Big Decisions, Discussions, and Data Expected on Regional Transportation
In Illinois, spring signals the start of road
construction season; but this year, it’s not just bulldozers rocking the
transportation world. On Saturday, the U.S. Olympics Committee selected Chicago
for the 2016 bid; this week, the National Surface
Transportation Revenue and Policy Study Commission will visit Chicago to
hear local testimony on current and future transportation needs; and, in May,
after a one-year hiatus to refine its research method, the Texas Transportation
Institute will issue its annual Urban Mobility Report
, the nationally accepted measure of traffic congestion in
U.S. cities.
With the U.S. Olympics Committee
decision on Saturday, April 14, that
Chicago
is its candidate to host the 2016
Olympics, local leaders will need to start prioritizing specific public projects
to undertake in preparation for the Games. MPC and other civic groups have
emphasized the need to focus on plans that will leave a lasting legacy for
Chicagoans, and one much-anticipated legacy is improvements to our streets,
sidewalks, bike lanes, and public transit systems. Action in 2007 on a state
capital plan with selection criteria is more necessary than ever to jumpstart
these plans.
On April 18 and 19, the National Surface Transportation
Revenue and Policy Study Commission – which Congress created in 2005 to
determine national transportation priorities and potential revenue sources ahead
of the next federal reauthorization in 2009 – will visit Chicago to hear local
testimony on the need to maintain and expand local streets, highways, and
freight and commuter lines. MPC Board member John Gates, former CEO of
CenterPoint Properties, is among the invited guests. For more on the commission
and local hearings, click here.
Finally, in early May, keep one ear to the ground – or
bookmark the Texas
Transportation Institute's (TTI) Web site
– to get the
scoop
on how Chicago traffic ranks nationally
when TTI releases its 2007 Urban Mobility Report. MPC can help
localize the data for
Illinois
and Chicago-area reporters.
Contact Mike McLaughlin, transportation director,
312.863.6022 or mmclaughlin@metroplanning.org.
Federal Bill Would Help Working Families Afford Own Homes
MPC’s employer-assisted housing
(EAH) model has helped 1,000 Illinoisans purchase homes since 2000,
assisted thousands more with free
homeownership counseling to avoid potential first-time homebuyer pitfalls such
as sub-prime mortgages, and, now, has inspired legislation introduced in
Congress: S. 1078 (and HR 1850). Known as the Housing America’s Workforce Act,
the bill would provide economic incentives to the growing number of
U.S.
employers investing in housing solutions through EAH.
In 2000, MPC launched its first EAH project in Illinois
with System Sensor, now a division of Honeywell, based in St. Charles, Ill.
Since then, more than 60 Illinois employers have invested in EAH programs with
MPC, helping more than 1,000 workers. The program owes much of its success to
state support: Illinois Housing Development Authority matches an employer’s
downpayment assistance for households earning up to 80 percent of Area Median
Income (AMI in metropolitan Chicago is $75,400 for a family of four.) And
employers can tap t he Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit program, which
provides a 50-cent tax credit for every $1 invested in EAH. Learn about Illinois
EAH programs at the REACH
Illinois Web site, and about S. 1078 at Senate co-sponsor Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-NY) Web
site.
Contact Robin Snyderman , MPC housing director, 312
.863.6007 or rsnyderman@metroplanning.org.
Bigelow Homes Helping Create a New Legacy in Park Forest
Charlene Raines always wanted a home with a front porch.
Her husband, Aurelius Raines, thought it would be fun to live in Chicago and
enjoy the amenities of city living. When the couple recently decided to relocate
from south suburban Country Club Hills, Ill., they found the perfect compromise
in Legacy
Square, a new community built near the newly transformed DownTown Park Forest, Ill
.
The Bigelow Homes community, 63 new single-family homes,
is a key piece of the village’s redevelopment puzzle. In 2003, when the village
set out to convert its failed mall into a traditional, walkable, vibrant
downtown, local leaders invited the Urban Land Institute-Chicago and Campaign
for Sensible Growth to convene a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to provide redevelopment recommendations
. One of
the major ones – to remove the “sea” of parking in DownTown Park Forest, assemble
a larger parcel, and attract a major developer – has been realized in the
creation
of
Legacy
Square.
Through Legacy
Square,
Bigelow Homes (which also developed the HomeTown Aurora community in west
suburban
Aurora
)
has been working with local leaders to create new developments that benefit the
larger community, while attracting homebuyers to walkable, mixed-use
neighborhoods. The communities focus on marrying residential and retail
opportunities to support local economic development and a unique lifestyle
tailor-made for families like the Raineses. “We really liked the idea of a
little bit of urban living in a quiet setting,” said Charlene, adding that she
and Aurelius can walk to the library, shops, and the movie theater, and he can
even walk to work.
Perhaps more intriguing is that
HomeTown Aurora has been a net gain for the local school district, and early
signs indicate
Legacy
Square
will be as well – dispelling the myth that a
new residential development always puts a strain on local schools.
Contact Joanna Trotter, MPC Community Building
Initiative manager, 312.863.6008 or jtrotter@metroplanning.org; or Michael Venetis,
Bigelow Development LLC, 630.631.0700.
Meet the MPC
Staff
MPC’s Joanna Trotter Helps Communities Tackle Development
Challenges
Joanna Trotter is manager of the MPC
Community Building Initiative
(CBI), which helps communities tap best
practices to address difficult planning and development challenges. In addition
to her CBI role, Joanna specializes in suburban housing outreach and policy for
the
Chicago
region. By providing technical assistance and support to communities, Trotter
works to preserve and create more homes consistent with Illinois’ first-ever
comprehensive housing plan – linking homes, jobs and transportation to enhance
quality of life for families and workers of all incomes.
Trotter,
who lives with her husband in
Bronzeville
on Chicago’s South Side, takes an active role
in local neighborhood affairs. Her work has encompassed many different
communities: Prior to MPC, Trotter was with DevCorp North, helping revitalize
commercial districts in Rogers Park, while encouraging balanced growth to meet local
needs. While
in
California, she worked to advance affordable housing
policy at PolicyLink, and ran
West Hollywood
’s
inclusionary housing program.
Trotter
is a member of the American Planning Association. She has a master’s
degree in urban planning and public
policy
from
the
University
of
California,
Los Angeles; and a bachelor’s degree in African American studies
and policy studies
from
Georgia
State
University
in
Atlanta.
Contact Joanna Trotter , MPC Community Building
Initiative manager, 312.863.6008 or jtrotter@metroplanning.org.