For Immediate Release

NIPC Urges Increased Open Space Protection in Cook County Comprehensive Land Use and Policies Plan

February 19, 1998 -- The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC), acting through its Planning Committee, today recommended that the updated comprehensive plan for Cook County include strong provisions for the identification and protection of potential open space and environmentally sensitive areas. The recommendations came in a review of the draft Cook County Comprehensive Land Use and Policies Plan. The draft plan has been prepared under the direction of the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals for review and adoption by the County Board of Commissioners. NIPC's comments were addressed to Board President John Stroger.

NIPC recommended that the designation of "open space opportunity" areas in the plan be clarified. The designation should not just indicate areas for public acquisition but also areas which might remain as open space as part of a private development. Responding to the concern that such a designation adversely affects the rights of the owners of such areas, the Planning Committee said:

The depiction of potential open areas does not unilaterally curtail development, but focuses public and private attention on the preservation of adequate open space, needed coordination of such planning with comprehensive land use planning, and the development of implementable mechanisms for the preservation of such areas. Often this has resulted in the incorporation of open space within private development.

The NIPC statement cited the Forest Preserve District's property evaluation process as a mechanism for assessing the need to acquire particular parcels.

NIPC also recommended that the county plan include an identification of "environmentally sensitive" areas. The statement cited wetlands, aquifers, groundwater recharge areas, natural areas, flood plains, and areas of poor soils as areas requiring special attention in order to minimize stormwater damage, loss of water quality, and threats to property. This attention can be achieved, NIPC said, by requiring that such areas be developed only under a "planned unit development" (PUD) concept.

NIPC's review comments lauded provisions of the draft plan which

• encourage an appropriate balance of land uses and furnish a guide for the location of new residential, commercial, industrial and open space in areas representing the best pattern of land utilization;
• aim to strengthen the planning relationship between the County and local units of government;
• attempt to ensure that land development and/or redevelopment in unincorporated Cook County complements adjacent natural resources; and
• encourage expansion of housing opportunities for low-to-median income level households.

All of the these emphases, the Planning Committee said, are consistent with NIPC's regional plans and policies.

The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission is the comprehensive planning agency for the six-county metropolitan area. In addition to planning, the agency provides technical and research assistance and reviews state and federal grant requests for local governments.

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visit NIPC's website at http://www.nipc.org