Harlem Avenue Corridor Plan:Harlem Avenue Corridor Plan:Corridor Planning Across Municipal Corridor Planning Across Municipal

Boundaries Boundaries

Heather Tabbert, Manager, Local Planning and Programs Division

Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)Jen McNeil Dhadwal, Principal Urban Planner

URS CorporationApril 24, 2012

RTA Local and Regional RTA Local and Regional PlanningPlanning

RTA Local and Regional RTA Local and Regional PlanningPlanning

DuPage

Cook

Kane

Will

Chicago

McHenry Lake

Cook

• 8.5 million people

• 3,700 square miles

• 2M rides daily

• 3.6 bil. passenger miles

• 5,640 bus & rail cars

• 381 rail stations

• 334 bus routes

• 7,200 route miles

• 650 vanpool vehicles

• $36 billion in assets

RTA Local and Regional RTA Local and Regional PlanningPlanning

TOD and Transit Improvement

County Transit Plans

Kane County – Randall Road

County Farm Road

SSMMA

Cicero Avenue

Funding and Technical Funding and Technical Support: Community Support: Community

Planning ProgramPlanning Program• Transit-Oriented Development

Plans• Transit Improvement / Corridor

Plans• Available since 1998• Funded over 100 planning studies• Annual Call for Projects• Eligibility: Local Governments and

Service Boards

Why Multi-Jurisdictional Why Multi-Jurisdictional Planning is ImportantPlanning is Important

There are a LOT of There are a LOT of jurisdictions!jurisdictions!Chicago Area:

Main Players in Corridor Main Players in Corridor PlanningPlanning

Benefits of Benefits of Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Jurisdictional

PlanningPlanning• Transportation is not

local• Transportation and land

use coordination• Avoids piecemeal

approach• Connectivity• Consistency• Common goals• Consensus building• Implementation• Limited funding

Funding Availability Funding Availability

• Nature of federal funding is changing

• More competitive, less political

• Focus on projects with regional focus that benefits multiple areas

• Support from other agencies needed

• Innovative funding solutions needed

The Harlem Avenue The Harlem Avenue Corridor PlanCorridor Plan

A Successful Multi-Jurisdictional Planning Project

Harlem Avenue Corridor Harlem Avenue Corridor PlanPlan

A comprehensive Corridor Plan that:•Addresses mobility and accessibility, guided by Complete Streets principles •Unifies the corridor while accommodating the diversity of member communities•Achieves economic revitalization•Focuses on implementation

Corridor Hot Button IssuesCorridor Hot Button Issues• Issue #1 – Manage / mitigate

roadway congestion

• Issue #2 – Maximize redevelopment of opportunity sites

• Issue #3 -- Enhance commercial development

• Issue #4 -- Reinforce links to adjacent commercial districts

• Issue #5 – Encourage corridor as an employment generator

• Issue #6 -- Strengthen corridor and community identity

Transportation PlanningTransportation Planning

Traffic Management / ITS• Heavy traffic conditions at

many intersections and around expressways

Freight• Congestion around

industrial areas throughout corridor

Transportation PlanningTransportation Planning

Transit•Pace Service•Metra Service•CTA Service•Arterial Bus Rapid Transit

Pedestrians/Bicycles•Pedestrian Scale•Complete Sidewalks•Bicycle Facilities and Linkage to Trails

Land Use and EconomicsLand Use and Economics

Land Use / Zoning• Compatible & incompatible

uses in close proximity• Safe access to/from high

trip generators

Economic Development• Employment corridor• Encourage growth and

diversification

Land Use and EconomicsLand Use and Economics

Open Space/Recreation• Numerous existing assets

o Forest Preserveo Local and Regional Trailso Parkso Golf courses

• Consider stormwater management

• Provide connections between corridor and recreational centers

Urban DesignUrban Design

Parking• Curb cuts at safe locations• Shared parking opportunities

Design• Landscaped buffers and

plantings• Integrate transportation,

infrastructure and landscape• Wayfinding and signage

RecommendationsRecommendations

• Economic Development Sites• Transportation Improvement Projects• Urban Design Projects

Toyota Park Redevelopment Toyota Park Redevelopment SiteSite

Bridgeview

9595thth Street Interchange Street Interchange Redesign and Redevelopment Redesign and Redevelopment

PlanPlan

Oak Lawn and Bridgeview

Southwest Highway Southwest Highway ImprovementsImprovements

Palos Hills, Chicago Ridge and Worth

159159thth Street Intersection Street Intersection ImprovementsImprovements

Orland Park and Tinley Park

ImplementationImplementation

• Ongoing RTA support to SWCM• Corridor communities excited to move forward• STP Funding availability• TIGER grant applications in 2011 and 2012 for 95th

Street project• Orland Park Transportation Plan• Pace: Toyota Park Transit Center

www.harlemcorridor.com

The Harlem Avenue The Harlem Avenue Corridor PlanCorridor Plan

In Retrospect….

Themes & Lessons LearnedThemes & Lessons Learned

Successes Challenges

• Building upon strengths:o Previous collaborationo Common goalso Strong, clear leadershipo Long-standing

relationships

• Dealing with differences in:o Capacityo Information and datao Current stateo Internal politics and

prioritieso Appetite for change

CapacityCapacity

What did we find? How did we deal with this?

• Full time staff of professionals

• Part time staff / volunteers

• Jacks-of-all-trades

• One-on-one interviews• Tailored

communication and engagement approach based on skill and ability to respond

Information and DataInformation and Data

What did we find? How did we deal with this?• Robust, in-house• Old, paper-based• Black-box, externally-

managed

• Early and frequent detailed requests

• One-on-one interviews and field work

• Assembly of multiple sources

• First draft with follow-up, checking

• Line-in-the-sand stop to existing conditions task

Current StateCurrent State

What did we find? How did we deal with this?

• Active projects and forward planning

• Stalled maintenance efforts

• Proposed range of ideas, with consistent end goal

• Acknowledged uniqueness and successes

Internal Politics and Internal Politics and PrioritiesPriorities

What did we find? How did we deal with this?

• Different levels of capacity for public investment and spending

• Collaboration and competition

• Spectrum of engagement

• Sought consensus on project goal and understanding of individual priorities

• Explicitly stated the enhancing role of project, not superseding local control

• Made recommendations within capacity and level of interest

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

• What we’d repeat:o Tailored / one-on-one communication + group work

sessions throughout the projecto Recognizing individual community successeso Listening before talkingo Proactive engagement of technical participantso Frequent communication with client / managerso Hawkeye budget management

• What we’ll plan for next time:o Variability in datao More proactive engagement of “low participators”

Q &AQ &AContact Information :

Heather Tabbert, AICPManager, Local Planning and Programs

Regional Transportation Authority312-913-3244

tabberth@rtachicago.org

Jen McNeil Dhadwal, AICPPrincipal PlannerURS Corporation

312.596.6705jennifer.mcneil@urs.com