Among the highlights from CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn, upcoming CMAP and LTA meetings, request for public comment on Will County's revised zoning and building ordinances for unicorporated areas, news on the CMAQ-funded Prairie Bike Crossing, the rekindled U.S. EPA Documerica project, and a Policy Update on the new Master Plan for Union Station study. Subscribe to get Weekly Updates by e-mail.
First Off...
CMAP meetings. The
CMAP Board will meet next week at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. And the
MPO Policy Committee will meet the following day at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 12.
Other News and Announcements
Upcoming LTA meetings. CMAP's
Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program is helping the
Village of Lakemoor develop a comprehensive plan. The Village and CMAP will host a kick-off public meeting on January 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lakemoor Public Works building. CMAP is also working with Will County to develop a neighborhood plan for the
Fairmont community. The County and CMAP will host a public open house to review the draft plan on January 30 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church.
CMAQ in the news. Lake County's
December newsletter highlighted the Prairie Crossing Bike Path, which will be constructed this year. The project is funded through the
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program.
The Chicago Tribune also wrote about Metra improvements, including equipment that automatically shuts down engines as they arrive at stations. That equipment is also funded through CMAQ.
On-line comments requested. Will County has begun to revise its zoning and building ordinances for unincorporated areas, focusing on energy efficiency and sustainable development practices that remove barriers and provide implementation incentives. The draft of the ordinance revisions has been posted at the project’s public involvement website and includes an easy-to-use commenting tool to encourage greater public participation and supplement feedback received through other means, such as the project’s two upcoming public workshops on January 18 and 19.
CDOT Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 public meetings. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is holding a series of meetings and webinars throughout Chicago to receive input on the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020. The plan will identify a network of bicycling facilities that will make bike trips safe and comfortable for Chicagoans. The meetings flyer is also available in Spanish. Meetings/webinars include: - January 18, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Garfield Park Conservatory, Jensen Room, 300 N. Central Park Avenue.
- January 25, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Woodson Regional Library, Auditorium, 9525 S. Halsted Street.
- February 1, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue.
- February 3 webinar, noon to 1:00 p.m. Reserve a webinar seat.
- February 6 webinar, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Reserve a webinar seat.
Megapolitan America. An
excerpt from the book
Megapolitan America is now available. The Atlantic Cities blog recently
covered how the book analyzes data that suggests dramatic shifts by 2040, including a U.S. economy dominated by 23 megapolitan regions. The authors write: “In our view, we need to target many long-range planning and public policy efforts to where people live, not where they don’t.”
Documerica. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rekindled its
Documerica project, which four decades ago collected photographs to document the state of our nation's environment. They are using
Flickr and other new technologies to inspire a new generation of photographers. See their digitized collection of 1970s photos from the project's
first incarnation.
New I-GO discount available. Between now and February 29, individuals can receive a $50 transit fare credit and a heavily discounted I-GO membership when they sign up for a
Chicago Card Plus I-GO card, which seamlessly allows members to access CTA buses and trains and I-GO Car Sharing vehicles. Existing I-GO members will receive $20 in driving credits when they refer people to this special deal.
Lake County ITS. Residents and visitors in Lake County can benefit from the
PASSAGE for updated information about construction, traffic delays, and more, including real time notifications. For more, contact Jonathan Nelson (847-377-7400 or
jpnelson@lakecountyil.gov).
CMAP Blogs
Policy Updates. CDOT is conducting a
Master Plan Study for Union Station, phase three of which is funded through CMAP's
Unified Work Program. Phase three includes the development of a train operation simulation model to assess capacity of alternative station plans, including the West Loop Transportation Center, one of GO TO 2040's
major capital projects). We also included the
second installment of a four-part series of new CMAP research on public-private partnerships (PPPs); this entry focuses on PPPs and federal transportation reauthorization.
Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation operation blog informed readers about an upcoming
webinar on monitoring and evaluating progress toward operations objectives.
Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog featured a CalTrans
report describing and analyzing methods to reduce pedestrian and bicycle injuries along defined corridors. The report also proposes a method for conducting benefit-cost analyses and a prototype training protocols for pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements.
Reminders
Air quality attainment. Our region faces harm to its air quality and a significant loss of federal transportation funding if the U.S. EPA follows through on its intention to ignore current, certified 2011 data and rule that northeastern Illinois is "in attainment" with the agency's 2008 guidelines for air quality. We urge you to
contact U.S. EPA and members of Congress, calling on the federal regulators to consider the up-to-date 2011 data, which clearly indicate our region has actually not attained the 2008 air standards. The U.S. EPA comment period has begun with publication of a December 20
notice in the Federal Register (marked as "40 CFR Part 81"), which includes details of how to make your views known. Read more in a CMAP
Policy Update.
Planning Locally for Livability video. CMAP has released "
Planning Locally for Livability," which highlights the benefits of comprehensive planning by municipalities. The video focuses on comprehensive plans in development by
Blue Island and
Campton Hills, and on the sustainability plan prepared by
Park Forest. These projects benefit from CMAP's LTA program.
GIS workshops. CMAP offers a low-cost, introductory, hands-on
ArcGIS 10 workshop. The next two-day sessions will be April 18 to 19, and May 30 to 31. Cost is $350 per person, which includes a manual. Please contact Jan Drennan (312-386-8686 or
jdrennan@cmap.illinois.gov) or David Clark (312-386-8682 or
dcclark@cmap.illinois.gov).
Events
Informational Meeting: IKE Disaster Recovery Housing Repair/Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program
January 11, 2012
1:00 p.m.
Illinois State Museum: 502 S. Spring Street, Springfield
Hosted by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
More information
2012 Illinois Development Council Metro Meeting
January 30, 2012
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
ComEd Commercial Center: 1919 Swift Drive, Oak Brook
More information
Village of Westchester planning meeting
February 2, 2012
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Westchester Community Church
1840 Westchester Blvd, Westchester
More information
Blogs (Weekly Updates) 
