March 2004 Media Tips

MPC Media Tips is an occasional list of story ideas from the Metropolitan Planning Council.

March 15, 2004

118 Referenda on March 16 Ballot Underscore Statewide Need for Education Reform

School districts from Addison School District 4 in DuPage County to Venice CUSD 3 in downstate Madison County are asking voters for more money on Tuesday, and many are expected to be denied. In all, a record 118 referenda are being considered.

“The unfunded needs of schools are staggering,” said MPC President MarySue Barrett, “and speak to the fact that something is not working. We over-rely on property taxes to fund our schools, and A+ Illinois is working to fix this broken system.”

A+ Illinois is a grassroots, statewide campaign for reform in the funding and quality of public education for all Illinois children. MPC helped launch the initiative in February, along with such diverse groups as AFSCME Council 31, the Illinois Education Association, Chicago Urban League, Voices of Illinois Children, and Illinois Farm Bureau. For more information, visit www.aplusillinois.org .

Contact: Scott Goldstein, Vice President of Policy and Planning, at 312.863.6003.

New Guidebook Highlights Innovative Sustainable Development Projects

If Mayte and Victor Harbison told you what they paid for their two-bedroom, brick Chicago bungalow, retrofitted with a host of green technologies, you would not believe them. Mayte, an artist, and Victor, a Chicago Public Schools teacher, had a combined income that qualified for a City program to encourage homeownership in target areas.

Such programs encourage sustainable development, an approach to urban and suburban growth that emphasizes preserving environmental resources, providing opportunities for residents at all income levels, and stimulating economic activity. The Campaign for Sensible Growth will release its Sustainable Development guidebook, a summary of a longer work, Building Sustainable Communities, produced by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission. Both will be released at a roundtable on March 30 . Other sustainable projects profiled in the guidebook include efforts by the Village of LaGrange and City of Wheaton to spur retail development in their downtowns.

The roundtable is free to members of the working media. More information is available at www.growingsensibly.org .

Contact: Ellen Shubart , Campaign for Sensible Growth Manager, at 312.863.6009

MPC Rallies Experts to Strengthen Affordable Housing in Chicago Heights; Pushes for Restored HOPE VI Funding

A proposal to redevelop 172 public housing units into 110 new homes for low-income residents, alongside 145 units for rent or sale at market rates, would seem to be just what a poverty-stricken Chicago Heights neighborhood needs. So the City applied for a federal HOPE VI grant to support the redevelopment last year, but was rejected. To strengthen its 2004 application, Chicago Heights asked for help.

Members of the MPC Housing Committee and Campaign for Sensible Growth Technical Advisors met in December 2003 and January 2004 to help Chicago Heights build a stronger mixed-income community by securing private sector investment and participation through initiatives like employer-assisted housing. They will find out in April if the project will get funding. “I think the chances are good,” said MPC South Suburban Coordinator Kristi DeLaurentiis. “It’s improved considerably.”

MPC wrote to congressional leaders on behalf of the HOPE VI program in 2003, when Pres. George W. Bush sought to eliminate the program, which provides funds for transforming distressed public housing developments into mixed-income communities. It has shrunk from $570 million in 2003 to $150 million this year, and Pres. Bush plans to zero out its 2005 budget. MPC will continue advocacy on behalf of HOPE VI as a tool to preserve the affordability of housing for the country's lowest income households.

Contact: Kristi DeLaurentiis , South Suburban Coordinator, at 815.325.1220

MPC, Openlands Project Examine Potential Threats to Water Supply

Research by MPC and the Openlands Project is looking at whether the water supply of the 12-county region surrounding Chicago — home to over two-thirds of Illinois’ population and consumer of 75 percent of its water — might be affected by growth and development decisions.

“MPC is researching the connection between water use, water quality, and sensible growth,” says Scott Goldstein, MPC vice president of policy and planning.

Openlands is looking at federal regulations, such as the Clean Water Act of 1972, while MPC researches state regulations, such as Illinois’ Facilities Planning Area process and Groundwater Protection Program, to determine if they are protecting water supplies. The study, scheduled for release this fall, will also examine whether regional watershed planning efforts are effective, and what local ordinances are in place to protect water quality.

Contact: Scott Goldstein, Vice President of Policy and Planning, at 312.863.6003.