When
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich signed HB3121 in mid-August, he created a single agency
known as the Regional Planning Board 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.
All
15 board members will need to be named by mid-October, 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.