Through the Homes for a Changing Region project, four south suburbs will engage the public around strategies to meet each village’s future housing needs
The public is encouraged to attend interactive workshop events, on June 14 and 15, 2011, in four south suburbs: Hazel Crest, Lansing, Olympia Fields and Park Forest. Each “Homes for a Changing Region” event will bring village residents together to start creating a collective vision for future housing in their community.
Village leaders and citizens alike will participate in a board game-like exercise, through which participants work together over large maps and use game pieces representing different types of housing development to indicate how and where the village’s expected residential growth should occur. The results will be used to guide strategies in each community that support a balanced mix of housing types, serve the needs of existing and future residents and workers, and enhance livability.
“These workshops bring each village’s citizens to the forefront of an important process,” said project consultant John Fregonese of the workshops. “While it feels like a game, it provides us with the kinds of valuable input that will guide the housing planning for each community.”
Homes for a Changing Region is led by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Local Technical Assistance Program, in partnership with local communities, and with support from the Metropolitan Planning Council. In recent years, Homes for a Changing Region has collaborated with leaders from Aurora, Blue Island, Gurnee, Libertyville, Montgomery, Northlake, Oak Forest, Plainfield and Woodstock. In 2011, the project will work with 12 communities in metropolitan Chicago, starting with the four south suburbs.
Details follow on each community’s meeting. For more information about Homes for a Changing Region, visit www.metroplanning.org/homes.
WHAT: Hazel Crest, Lansing, Olympia Fields, and Park Forest will host public workshops June 14 and 15, 2011, inviting local residents to weigh in on local housing plans being created through Homes for a Changing Region.
WHEN and WHERE:
Olympia Fields
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Rich Central High School Cafeteria
3600 203rd St.
Contact: Gladys Foster
gfoster@olympia-fields.com, (708) 679-3404
Park Forest
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Dining on the Green Banquet Facility
349 Main St.
Contact: Hildy Kingma
hkingma@vopf.com, (708) 283-5622
Hazel Crest
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Noon to 2:30 p.m.
Village of Hazel Crest Municipal Center
3000 W. 170th Pl.
Allison Milld
amilld@mayorscaucus.org, (312) 201-4507
Lansing
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Nathan Hale Elementary School
19055 Burnham Ave.
Grace Bazylewski
gbazyleweski@villageoflansing.org, (708) 895-7174
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Drew Williams-Clark, Senior Planner
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
312-386-8770
awilliamsclark@cmap.illinois.gov
Allison L. Milld, Director of Housing Initiatives
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
312-201-4507
amilld@mayorscaucus.org
Nancy Firfer, Senior Advisor
Metropolitan Planning Council
312-863-6025
nfirfer@metroplanning.org