Planning Programs and Projects

The Downtown Cary Strategic Plan was adopted by the Cary Village Board on June 15, 2021. The RTA will monitor for initial plan implementation. 

The final plan is complete and was accepted by the Village Board in December 2013. Construction on the Founders Row rowhomes, at Central and Emerson, was completed in 2013. For more information please visit: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130321/business/703219803/.

In fall of 2015 the Village was awarded CMAQ funding for covered bicycle parking at the Mount Prospect Station via the RTA's Access to Transit Improvement Program. Extensive renovation of the station was completed in early 2017.

In March 2018 Mount Prospect took a major step towards implementation when the Village Board approved a six-story, mixed-use development on a key opportunity site identified in the plan. The '20 West' project, located at the intersection of Northwest Highway and Busse Avenue, will include 73 apartments and a two-story restaurant with 78 parking spaces on-site. It will be constructed on a parcel currently occupied by a surface parking lot, across the street from the Mount Prospect Metra station.

In April 2020 the Village approved the development of a five-story apartment building at Central Road and Main Street, two blocks north of the Metra station. The apartments are going on the site of what was once a 26,500-square-foot shopping center that featured an A & P grocery store. The building will include 97 apartment units, a 900-square-foot indoor amenity area on the fifth floor, and a 1,300-square-foot rooftop terrace.

In 2022 construction commenced to build multi-family residential units at the vacant, former Police/Fire building at 112 E. Northwest Hwy. This six-story, 88-unit mixed-use residential building is located across from the Mount Prospect Metra station.

Although this site was not identified as an opportunity site in the plan, the Village approved plans in 2021 for a $26 million redevelopment of Prospect Place, located at the intersection of W Prospect Avenue, W Evergreen Avenue, and S Willie Street. This project, called 1 W Prospect, will include construction of a five-story, 80-unit building with ground floor retail.

Near North Study Area
The City of Chicago renovated the 70-year old Clark/Division Red Line CTA station by rebuilding the original 1940s mezzanine and platform and built a new mezzanine at LaSalle Street and Division, providing improved access to the station from the Near North study area. The new 8000-foot mezzanine entrance at LaSalle is equipped with two elevators, one between the entrance and the mezzanine and another connecting the mezzanine to the platform.

The City is also allocating CMAQ funding to construct pedestrian access improvements at the North and Clybourn Red Line station, improving transit access in the Near North study area. A new Target store at Larabee and Division opened in 2013 on 3.6 acres of former CHA land. Also, the New City mixed-use development opened in 2015 on 8.5 acres of land at Clybourn and Halsted and includes 360,000 square feet of shops, 199 apartments and 40,000 square feet of medical office space. Several multi-family developments have been constructed in the study area especially along Division and Orleans. In 2018 the long-standing Wayman AME Church, which served Cabrini Green residents for many years, was sold for more residential redevelopment.

Near West Study Area
The new Damen Green Line station on Lake Street is under construction. The Chicago Bulls have opened new practice facilities as well as restaurants, bars, a team store and event space in the parking lot east of the United Center as an economic development driver for the area around the stadium. The CTA used $23M in TIF funds to reconstruct the Medical District Blue Line Station, serving the Near West study area. The station house was reconstructed, an elevator was added and ramps to the platform were rebuilt. All three entrances--at Ogden Avenue, Damen Avenue and Paulina Street--are now accessible. Other renovations include lighting upgrades, additional security cameras, CTA bus and train tracker displays and repairs to the station platform canopy.
In 2017 new multifamily developments began taking shape in the study area, including the construction of affordable senior housing on the SE corner of Paulina and Washington, as well as the announcement by the Illinois Housing Development Authority of a federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits award to construct the Warren Apartments, a mixed-income, 75 unit apartment building at Madison and Ashland.

Mid-South Study Area
In 2013, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and the Bronzeville Alliance completed a land use plan intended to drive economic development along three corridors (43rd, 47th and 51st Streets) and their corresponding CTA Green Line Stations utilizing recommendations found within the Reconnecting Neighborhoods plan.

The draft corridor plan has completed review by the community and the RTA and the City are making final edits to the draft based on comments and feedback.

The final TOD Plan was adopted by the Village Board on November 14, 2016 and the Village is assessing initial implementation steps it could take. In September 2018, 'Stone Garden' Single Family Homes completed construction near the Palatine Metra Station.

In 2022 the Village was awarded right-of-way funding for Palatine Road improvements from Smith Street through Quentin Road identified in the plan. These improvements will include the reconstruction of Palatine Road, bike lane improvements, and associated sidewalk and pedestrian enhancements. These improvements will not only further solidify this section of Palatine Road as a western gateway into Downtown, but also greatly enhance the pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to Downtown Palatine.

The study was completed in December 2005. In November 2012 the Village met with a panel of development experts to solicit guidance and advice on ways to capitalize on redevelopment opportunities in the TOD study area. A summary of this discussion can be found under Related Reports.

Earlier in 2012 the Village was awarded a $400,000 US EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant to conduct 20 Phase I assessments and 12 Phase II assessments throughout the Village, mostly in the TOD area. The Village has also spent considerable effort in preparing for a Letter of Map Revision for the flood plain in the west side of the Village Center with technical assistance and support from CMAP. Assessing the clean-up and flooding issues in the TOD area will allow the Village to pursue and attract realistic development opportunities.

In early 2015 the RTA applied for and was awarded CMAQ funding on behalf of the Village to improve sidewalks and pedestrian access along 147th and near the Metra station. These improvements were constructed in 2018.

In 2016 the Village partnered with CMAP through their Local Technical Assistance program to envision potential pedestrian and stormwater management improvements at key points along 147th Street between Cicero Avenue and Kedzie Avenue. This project included a Complete Streets on-site demonstration event to show the types of potential improvements, cost estimates for improvements and funding sources to implement recommended improvements along 147th.

In early 2019 the RTA applied for and was awarded CMAQ funding a second time on behalf of the Village to construct pedestrian access improvements for southern access to the Midlothian Metra station.

The final plan was adopted by the City Council in November 2008. In the same year the City constructed a shared parking deck on Grove Avenue for their downtown using a combination of local and federal funds. They are also currently in talks with developers to develop key pieces of property within their TOD area.

In late November 2011, it was announced that the West Cook County Housing Collaborative received a nearly $3 million grant for its transit-oriented development strategy to update comprehensive plans and to create a sustainable transit-oriented development fund for the communities of Bellwood, Berwyn, Forest Park, Maywood and Oak Park. The RTA is provided in-kind assistance to the West Cook Housing Collaborative as a member of the steering committee that discussed strategies to attract TOD investment in each community. The city of Berwyn has secured $11 million in grant funding to complete infrastructure improvements in the Depot District. These improvements will include improved pedestrian accommodations, new lighting, green infrastructure such as permeable pavers, new lighting, bike lanes and bike racks. Final design and then bidding the work will continue through the end of 2017.

Work on the project began in April 2023 with creation of a Steering Committee and the development of an existing conditions analysis. The project team completed a series of public engagement events in June and July to gather input from residents and stakeholders and inform the Plan’s recommendations, resulting in a recommendations memo and a draft plan document. Following a series of draft plan work and review sessions with Village staff, the project Steering Committee, and staff from Pace and Metra, the plan was revised and presented to the Village's Planning and Zoning Commission. The plan was reviewed by the Village Board of Trustees and adopted as an amendment to the Village's Comprehensive Plan at their April 23, 2024 meeting. You can read the final plan in the "Related Reports" section.