Posted on August 12, 2011 2:53 PM
CMAP Weekly Update, 8-12-11
Among today's highlights, CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn recapped Wednesday's Board and committee meetings, described our Board's strong support for the Illinois Tollway capital plan, announced a free MetroPulse app for iPhones, and detailed the impending public kickoff meetings for several Local Technical Assistance projects. Subscribe to receive Weekly Updates by email.
Table of Contents
First Off...
Board recap.The Board met this past week and welcomed its newest member, Andrew Madigan, appointed by Mayor Emanuel to represent the City of Chicago. He replaces Nigel Telman. The Board voted to approve a number of items, including the
Election of Officers,
Community Planning Program Grants, and the continuation of CMAP's existing process for evaluating
Developments of Regional Importance (DRI) for an additional two years. Tollway Board Chairman, Paula Wolf, and Tollway Executive Director, Kristi Lafleur, presented their proposed Tollway capital plan to the Board. The Board support is covered in an item below.
Prior to the Board meeting, the Local Coordinating Committee met and recommended Board approval of the Community Planning Program Grants. They also discussed
future grants and procurements, the
schedule for future applications, and the status of the
Local Technical Assistance (LTA) Program Update. The committee also heard a presentation on some of the innovative techniques that staff is utilizing for public engagement with our LTA projects.
Nigel Telman. On behalf of everyone at CMAP, I would like to sincerely thank Nigel Telman, whose term on our Board has ended. Nigel was one of the original Board members, and his efforts as chair of the Transition Committee were instrumental in the successful establishment of our agency.
Strong CMAP support of Tollway capital plan. Also on Wednesday, the CMAP Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a
letter strongly supporting the Illinois Tollway capital plan. In the letter, CMAP Board chairman Gerald Bennett states, "The Illinois Tollway's 15-year capital plan proposal is both a necessary and brave step in the right direction. Implementation of this plan will make our transportation system work better for everyone." Read more in a
related CMAP Policy Update, which describes how the Tollway plan builds on priorities established in the
GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. The Tollway will host a
series of public meetings to solicit public feedback from August 18 through 22, 2011.
MetroPulse iPhone app. Today CMAP released the free MetroPulse iPhone app, which allows users to view indicator data about the region’s counties, municipalities, and Chicago community areas. Users can select one location for which to build a dashboard of several indicators or select several locations to compare by one indicator. The data gets displayed as grids or bar charts. MetroPulse is part of the Regional Indicators Project, a partnership of CMAP and The Chicago Community Trust. While this app is not related to the Apps for Metro Chicago contest-- in which CMAP and the Trust are participating partners -- it is a good example of the data innovation that contest organizers seek to encourage.
Other News and Announcements
I-55 buses. Today's Tribune has a
story about Governor Quinn's approval for Pace buses to use the shoulder of I-55, which will have benefits for air quality and congestion mitigation. The effort is supported with a $1.5 million CMAQ grant through CMAP.
Staff progress report. Our fourth-quarter
progress report (April through June) based on CMAP's FY11
work plan is now available online.
Water 2050 newsletter. The latest
Water 2050 newsletter includes information on free bill insert designs as part of the Water 2050 Technical Assistance program, local watershed planning, and other local news.
Upcoming LTA kickoff meetings. In September, Local Technical Assistance (LTA) projects in Norridge, Elmwood Park, and the City of Chicago will host kickoff meetings. The
Village of Elmwood Park will start the process of updating the Village’s comprehensive plan on September 15. In late September, the
Village of Norridge will continue the development of a comprehensive plan with a visioning workshop. Also, CMAP and the City of Chicago and its partners will host the
Green Healthy Neighborhood Kickoff Symposium in September. This project is focused on the neighborhoods of Englewood, Washington Park, and Woodlawn to create plans and policies that will guide future decision-making and investments. As previously announced, the
City of Berwyn will also kick off the development of a comprehensive plan with meetings to solicit public feedback on
August 13 and
August 20. The
Village of Addison will also have a public meeting on August 17.
BRT event. Next Wednesday, August 17, from noon to 2:00 p.m., the Metropolitan Planning Council will hold a roundtable on the release of their report
Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago's New Route to Opportunity. Location is the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL, 60604.
Registration (including lunch) is $15 for current MPC donors and $30 for non-members.
IDOT FY 2013 to 2018 Highway Program public open house meetings. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is holding a series of
open houses throughout the region to receive early input from stakeholders and the public on the development of the Multi-Year Highway Program. All meetings will be held from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.:
- September 14: Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle
- September 20: South Holland Community Center, 501 E. 170th Street, South Holland
- September 21: Holiday Inn, 800 S. Route 31, Crystal Lake
- September 27: Hilton Garden Inn, 4070 E. Main Street, St. Charles
- October 3: College of Lake County, 19531 W. Washington Street, Grayslake
Roadway functional class map update. The CMAP
roadway functional class map has been updated with the IDOT Illinois Roadway Information System (IRIS) data posted in spring 2011. In response to user requests, this version includes a layer showing the region’s townships.
Eco-Ambassador program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced a new
Environmental Justice eco-Ambassador program for graduate students through its Student Diversity Internship Program (SDIP). Applications are due August 19, 2011.
CMAP Blogs
Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog alerted readers to an upcoming hearing in City of Chicago Council Chambers on urban pedestrian issues. The hearing, as well a series of public meetings, is part of the process of creating the City’s first Pedestrian Plan. We also announced the upcoming Easter Seals webinar on crossing solutions at roundabouts and right-turn lanes for pedestrians with visual impairments. Finally, we reported on a new study from the New Zealand Transport Agency on the benefits of constructing pedestrian facilities.
Reminders
CMAQ program public review. CMAP has released the proposed FY 2012 - FY 2016 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program for a 30-day
public review and comment period. CMAP has developed a $400 million five-year program of CMAQ projects that improve air quality, mitigate congestion, and help to implement
GO TO 2040. The proposed program is currently available for public comment through 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2011.
TIP Amendments. CMAP is seeking public comment on a conformity amendment to the FFY 2010-2015 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Comments are due by September 3, 2011, and can be provided in writing "ATTN: TIP amendments,"
e-mail, or phone 312-454-0400. Conformity is an analysis of projects in the TIP to ensure that transportation projects will help the region meet air quality goals. Review the cover memo and list of project changes at the
TIP webpage.
HUD planning grants. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced this year’s
Community Challenge Planning Grant Program. The program will award approximately $28.6 million in grants to support local projects, which may include amending or replacing local master plans, zoning codes, and building codes to promote mixed-use development, affordable housing, the reuse of older buildings and structures for new purposes, and similar activities with the goal of promoting sustainability at the local or neighborhood level. CMAP asks communities that apply to let us know by contacting Stephen Ostrander (
sostrander@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8696). Applications must be submitted through
http://www.grants.gov/ by September 9, 2011.
Apply for FLIP. The 2011-2012
FLIP (Future Leaders in Planning)
application is available. Please share materials with local high school students who would like to learn about planning and contribute to a better future for our region. Keep up with FLIP at its
Facebook page.
GIS workshops. CMAP offers a low-cost, introductory, hands-on
ArcGIS 10 workshop. The next two-day sessions will be September 21-22, October 26-27, and November 30 to December 1, 2011. Cost is $350 per person, which includes a manual. Please contact Jan Drennan (
jdrennan@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8686) or David Clark(
dcclark@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8682).
Case study library. CMAP is building a searchable web database of completed local projects that reflect recommendations of the GO TO 2040 plan. If you know of an exemplary project that should be included, please contact Lindsay Banks (
lbanks@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8826).
Blogs (Weekly Updates)