Roundtables to Feature Sensible Growth, Housing, and Bus Rapid Transit
During its more than 70-year history, MPC has played host to thousands of
“meetings of the minds,” where solutions to northeastern Illinois’ most pressing
concerns begin to percolate. In that tradition, the Council is pleased to
announce the 2005 Spring Roundtable Series, which features three distinct
sessions focused on sustainable development, workforce housing, and bus rapid
transit. At each roundtable, a panel of speakers will present their thoughts on
the topic, followed by a moderated question-and-answer session. Lunch will be
served. The 2005 Winter Roundtable Series features the following sessions:
-
“Making It Work: Implementing Sustainable
Development,” co-sponsored with ULI Chicago, Tuesday, March 8, noon to 2:00
p.m., Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, Ill.
- “Breaking New Ground: Understanding Illinois’ Comprehensive Housing Plan,”
Monday, March 14, noon to 1:30 p.m., Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP, 191
Wacker Dr., 37 th Floor, Chicago.
- “Get on the Bus: What We Can Learn from Curitiba, Brazil,” Thursday, March
17, noon to 1:30 p.m., Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, 190 S. LaSalle St.,
39 th floor reception, Chicago.
Media may attend free of charge, but a reservation is
appreciated to plan for lunch. For more details, including information on
standard registration and costs, please visit www.metroplanning.org/calendar.asp.
MPC Contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External
Relations
312.863.6004 or pskosey@metroplanning.org
Mayor Lauds Employer-Assisted Housing for Boosting CHA Communities
The new mixed-income communities
at the heart of the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA) Plan for Transformation
are getting a boost, as 13 businesses located near these developments are
providing down-payment funds to employees who purchase homes in these
neighborhoods.
In a significant expansion of
employer-assisted housing (EAH) in Chicago, six employers – Charter One, MB
Financial, MB Real Estate, Bank One (under new management), Draper and Kramer,
and the Walsh Group – announced plans to launch EAH programs in connection with
the CHA’s mixed-income communities, joining seven others. EAH also earned the
backing of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who held a meeting in February with
representatives of nearly 100 businesses to encourage their participation in the
program. The city views EAH as a mechanism to promote neighborhood
revitalization, particularly in areas where the CHA’s former high-rise
developments are being replaced by mixed-income communities.
“Working together, we can help promote wonderful mixed-income communities
that both enhance the lives of residents while helping companies prosper,” said
Jack Markowski, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing. “We have been
working and will continue to work with employers to help them identify housing
opportunities for their employees because we want to encourage a live-near-work
environment in the city.”
Chicago’s endorsement of EAH resonates
with the state’s support for the program. The State of
Illinois
provides
incentives for companies to create EAH programs by offering tax credits to the
companies and matching funds to employees who receive employer assistance.
MPC contact: Robin Snyderman, Housing Director
312.863.6007 or rsnyderman@metroplanning.org
Contact: Molly
Sullivan, Director, City of Chicago Department of Housing 312.742.0595 or mollysullivan@cityofchicago.org
A+ Illinois: Gov’s Budget Does Little to Help Public Schools, Property
Taxpayers
While
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich admitted in his budget address that the state's
school-funding system places far too great a burden on property taxpayers, he
failed to provide a solution to the problem, according to the A+ Illinois
campaign for statewide education-funding and tax reform.
In fact, the governor set aside a miserly $140 million for education,
the least amount he’s
earmarked
for Illinois’ two
million schoolchildren since taking office –
and nowhere near what
is needed to meet his own pledge to
raise
Illinois’ per-pupil education-spending amount
by $1,000 over the course of his term.
More alarming is that these funds are to be drawn from surpluses of other funds
dedicated to important state initiatives. This system “robs from Peter to pay
Paul,” and
presupposes that
these dedicated funds will continue to run surpluses in coming
years.
A+ Illinois is urging school-funding and tax reform
proponents to speak up for meaningful change at House Speaker Michael J.
Madigan’s public hearings on state finances and the budget. The hearings provide
a platform for supporters to tell state representatives how Illinois ’ fiscal
state is affecting their own communities, families, and children. A+ Illinois
will provide supporters with speaking points upon request. To find the nearest
public hearing, visit www.aplusillinois.org/calendar/calendar.asp
.
MPC contact:
Bindu Batchu, Campaign Manager, A+ Illinois
312.863.6014 or
bbatchu@metroplanning.org
Contact: Dennis Vercler, Director of News &
Communications, Illinois Farm Bureau
309.557.2236 or dvercler@ilfb.org
Business Leaders for Transportation Supports IDOT’s Increased Focus on
Freight
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has created the new Division
of Public and Intermodal Transportation (DPIT), charged with
streamlining multimodal transportation coordination to more safely and efficiently
move freight and people in
northeastern
Illinois.
Business Leaders for Transportation – a
coalition
of Chicago-area employers who support improved transportation planning and funding, and
a lead voice advocating that IDOT make this organizational shift –
applauds the department for establishing DPIT. The coalition, of which MPC
is a co-leader, also welcomes Jason Tai, former chief of staff for U.S.
Rep. William Lipinski, as the new DPIT director.
“By
establishing this division, IDOT took the first step toward ensuring that
Illinois, the nation’s transportation hub, has the capacity to handle a
projected 100 percent increase in freight traffic by 2020,” said Natashia
Holmes, MPC senior transportation associate. “This strategic restructuring
reflects IDOT’s increasing emphasis on exploring new and innovative solutions to
address this projected increase proactively – today, instead of tomorrow, when
it will be too late.”
In particular, as
part of its responsibilities, DPIT will serve as the lead agency responsible for
implementing the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency
(CREATE) Program. The nationally recognized CREATE is a $1.5 billion rail
infrastructure improvement plan for northeastern
Illinois
that MPC and Business Leaders for
Transportation strongly support.
MPC Contact: Natashia Holmes, Senior Transportation
Associate
312.863.6022 or nholmes@metroplanning.org
Contact: Matt Vanover, communications manager, Illinois
Department of Transportation
217.558.0517 or matt_vanover@cms.state.il.us