Konen lauds village progress at Sugar Grove State of the Village

Village of Sugar Grove President Jen Konen made her 2025 State of the Village on Friday morning, Feb. 7 at Waubonsee Community College.

Konen called Sugar Grove a village on the rise.

“It’s about more than just new developments,” she said. “It’s about growth that strengthens our community, opportunities that make life better for our residents and a shared vision of what the Village of Sugar Grove can be.”

In that vision is the 760-acre development, The Grove.

“This is a transformative opportunity for the Village,” she said. “The Grove is designed to open our doors to new opportunities for our families, children and businesses. It’s a project that positions our village for sustainable growth and creates spaces and services that truly benefit the community.”

The Grove aims to bring a lively town center, a wide range of housing options for all ages, community-focused retail and services, flourishing parks and green space and job opportunities to Sugar Grove.

“I want to take a moment to emphasize that the board took its evaluation of this plan very seriously,” Konen said. “Tremendous due diligence went into ensuring that the growth aligns with the needs and values of the community. We looked at this project from every angle to ensure it would deliver the greatest possible benefit while addressing any potential concerns. And when you look at the facts and the potential of this project, it’s clear The Grove is about moving Sugar Grove forward in a way that benefits everyone.”

During her presentation, which was hosted by the Sugar Grove Economic Development Corporation, Konen shared that Crown Community Development would soon be breaking ground for The Grove and that site construction and utility movement would follow.

“By 2026, the developer will have residential mods ready for builders to start construction,” she said. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring much needed homes to Sugar Grove and position our community as a leader in meeting housing needs in the future.”

Konen, who is running for re-election and facing challenger Sue Stillwell, has been pushing for growth since her first State of the Village in 2022.

Konen announced Jiffy Lube, Starbucks, the Cilantro Taco Grill and the BrightPath Sugar Grove Child Care Center as some of the new businesses coming to Sugar Grove soon.

“BrightPath is now enrolling and set to open in early 2025,” she said. “This center is addressing the growing need for childcare options and revitalizing a long vacant building with updated landscaping, making it fresh and a welcoming addition.”

While Konen’s advocation efforts for a stoplight at the intersection of Rt. 47 and Park Avenue fell short, a different solution is in progress.

“When I took office, I knew we needed to make safety improvements at Park and Illinois 47,” she said. “The State said there was nothing we could do to qualify for a traffic light but those of you who know me can imagine I refused to stop there. Today, we are at phase two engineering with intersection improvements that will prohibit through movements on Illinois 47 and left turns off of Park.”

Konen praised the Village Board for two straight years without property tax increases.

“This is something that hasn’t been done for 25 years,” she said. “This reflects the Village Board’s commitment to keeping costs manageable for our residents. On top of that, Village reserve bonds are now exceeding $20 million, putting Sugar Grove in its best financial position its ever been. And there’s more good news. Over the past five fiscal years utility rates have been decreased by 5% saving you more money thanks to the Board’s focus on responsible fiscal management.”