Housing Task Force Prepares Final Report for Gov. Blagojevich
Charged
by Gov. Rod Blagojevich with developing a comprehensive plan to address
Illinois’ growing housing needs, the Housing Task Force is one step closer to
achieving its goal. The group’s seven committees completed their final reports,
now available on the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s (IHDA) Web site,
www.ihda.org
.
Over
the course of about three months, the 35-member Task Force opened its doors to
engage some 210 people who lent their expertise before each committee drafted
its final reports. The Housing Task Force includes three MPC Board members and
one staff member, MPC’s Housing Director Robin Snyderman. The council has
specifically provided its leadership in two of the seven reports, addressing the
jobs/housing mismatch and family housing needs.
Task
Force members are encouraged that the state has already begun working with
stakeholders to initiate many of the proposals set forth in the reports. “We’re
not waiting for the ink to dry,” says Snyderman.
Contact:
Robin Snyderman, MPC Housing Director
312.863.6007
or
rsnyderman@metroplanning.org
Public Invited to Comment on Metra’s Proposed Southeast Service Line
The
long process to make Metra’s proposed Southeast Service Line a reality is well
underway.
Residents,
commuters and employers joined community leaders and elected officials June 10
to hear details about how communities and residents would benefit from this
public investment.
They also
learned the steps necessary to move forward this New Start transit priority
project and heard from policymakers who support the project. Ill. Sen. Debbie
Halvorson (D-Crete) attended the meeting and said, “The Southeast Service Line
is a priority for [the Southland Legislative Caucus]. There are benefits beyond
ridership. The Southland cannot be left behind again … Our caucus members will
keep this front and center, and both Congressmen Lipinski and Jackson have
assured me that this project is a priority for them, too.”
Contact:
Kristi DeLaurentiis, MPC South Suburban Coordinator
815.325.1220
or
kdelaurentiis@metroplanning.org
Campaign for Sensible Growth, Urban Land Institute Give Joliet Leaders a
Boost
A group of development experts organized by the Campaign for
Sensible Growth and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) gathered for a two-day
Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) with one goal in mind: to help Joliet, Ill.,
revive its struggling downtown retail center.
Once Will County’s hub, Joliet was stung by deindustrialization in
the mid-’70s. By the mid-’80s, unemployment had climbed to a staggering 26
percent, and the city center seemed more ghost town than downtown. Since 1990,
city leaders have breathed so much new life into Joliet that today it is the
Midwest’s fastest growing city. Yet Joliet’s downtown continues to flag.
City
leaders looked for help from the Campaign and ULI, which agreed to tackle
Joliet’s development quagmire in the first of three TAPs scheduled for 2004. The
panel – composed of developers, planners, architects, financiers, lawyers and
consultants –
met May 19 and 20.
After studying the issues, the group offered nearly a dozen specific
suggestions, such as pursuing a major mixed-use development to anchor the
riverfront; planning green space and residential buildings to draw families to
the downtown area; and offering incentives to entrepreneurs willing to pioneer
Joliet’s “new” retail center.
The
Campaign for Sensible Growth and ULI have organized another TAP in northwest
suburban Elburn Sept. 29 and 30. The panel will focus on helping the community
accommodate new growth without losing its rural, small-town character.
A third TAP will take place in south
suburban Midlothian in the fall.
Contact:
Scott Goldstein, MPC Vice President, Policy and Planning
312.863.6003
or
sgoldstein@metroplanning.org
A+ Illinois To Sponsor Community Forum in Carterville
Most
teachers and students are on summer break, but statewide education reform
campaign A+ Illinois remains busy, organizing community forums where local
leaders and residents can share concerns about their schools with state
legislators.
Logan
College will host a forum in Carterville June 29. Invited legislators include
Ill. Sens. Gary Forby (D-Benton) and Dave Leuchtefeld (R-Okawville), and Ill.
Reps. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro), John Bradley (D-Marion), Brandon Phelps
(D-Norris City), and Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville). The Carterville forum will take
place 7- 8:30 pm at John A. Logan College, 700 Logan College Road, Room F119.
The forum is free and open to media.
A
forum planned for June 28 in Aurora has been postponed due to a scheduling
conflict with the Illinois General Assembly session. The forum is being
rescheduled, and details will be available soon. Visit
www.aplusillinois.org/calendar.asp for an updated schedule of events.
Led by
a coalition of eight organizations, including MPC, A+ Illinois is a statewide
grassroots campaign advocating for meaningful school quality and funding reform,
and lasting property tax relief that maintains services for children, families
and communities.
Contact: Bindu Batchu, A+ Illinois Campaign
Manager
312.863.6014,
bbatchu@aplusillinois.org