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NIPC Update: November 17, 2004
Welcome to the first electronic
newsletter from the Northeastern Illinois
Planning Commission (NIPC), which was created in 1957 by the Illinois General Assembly
as the region’s comprehensive land-use planning agency. NIPC
conducts research for planning and is the source for official
forecasts of population, employment, and other regional socio-economic
indicators.
The Commission and its staff also provide comprehensive plans and related
support to local governments, including applied research in environment and
natural resources planning.
In 2000, NIPC's role was reaffirmed by an Interagency
Agreement with the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS), the Regional
Transit Authority (RTA), and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
The agreement stipulates that NIPC's plans and data are the basis for the
Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that guides critical decisions and
investments of federal transportation funding.
In this issue:
1.
NIPC
Welcomes New Director of Planning
2. Mike Smith Testifies Before Mass Transit Committee
3.
New Ecological Planning and Design Web Directory for Planners and
Developers
4.
Chicago Area Housing Website Serves Up Data and Maps
5.
NIPC Co-organizes Regional Water Supply Conference
6. NIPC in the News
1. NIPC Welcomes New Director of Planning. Sam Santell joined NIPC on November 1 as director of planning. Since 1991, he had been the planning director for Kane County
and worked previously with the City of St. Charles. Santell has a
Master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State
University. A proponent of increased coordination among local and
regional planners, he shaped Kane County's award-winning 2020 plan and
its recently adopted 2030 plan, both of which provided a framework for
collaboration across traditional geographic and governmental boundaries.
"People are now more aware of how our communities are interconnected and
therefore should work together rather than in competition," Santell
said. "I'm excited to be part of the NIPC team, where Common
Ground is a dynamic process of engagement, not a static report that will
sit on a shelf." He expects to build on his experience at the
municipal and county levels to achieve planning that is relevant to
residents' needs, including transportation, economic development,
education, and natural resources. (See the full press release at
http://www.nipc.org/news/release_11-04-04.htm.)
2. Mike Smith Testifies Before Mass Transit Committee. The
Illinois House of Representatives has created a Special Committee on
Mass Transit, chaired by Rep. Julie Hamos. Its first meeting was
held at South Holland on October 15, featuring testimony from NIPC
president Mike Smith and other regional officials. The committee's
charge is to review recommendations of the Northeastern Illinois
Regional Transportation Task Force that reported to the Governor and
General Assembly in April 2004. Smith, who is also mayor of New
Lenox, testified that no detailed cost/benefit analysis has been
conducted to indicate whether recommendations such as merging NIPC with
the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) would have sufficient
positive effects to merit the expense of combining the organizations.
NIPC and CATS are exploring the possibility of co-locating, he said,
which is expected to cost $1 million or more; noting that a full merger
would cost upwards of $3 million, Smith cited NIPC's Common Ground
project as an example of how the two organizations collaborate to
integrate comprehensive planning of land use and transportation.
For the testimony, see
http://www.nipc.org/news/. For information about the
committee, see
http://www.juliehamos.org/.
3. New Ecological Planning and Design Web Directory for Planners
and Developers. In partnership with Chicago Wilderness,
NIPC has created a web repository of tools and techniques for achieving
sustainable development. The Ecological Planning and Design
Directory, at
http://www.nipc.org/environment/sustainable/, is geared toward
local-government decision makers and commercial developers. With dozens
of documents created by Chicago-area sustainable growth organizations,
the site addresses Biodiversity and Natural Habitats, Conservation
Design, Sustainable Development, Natural Landscaping, and Water
Resource Protection. Users will find innovate approaches to
writing ordinances that preserve natural assets, managing stormwater at
large and small scales, landscaping naturally for environmental and
aesthetic benefits, and many other important guidelines. Collectively,
the documents convey a unified set of best practices that individuals,
businesses, governments, and other organizations can implement to the
benefit of their communities.
4.
Chicago Area Housing Website Serves Up Data and Maps. The
Greater Chicago Housing and Community Development web (http://www.chicagoareahousing.org)
presents comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date information on housing in
northeastern Illinois. Free to the public thanks to sponsorship by the
MacArthur Foundation, the Fannie Mae Foundation, and the City of
Chicago, the GIS-based site was developed by NIPC and partners as a
resource for home buyers, renters, community organizations, developers,
researchers, planners, and other decision makers. The easy-to-use system
shows housing status and trends in the region, including data on the
type, location, and cost of residences. Users can generate customized
maps for in-depth analysis of factors -- such as housing availability,
affordability, and proximity to transit -- to help individuals and
organizations make informed decisions. “Between September 1 and November
9, the site served over 130,000 pages,” said NIPC Internet projects
manager Greg Sanders, who directs the website. “We’ve had very positive
feedback from the general public, the business community, and local
officials, and their inputs are helping us continually improve the
system.”
5.
NIPC Co-organizes Regional Water Supply Conference.
NIPC is co-organizing and will host a water supply conference
for the Lake Michigan region that will take place in February 2005.
The event is part of the Southern Lake
Michigan Regional Water Supply Consortium, which is funded by a grant
to NIPC from the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant program and the Joyce
Foundation. According to NIPC project leader Jeff Wickenkamp, "The
conference will bring together water-supply experts and local decision
makers who are facing the real prospect of shortages in the relatively
near future. We will feature a Policy Track geared to
municipalities, counties and regional agencies, emphasizing how to plan
the use of water from Lake Michigan and other sources. And our
Technical Track: for scientific and engineering professionals will show
how they can support regional-scale management of water resources."
For more information, see
http://www.nipc.org/environment/slmrwsc/conferences.
6. NIPC in the News.
The following is a partial list of recent press coverage involving
NIPC. Contact NIPC communications director Tom Garritano (tgarritano
at nipc.org or 312-454-0401) for a faxed copy of any of these news
items.
"By 2040, Water Taxis, Highway
Anticipated" (regarding Common Ground's preview of the 2040 Regional
Framework Plan), Daily Southtown, 9/30/04.
"Land Use Planners Call for
Teamwork" (2040 Regional Framework Plan preview), Chicago Tribune,
9/30/04.
"Planning Group Calls on
County Leaders" (2040 Regional Framework Plan preview), Northwest
Herald, 9/30/04.
"Sam Santell Will Join NIPC as
Director of Planning," Kane County Chronicle, 10/1/04.
"Change Brings New Hurdles for 2
Towns: Oak Brook faces tax woes, parking vexes Hinsdale," Chicago
Tribune, 10/5/04.
"Kane County Official
Becomes NIPC Planner," Chicago Tribune, 11/5/04.
"Lakewood Seeks Larger
Facilities Area," Northwest Herald, 10/22/04.
"New Lenox OKs Curbs on Growth," Chicago Tribune,
11/7/04.
"Missed Moments" (regarding
Polish immigrants in the Chicago suburbs), Daily Herald, 11/7/04.
"Officials Critical of
Transportation Plans" (regarding State House of Representatives special
committee on mass transit and proposed NIPC-CATS merger), Aurora
Beacon-News, 10/22/04.
"CTA Plan Fans Fears of Rail
Fare Hike" (regarding the mass transit committee), Chicago Tribune,
10/21/04.
"Library Can't Expand
Without Adding Funds," Barrington Courier-Review, 10/14/04.
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