MPC’s summer roundtable series concludes with a session highlighting the CREATE plan and opportunities for development along the identified corridors
Northeastern Illinois’ rail
infrastructure will be getting an overhaul thanks to CREATE (Chicago Region
Environmental and Transportation Efficiency) project, a recently unveiled $1.5
billion, public-private partnership to improve the rail system. This dramatic
increase in freight-rail investment, and the resulting benefits, can lead to
redevelopment opportunities along five identified rail corridors.
Continuing an effort to spark and inform
public discussion on the immense opportunities surrounding this plan, the Metropolitan
Planning Council hosted a very successful forum, CREATE Development Opportunities:
How to Maximize Freight-Rail Investments, on July 13, 2004. Specifically,
the meeting brought together
a panel to discuss plans for improvements along the Indiana Harbor Belt corridor
in Western Cook County, as well as development, redevelopment and reinvestments
that can occur as a result. Co-sponsors
for the roundtable were West Central Municipal Conference, West
Cook CDC, West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, Bellwood Chamber of Commerce, and
Melrose Park Chamber of Commerce.
The sold-out event was third in a
series of summer roundtables to bring together civic leaders on important
regional issues. Filling the crowded room were local officials, developers,
community groups, and others who share a stake in the redevelopment and
transformation that rail investment will bring to the corridor. The meeting took
place at Burke Beverage in LaGrange, only a stone’s throw from the Indiana
Harbor Belt rail line itself.
MPC President MarySue Barrett
welcomed the crowd and introduced the first speaker, Natalie Cornell, director
of marketing for Global Transportation & Travel at Accenture Ltd.
Cornell emphasized the importance of
regional rail investment, citing that Chicago is the nation’s busiest rail
freight gateway and the world’s third busiest intermodal hub. With freight rail
volume expected to double in the next 20 years, the area’s rail network will
remain a crucial component of a healthy regional and national economy, according
to Cornell.
Tom Livingston, resident
vice president at CSX, shared insights on various elements of the CREATE plan,
citing legislative and civic champions, including Mayor Richard Daley and U.S.
Reps. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Bill Lipinksi (D-Ill.), who have been
instrumental in supporting this project of national significance. He also emphasized
the appropriateness of this public-private partnership since more than one-third of
our nation’s goods and products passes to, from or through Chicago, and “no
other part of the country can claim over a third of anything—freight, roads, or
air transportation.”
Jim Dinkle, manager of economic
development at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF), spoke next about
the history and role of BNSF in the region, along with the growing demand for
railroads to transport the nation’s growing freight volumes. With more than
20,000 employees and an estimated $350 billion worth of freight currently
passing through the region each year, the railroads are “continuing to expand
capacity at an impressive rate,” Dinkle noted. He added that BNSF has had an 11
percent increase this year in regional economic development partnerships, and
concluded by providing an explanation of BNSF’s innovative Route 34 campaign to
facilitate development opportunities along railroads, especially for small or
rural communities.
Jim Ford,
vice president of land and rail development for Centerpoint Properties, spoke
about the major opportunities for residential and commercial redevelopment along
freight lines along with the potential for brownfield redevelopment initiatives.
Ford spoke with significant experience in freight-rail investment and
development, as his work at CenterPoint Properties has
included managing the development and construction
of two of North America’s largest intermodal facilities: the BNSF Chicago
Logistics Park at Elwood, Ill., and the Union Pacific’s Global III facility
at Rochelle, Ill. These two facilities combined are in excess of $325
million in investment for the Chicago region.
Anthony Bruno, president of
Illinois Development Services Corporation, provided a unique perspective to the
panel in talking about community development in Bellwood, Ill. Bruno emphasized
that development should occur in concordance with what communities want and
need, rather than as a response to the wants and needs of developers.
“Encouraging and empowering small communities to determine and assert their own
visions for economic and community transformation is crucial to effective
growth,” said Bruno. In addition, Bruno noted that Bellwood’s prime location
allows for significant value and usability to be added through rail investment
to its currently underutilized land.
Panel members, from left to right: Jim Dinkle, Manager, Economic
Development, BNSF; Anthony Bruno, President, Illinois Development Services
Corporation; Tom Livingston, Resident Vice President, CSX; Natalie Cornell,
Director of Marketing, Global Transportation & Travel, Accenture Ltd.; Jim
Ford, Vice President of Land & Rail Development, CenterPoint Properties.