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 4th and
5th 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 4th and
5th 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 4th and 5th
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.