does not require a revision after a certain number of years (as seen in the 25 year lifespan of the current Appearance Plan!). The Appearance Plan remains in effect until the Village Board nullifies the old plan and adopts the new plan by ordinance.
8. Will I have an opportunity to review the final draft of the Plan?
Yes! Public engagement efforts are a part of the preparation of the Appearance Plan (including the current survey above!). We will have publicly available copies of drafts for review once the plan is written and in final draft form. Time has been allotted to do significant edits to the final plan based on feedback from Village residents. Our aim is to ensure the Appearance Plan is as close to being a direct product of Village residents as possible.
Have more questions?If you have a question, comment, idea, or want to be involved in the process of developing the Appearance Plan, please email Noah Schumerth at nschumerth@homewoodil.gov.