Nov 14, 2013

Franklin Park O'Hare Industrial Corridor Plan

UPDATE: The Village of Franklin Park unanimously adopted the O'Hare Industrial Corridor Plan on Monday, November 24, 2014.

The Village of Franklin Park, located in Cook County just south of O'Hare International Airport, is home to one of the largest industrial areas in Illinois. In light of the development of major capital projects related to nearby O'Hare Airport -- including the Elgin-O'Hare Western Access (EOWA) project, one of five new major capital projects recommended by GO TO 2040 – the Village of Franklin Park has created an industrial area plan to align with those future improvements.

Building upon previous planning studies, market analyses, existing conditions, and community input, CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program helped the Village to create the Franklin Park O'Hare Industrial Corridor Plan. This plan provides guidance for the area's future growth, with strategies to support the Village's industrial businesses and overall economic prosperity.

The process included three phases. The first phase included an analysis of the area's existing conditions, as well as the collection of initial input from the business community and the general public regarding the issues and opportunities for the industrial area. The second phase consisted of creating a shared vision and outlining specific goals and recommendations necessary to achieve the vision. The third phase was the development of an implementation strategy that put the goals and recommendations into action.

Public Engagement

The final O'Hare Industrial Corridor Plan (currently available for download and review here) was adopted by the Village Board at their November 24, 2014 meeting.

In order to provide local businesses and stakeholders with an opportunity to learn about and comment on the final plan draft, a Business Community Open House Meeting was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 in the Franklin Park Police Station's Community Room. This meeting included a brief presentation as well as an open discussion, during which over 20 attendees asked questions and shared their final input on the plan.

An initial business community meeting, which was open to the public as well, occurred on July 9, 2013, at the Franklin Park Community Center. At this meeting, local businesses and stakeholders helped to shape the plan's development by sharing their ideas about the opportunities and challenges in the Village's industrial corridor just south of O'Hare. For those businesses unable to attend that July 2013 meeting, a short online survey was created to ask similar questions and gain more feedback from the business community.