Master Plan

On June 23, 2003, a presentation of the complete Master Plan, A 21st Century Vision for Waukegan’s Downtown and Lakefront, was given to the City Council, residents and developers in the Waukegan community.  In December of 2003 the Waukegan City Council amended its Comprehensive Plan to incorporate the Master Plan as part of the City’s overall land use strategy. The Master Plan, developed by the internationally renowned architectural and planning firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, lays out the planning and action steps for realizing the Waukegan community’s vision of a revitalized downtown and lakefront.

Click HERE to view the Master Plan

In addition to the original Master Plan, in 2005, the Waukegan City Council engaged Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to develop design guidelines which set the criteria for development within the downtown and lakefront areas.

Click HERE to view the Design Guidelines for the Downtown and Lakefront Redevelopment Area

Waukegan’s Master Plan has been the recipient of two prestigious awards, including:

• the 2005 Burnham Award, presented by the Metropolitan Planning Council
• the 2005 Award for Excellence, presented by the Congress for the New Urbanism