Chicago Would Be First City to Ban Restrictive Land Use Covenants
With action on
a proposed ordinance, the City of Chicago would ban grocery stores and
pharmacies from using restrictive land use covenants to prevent competing
retailers from occupying a site after another has closed their doors. If the
ordinance
passes, Chicago will become an
international leader against this practice, which has left neighborhood residents in
cities
like
Chicago,
Vancouver, and
New
York City
in a dangerous lurch, without a nearby store to
buy fresh grocery items or medicine.
“Restrictive land use covenants are not uniformly bad,
but in this case, they present an onerous challenge to communities,” said Peter
Skosey, vice president of external relations for MPC, which worked with the
Mayor’s Office and City Council on the ordinance. “It’s challenging enough to
find a suitable buyer to adapt an empty big box because of its size and
retailers’ strict design guidelines; preventing similar stores from using the
site makes redevelopment much more difficult. The ordinance tackles these
issues, ensuring that communities can retain their retail
assets.”
MPC contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External
Relations, 312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
Contact: Ald. Manuel
Flores, 1st Ward, 773.278.0101, ward01@cityofchicago.org
MPC Applauds 94th General Assembly for Legislative Victories
MPC (and the Campaign for Sensible Growth and A+ Illinois, both of which MPC
helps to spearhead) worked actively during the
94th
General Assembly to
forward legislation in line with the Council’s mission of “promoting and
implementing sensible planning and development policies” in northeastern
Illinois and across the state. At session end, MPC was pleased with the
excellent progress made on several fronts, including the passages of the
following bills:
- HB603: extends the Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit program for five
years. (signed by Gov. Blagojevich on June 27)
- SB1910: enables 15 counties to create stormwater management agencies to
work with their municipalities to protect water quality and prevent flooding.
- HB1663: puts the Regional Transportation Authority in charge of funding,
financial oversight and review of all paratransit services for disabled
riders, and provided a short-term solution for the Chicago Transit Authority’s
operating funding shortfalls this year.
- HB2222: provides for the expansion of downstate transit by changing the
funding formula to allow more transit districts and counties to become
eligible for state funds.
- HB3121: establishes a Regional Planning Board responsible for developing
and adopting a funding strategy to implement an integrated land use and
transportation planning process in northeastern Illinois , effectively
consolidating the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission and Chicago Area
Transportation Study.
- SB75: creates a $30 million state-funded rental assistance program, funded
by a county recording fee of $10, to make rent affordable to Illinois families
earning $19,000 or less.
- SB966: amends 2003’s Affordable Housing Planning & Appeal Act to allow
municipalities to meet their workforce housing goals by inter-governmental
agreements with nearby municipalities.
For more information about these bills and their affect on northeastern
Illinois and the state, contact the Metropolitan Planning Council, or visit our
Web site, www.metroplanning.org.
MPC contact: Peter
Skosey, Vice President of External Relations, 312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
MPC contact: Scott
Goldstein, Vice President of Policy and Planning, 312.863.6003, sgoldstein@metroplanning.org
Improved Regional Planning Can Reverse Region’s ‘Dirty’ Reputation
Recently, Reader’s
Digest
cited
Chicago as the
“dirtiest”
U.S. city, based on a study rating cities and their surrounding suburbs and
counties on five measures: air and water pollution, toxic emissions, hazardous waste,
and sanitation force. While Chicagoans may bristle at the label, a telling detail
– and a call to action for the Campaign for Sensible Growth, MPC, and partners
in regional planning and development – was
that
Chicago’s score was adversely affected by air
pollution and water issues in outlying areas.
With astonishing regional growth on the horizon,
planning sensibly to preserve water quality and quantity is the issue of the
decade. That’s why the Campaign for Sensible Growth, MPC, and Openlands Project
are partnering with municipalities and county agencies in McHenry and in
Kankakee/Will counties to create models for a regional approach to watershed
planning. The organizations also led the passage of stormwater management
legislation that allows the fast-growing counties of Boone, DeKalb, Grundy,
Kankakee , Kendall and LaSalle to protect their water. To learn more about the
watershed planning projects, visit www.growingsensibly.org.
Reducing congestion and air pollution, and protecting natural resources are
values that shape much of MPC’s work. One goal of MPC-supported
employer-assisted housing programs, for instance, is to help employees afford
homes near their jobs, so that they can spend less time stuck in their cars –
which belch emissions – and more time with their families. Likewise, MPC
advocates for the expansion of public transit, reasoning again that travel
options mean fewer solo drivers and less air pollution. Infill development,
brownfield redevelopment, and conservation design: these are all sensible design
tenets that MPC supports that will help make this region a desirable place to
live for generations to come.
MPC contact:
Ellen Shubart, Manager, Campaign
for Sensible Growth,
312.863.6009,
eshubart@metroplanning.org
Contact: Joyce O’Keefe, Deputy Director, Openlands Project,
312-863-6263,
jokeefe@openlands.org
MPC Roundtables to Feature Transit, Housing, and School Funding Reform
The Metropolitan Planning Council is pleased to announce
the 2005 Summer Roundtable Series, featuring three distinct sessions offering
behind-the-scenes looks at public transit, housing, and school funding and tax
reform in Illinois. 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. Summer roundtables are:
- “Ticket to Ride: Meeting the Region’s Transit Needs,” Thursday, July 21,
noon to 1:30 p.m., Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Fifth
Floor, Chicago.
- “Around the Bend : The Impact of a Shifting Federal Housing Policy,”
Tuesday, July 26, noon to 1:30 p.m., Gardner Carton & Douglas, 191 N.
Wacker Dr., 37 th Floor, Chicago.
- “Getting the Job Done: The Politics of School Funding Reform,” Friday,
Aug. 5, noon to 1:30 p.m., Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd.,
Fifth Floor, Chicago.
Media may attend free of charge, but a reservation is
appreciated to plan for lunch. The Union League Club of Chicago requires
business or business casual attire. For more details, including information on
standard registration and costs, please visit www.metroplanning.org/calendar.asp.
MPC
Co
ntact: Peter
Skosey, Vice President of
External Relations,
312.863.6004,
pskose
y@metroplanning.org
###
To learn more, contact Mandy Burrell, MPC communications
associate, at 312-863-6018 or mburrell@metroplanning.org
.