CHICAGO, Nov. 19 –The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago (HBAGC) has recognized the Village of Orland Park as the first-ever “Village of the Year” in its Key Awards for Excellence in Housing.
“The Key Awards, over the years, have honored developments, builders, architects, homes, and apartments, but we have never honored an entire village,” said HBAGC Vice-President Patrick Coveny, president/owner of Arch Construction Management, Inc., in Hinsdale, Ill. “We wanted to honor a community that we thought was doing it right — promoting growth, creating a vibe that attracts all sorts of development — commercial, residential and multi-family.”
In its assessment of the Village of Orland Park, the HBAGC cited seven criteria that made the community stand out. Among them were the Ninety7Fifty luxury apartment development, the Build Orland Park Program that promotes residential housing, and a significant increase in senior housing in the community as well as commercial and retail development. The village was also lauded for its 100 percent transparency index rating, focus on infrastructure improvements that include pedestrian friendly access, and promoting itself through social media and citizen engagement.
“This is a tremendous honor for Orland Park,” said Mayor Dan McLaughlin. “For the village to be recognized for its planning and development is wonderful.”
The HBAGC’s Key Awards recognize excellence in housing design, architecture, interior merchandising, landscaping, landscape architecture and remodeling. Other recognition is given for innovation and creativity through the Crystal Key.
“Orland Park has a strong history of planning, dating back more than 120 years when the village’s founders first mapped out the community,” McLaughlin said. “More recently, the comprehensive plan that the village follows guides future growth and planning. This helps us make sound decisions that make Orland Park a prime location for residential and commercial developments.”
“Orland Park has a vision and a strategic plan for a variety of housing and quality of life that puts its citizens first, all this while going through and coming out of a major recession,” Coveny said. “This award should be a model for other municipalities to follow.”
McLaughlin will accept the award on behalf of the village at the HBAGC Key Awards Dinner on November 15 in Arlington Heights, Ill.
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<em>ABOUT THE HBA OF GREATER CHICAGO: The not-for-profit Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago (HBAGC) was founded in 1939 and is a trade association representing more than 2,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other segments of residential construction. </em>
