Re-building community in Joliet: CBI recommendations take shape for housing and retail reinvestment

MPC's Community Building Initiative work on Joliet's Quality of Life Plan is contributing to a comprehensive plan to reinvigorate the heart of the region's fastest growing community.

By Josh Ellis @MPCJosh
July 16, 2007

Joliet’s impressive growth rates are well-known and oft publicized – according to U.S. Census estimates it is the fastest growing city in Illinois and one of the fastest growing mid-sized cities in the country. This growth, coupled with the rise of the logistics industry in Will County, which is quickly becoming an intermodal hub of global significance for product distribution, has primed Joliet for an economic renaissance. As more people and more jobs flood into Joliet and its environs, a bright future is on the rise. However, despite its overall prosperity, some areas of Joliet have yet to recover from major industrial losses, the departure of many retailers, and a long-stagnant housing market.

In particular, Joliet Council Districts 4 and 5, which make up the eastern portion of the city, as well as parts of the western bank of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, lag behind the city and county in terms of many key variables: population growth, median household income, median home value, unemployment, etc. Essential retail options such as a full-service grocery store, are scant, and many residents feel the positive trends in Joliet have not yet all percolated eastward. In response, a group of residents from Districts 4 and 5 formed a Quality of Life Task Force in partnership with the City of Joliet to invite a group of outside experts to investigate the situation, recommend actions for the city, community, and private-sector, and ultimately present a Quality of Life Plan. The Quality of Life Task Force, which has been instrumental in generating community support and input for the planning process, includes representatives from Lewis University, St. Francis University, NAACP, Rainbow PUSH, National Hook-Up of Black Women and JACOB. Consistent and committed community involvement has been a constant theme throughout, and the City of Joliet and the Task Force continue to strengthen their partnership as they look toward implementation of the recommendations in the Quality of Life Plan.

As one of the consultants involved in the planning process, the Metropolitan Planning Council, through its Community Building Initiative (CBI), was responsible for assessing the housing and retail environment within the 4^th and 5^th Districts. The other consultants are the Center for Neighborhood Technology (responsible for transportation and industrial development), Teska Associates, Inc. (recreation and land use), and the Partec Group (education and social services). Following 115 interviews with community leaders, a statistically significant survey of area residents, thorough review of relevant literature, and four community meetings that drew over 700 local residents, the consulting team has developed a draft Quality of Life Plan, which is currently undergoing final review. The draft Executive Summary of that plan is available on the city’s Web site. When finished, the plan will be the principal guide to public policy and civic action in the 4^th and 5^th Districts.

“CBI’s work in Joliet has been an exciting opportunity to help plan for the reinvigoration of an entire community,” said Joanna Trotter, manager of MPC’s Community Building Initiative. “We’ve talked with people, listened to and learned from them, and crunched the numbers to figure out what the housing and retail markets can realistically handle. The recommendations we’ve developed will produce a more diverse housing stock, greater variety of quality retail options, and, ultimately, stronger communities. Perhaps the most positive aspect however, is that a real partnership between the city and community has taken shape; hopefully it’ll be a long and productive one.”

Housing Situation

MPC found that 62 percent of planning area residents currently own their own homes, but many may soon be priced out. Between 2000 and 2005, median household income rose 3.5 percent per year, while city properties appreciated at 8.9 percent per year. Consequently, home ownership may soon be beyond the reach of more people. Yet, at the same time, the housing market is imbalanced. As of 2000, most homes and apartments in the planning area were priced for households earning less than $50,000 annually, but with a distinct shortage of homes affordable to those earning between $50,000 and $125,000 (homes priced between approx. $166,000 and $416,000). The result is some households are “under housed,” meaning they don’t have the option to step up to a higher-priced product and therefore would need to move out of the planning area as they become more prosperous.

MPC’s housing recommendations were all centered on stimulating the market for diverse housing types at a variety of price levels, as well as helping homeowners buy wisely and maintain their properties. Specific recommendations in the draft plan include:

Attract new development by assembling and marketing land for mixed housing types, sizes, and prices that include condominiums, townhomes, single-family homes, and accessory homes or “granny flats.”
Balance the city’s housing market by negotiating with developers building in other parts of the city and seeking city assistance to create housing options for moderate-income working families in those stronger markets or build some higher-end homes in the 4^th and 5^th Districts.
Renew rehabilitation loan programs and focus rehabilitation efforts in high-impact “Target Redevelopment Areas.”
Sustain efforts to increase residential development in downtown Joliet.
Allow for and attract higher residential densities in selected areas, such as commercial corridors and around the Metra station.
Engage local employers in employer-assisted housing programs.
Supplement the city’s “Assist-ance” program, which provides low-interest loans and downpayment assistance for income-qualified purchasers, with matching funds for investment in the Planning Area and homebuyer counseling.
Expand the Joliet Rental Housing Ordinance to regulate the rent or lease of single-family homes and duplexes.

Retail Environment

MPC quickly noted that while there is considerable pent up demand for a variety of goods and services; there are very few parcels in the planning area large enough for large-scale development. A leakage analysis, which measures how many consumer dollars from within a given area are spent outside of that area, demonstrated that at least $600 million is lost per year for a number of key consumer categories. Several distinct retail shortages are obvious: particularly a large grocery store, produce market, coffee shop, sit-down restaurants, and general housewares – as well as banking and medical services. However, demand and opportunity are not the same thing; the possibility for profit is high, but the cost of development may be prohibitive.

The general theme of MPC’s retail recommendations is that the city and community need to work together to spur infill and mixed-use development in order to level the playing field against less costly greenfield development. Specific recommendations in the draft plan include:

Establish specific geographies for development.
Extend incentive programs that Joliet now uses only in the City Center area.
Assemble and market parcels for resale and development.
Create loan programs and incentive packages to attract developers.
Establish a small business assistance center.
Zone for mixed-use development.
Provide incentives for infill development.

One overarching recommendation is to formulate an on-going partnership between the city and community. One option is to create a Community Development Corporation (CDC) to carry out the Quality of Life Plan, attract retail and housing developers, work with business owners to plan for growth, coordinate housing and social services, and tap into state, federal and philanthropic sources of funding. To provide some context for this recommendation, MPC organized information sessions for city and community leaders with two Chicago-based CDCs, Quad Communities Development Corporation and Bethel New Life, Inc.

As the final version of the Quality of Life Plan takes shape, MPC is working with city and community representatives to ensure the plan will be implemented in such a way that produces both short-term victories and sustainable, long-term improvement. “The last thing we want is for this plan to sit on the shelf,” said Trotter. “MPC’s Community Building Initiative was created to help communities not only plan, but then to actually carry out strategies for growth and reinvestment.”

For more information on MPC’s Community Building Initiative, contact Joanna Trotter, CBI manager, at 312.863.6008 or at jtrotter@metroplanning.org. Stay tuned to www.metroplanning.org for future updates on the Joliet Quality of Life Plan.