Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Parish (Saints JFX) has engaged the Lakota Group, with the support of OKW Architects and Kimley-Horn, to prepare a cohesive Master Plan for the Parish in Wilmette, Illinois. The Saints JFX One Plan will serve as a forward-thinking vision to strategically reinvest in the right balance of academic, religious, recreation, and social spaces and allow leadership to budget and identify opportunities for funding of these initiatives. Collective dialogue with the broader communities of leadership, faculty, parish members, students, families, and other interested stakeholders is critical to develop a long-range action strategy to reinvest and improve both internal and external facilities. The final master plan will integrate the Saints JFX community voice into realistically achievable plans, balanced programming and operational improvements, and a clear timeline for implementation.

 

 

Phase 1: Engage (January-May)

The focus of Phase 1 is to establish a dynamic “community” planning process that involves a wide range of stakeholders, including church and school leadership, to create a comprehensive information base to facilitate discussion and understanding of existing conditions and opportunities. The information and maps produced during this phase will determine and clearly define the Parish’s strengths, weaknesses, constraints, and opportunities, as well as form the basis for the master planning process.

Phase 2: Analyze (May-August)

During Phase 2, the Team will take all data, benchmark summaries, and consolidate the information into a simple State of the Parish Report. During this phase, the Team will also further examine and focus more specifically on existing site and building conditions, opportunities, constraints, and issues. Lakota’s planning and landscape architecture team will work closely with our architect/building/traffic team members and Steering Committee to evaluate more fully each of the campus’ facilities and develop a simple facility analysis, which will be part of the State of the Parish Report.

Phase 3: Envision (August-December)

During Phase 3, the Team will conduct a series of internal visioning sessions with the project team and Steering Committee, create and refine concepts and develop associated budgets for each Parish initiative. Additionally, we will host Open House events where the community can discuss and share ideas. This phase will culminate in the creation of a Final Master Plan direction that will include proposed site, building or operational enhancements, options, and strategies for both campuses.

 

We want to hear from you! Community engagement is a crucial step in this planning process and we want to hear from you. As part of this initiative, the Saints JFX team will undertake a meaningful, all-inclusive public participation program that engages community members, students, families, and leadership, among other interested stakeholders. An open and transparent public engagement effort will help gather input and feedback throughout the process to envision the future of the Saints JFX Parish.

Your thoughts, ideas, and opinions are important to us as we move into this planning process. There will be many opportunities for you to participate throughout including focus groups, online surveys, community workshops, and open houses. Check back soon for upcoming opportunities!

In the meantime, sign up through the contact section below to receive project update emails and information about upcoming opportunities to stay involved!