Plans & Studies

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Created by and for the community, the planning process creates the vision for how the Village wants to grow and develop. Plans seek to protect and enhance the quality of living for all community members, as well as identify, preserve, and build on the strengths and opportunities of the Village.

Different plans are created for different purposes:

Comprehensive Plans take a look at the community as a whole and provide a baseline that the Planning and Zoning Commission, Village Board, and Village Staff look at when considering development proposals. Comprehensive Plans look at current conditions and trends, as well as the future vision for the community. Topics considered can include land use, transportation, housing and economic development.
Sub-area plans focus on a specific area of the community. they may be created in response to changing circumstances in that area that made the time right for a new community vision.
Transportation plans look at how people move around a community. Although Comprehensive Plans cover this too, dedicated transport plans get more specific. For example, they may propose new routing options for trucks, or opportunities for new connections between bike routes.
Regional plans look at large areas that cross multiple municipal boundaries. They are often created by regional planning agencies such as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, but can also be initiated by different communities deciding to work together.
Economic Development plans are strategic plans that guide how a community will support its businesses, including attraction, retention, workforce development, and marketing.

The Village of Hoffman Estates regularly engages residents in planning efforts and has a number of plans and studies that guide the community.

Comprehensive Plan

Barrington I-90 Sub Area Plan

Adopted in July 2021, the Barrington Road I-90 Sub Area Plan will help to take advantage of the central location and expanded transportation assets within the Barrington Road andI-90 interchange of the Village. The plan suggests multiple exciting redevelopment opportunities that can create a vibrant and active space for residents and businesses to enjoy.

The Barrington Road interchange provides full east and west bound access to I-90. Designed in conjunction with the interchange in 2018, the Pace Barrington Road station was the first in-line bus transit station in Illinois, providing faster, more convenient commutes along I-90 The station includes a pedestrian overpass over I-90 linking the north and south bus terminals that are served by a Park-n-Ride lot on the north and a Kiss-n-Ride drop off facility on the south.

Barrington Road I-90 Sub Area Plan - FINAL (adopted 7/6/2021)
Study Area Map
Illustrative Master Plan
Overall Mobility Master Plan
Realizing the Plan - Implementation Steps

Western Area Plan

The Village Board adopted the Western Area Plan in July 2021. The plan provides conceptual land use scenarios for vacant and potential redevelopment parcels in the study area, including specific details for potential mixed use development on the parcels near the Village Green and NOW Arena.

This study does not define a specific development plan, but rather presents a framework reflecting realistic market-appropriate development scenarios that blend new and existing uses, communicates a vision that supports Village economic development goals, and considers the potential for residential uses to be added to the study area

Click the links below for PDF versions of the final plan and supplemental documents:

Hoffman Estates 2019 Western Area Plan - FINAL VERSION (adopted 7/6/2021)
Project Summary Memo
Open House Exhibits
Initial Findings Report
Initial Findings Presentation

Economic Development Strategic Plan

The Village of Hoffman Estates Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Village’s new Economic Development Strategic Plan on November 21, 2022. The plan was developed over the course of 15 months in collaboration with community, industry, and government stakeholders, and will be used by the Economic Development Division of the Development Services Department to guide development efforts over the next five years.

The feedback and data were used to formulate the strategic plan, which includes nine strategies developed to create an environment for the business community to succeed and prosper. The overall goal of these strategies is to improve the quality of life and the identity of the community while growing the Village’s tax base to ensure long-term financial sustainability. The economic development plan strategies include:

Attraction & Recruitment
Business Retention & Expansion
Foreign Direct Investment & Targeted Industry Clusters
Housing
Marketing & Communications
Quality of Life & Placemaking
Small Business Development
Tourism
Workforce Development

The plan can be accessed by clicking here.

Housing Market Study

In 2023, the Village commissioned Tracy Cross & Associates to conduct a residential market analysis. This study examined the demand for new housing in the Hoffman Estates area to allow the Village to plan strategically for new development. The study concluded that there is significant pent-up demand for new housing in the area, and that the Village could comfortably allow over 1000 new residential units per year. The full study is available here.

TIF Districts

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts

The Village has designated several TIF Districts in commercial areas of the Village to spur economic development and infrastructure improvements. A tax increment is the difference between the amount of property tax revenue generated before the TIF district designation and the amount of property tax revenue generated after TIF designation. The tax rates in the district do not change during the term of the TIF. Only property taxes generated by the incremental increase in the value of TIF district properties are available for TIF projects. TIF districts do not increase taxes, but they direct tax revenue back into the designated area.

TIF Districts are an effective and popular redevelopment tool, used in 49 states and in over 250 Illinois communities. Designating a TIF District is one of the more effective methods in which a local government can create economic activity in a specific geographic area. TIF districts do not divert money from the local school districts or other taxing bodies such as the parks and libraries. The school district continues to receive tax revenue during the term of the TIF at the rate before the designation of the TIF. The state tax revenue for schools is also typically greater when a school district overlaps a successful TIF district.

Click here for a summary of the Village's TIF Districts.

Bicycle Plan

The Village Board approved the Comprehensive Bicycle Plan and Map on May 17, 2010.The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee oversaw the development of this plan. The plan includes maps of existing and potential on street facilities, off street facilities, an evaluation of the Bike Level of Service (Bike LOS) for on street candidates, as well as sections on education, enforcement, encouragement, funding and coordination.

Flexible Transit Service Operations Plan

Other Regional Plans