When
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signs HB3121 – which he’s expected to do by mid-August –
a single agency known as the Regional Planning Board will begin to coordinate
and guide northeastern Illinois’ growth and infrastructure
investments, a first in the region’s history. Advocates believe the new board,
which merges the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) and Chicago
Area Transportation Study (CATS), has the potential to save money and vastly
improve the livability of our communities.
Until now, with no single
regional agency responsible for coordinating development, managing resources,
and guiding public investments, northeastern Illinois’ 272 municipalities were left to vie
for “their share” of regional growth. Hodgepodge planning seemed a foregone
conclusion – and an increasingly unacceptable one. With projections forecasting that
Chicagoland will expand by nearly two million people (or 25 percent) by 2030,
growth is imminent, welcome and manageable, if guided by a strong agency with a
vision and policies that serve the needs of all of the region’s residents and
businesses. But the stresses to the region are very real: exponential growth in the job market, a
lack of affordable housing near new and established job centers, escalating
traffic gridlock, and squeezed state resources.
Enter the Regional Planning
Board. It has the potential to bring sanity
by doing truly “regional” planning to guide and balance growth. With 15
members representing the City of Chicago and
Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and
Will counties, the board will address the fiscal, social, and physical
challenges inherent to growth and rationalizing economic development, housing, transportation, and
natural resources decisions.
For
instance, as the regional transit debate continues, the Regional Planning Board
can and should play a role in guiding state leaders, the Regional Transportation
Authority, and our transit providers – Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit
Authority – toward a long-term resolution to
northeastern Illinois’ transit funding shortfalls. Such a
solution should benefit all transit riders; expand commuting options; and
strengthen Chicagoland’s voice in securing precious federal resources for public
transit projects.
However,
the Metropolitan Planning Council and other advocates warn of potential
disconnects that could reduce the new board to little more than another layer of
bureaucracy. Absent high-quality appointees or adequate revenues, the agency
will lack the talent and capacity to help
implement a truly coordinated growth plan.
A strong start for the new
board begins with the selection of informed members who will work cooperatively
to balance economic growth and enhance quality of life throughout northeastern
Illinois.
Already,
names of possible board appointees are being floated, and public attention to
the appointment process will be vital to ensure the creation a strong agency. Let’s keep expectations high and set this
board up for success, so that we can all enjoy the benefits of attractive,
livable communities.