Planning Programs and Projects

In 2011, a CMAP-led Value Capture study looked at potential funding mechanisms and innovative financing techniques to identify ways for the Village to fund the parking deck recommended in the TOD plan. The Executive Summary of this study can be found here.

The Village of Wilmette was chosen as part of the 2011 RTA Community Program of Projects to update their Village Center Parking Regulations. This project began in the 4th Quarter of 2011 and the new TOD parking regulations took effect April 1, 2014.  
In September of 2014 the Village announced the sale of a property at 611 Green Bay Road to a developer. A five-story mixed-use project that includes 75 apartments is opening in summer of 2017.

In May of 2018 Wilmette was awarded grant funding from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) to improve pedestrian infrastructure in its downtown according to plan recommendations. In addition to aesthetic improvements, such as landscaping and decorative paving, there are a number of pedestrian safety improvements like curb bumpouts and speed tables, as well as bike parking throughout the downtown.

In November of 2020 the Village of Wilmette gave final approval to a developer to construct a mixed-use building across from the Metra station at 1210 Central Avenue. There will be 109 apartments, ground floor commercial space, and 173 car parking spaces.

Waukegan completed the Washington Street Commercial Corridor Plan with assistance from CMAP's Local Technical Assistance Program in 2015. The plan identifies opportunities for economic development along a main artery of downtown Waukegan.

The Village Board adopted the plan in spring 2012 and were directed to pursue six key issues identified by the plan. In 2014 the RTA assisted the Village with one of of these issues, a TOD zoning code update. An overlay district was drafted and the Village Staff continue to work with the Board on revisions acceptable for adoption.

A new three-story mixed use building at 1312-1318 Shermer Road in the downtown area was constructed in 2017. The building includes 10 apartment units on the second and third floors and 2,400 square feet of commercial space on the first floor with enclosed parking located behind the commercial space.

In May 2017, a 68 unit townhome development was approved for the south side of Shermer Road, east of downtown Northbrook. This was identified in the TOD plan as an opportunity area for redevelopment. The first phase of the project was complete in 2020 and phase 2 is expected to commence soon.

In December 2022, the Village was awarded funding through the Invest in Cook program for design engineering of a 1.5 mile-long shared-use sidepath on Shermer Road between Walters Avenue and Willow Road. This project will make bicycle and pedestrian travel safer for residents traveling to downtown Northbrook, the Northbrook Metra Station, and Glenbrook North High School, as well as link to the Skokie Valley Trail to facilitate regional travel. The project implements recommendations from the Plan to establish bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure that connects Willow Road and downtown Northbrook.

The study was completed in October, 2002 however, the Village received funding in 2016 from SSMMA to complete and update of the TOD Plan to take into account changes in market conditions as well as availability of affordable housing. In 2012, the Village was part of a Homes for a Changing Region report that explored regional and state strategies to address imbalances in northeastern Illinois' housing stock. Also involved were the Villages of Lansing, Olympia Fields and Park Forest with the RTA providing support as needed. This report recommends that Hazel Crest focus on rehabilitating existing housing stock and prioritize infill development around the Metra station area and along key corridors by revising zoning regulations to allow for higher densities. Click here for more information. 

In 2020 Metra completed a $3.5 million renovation of the Hazel Crest Metra station. The Village is working to ensure the new station will continue to be a catalyst for new development and investment.

This project was completed in May 2005. 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 communities are completed Comprehensive Plans that include recommendations for priority redevelopment parcels in each community's TOD area. 

Many development projects have been completed in the Village's TOD areas. Construction was completed on a 21-story mixed-use building at Lake Street and Forest Avenue, called Vantage Oak Park, in summer of 2016 with the first units occupied in July. The development includes 270 rental apartments, 25,000SF of ground-level retail and an integrated parking garage with 288 residential spaces and 300 public spaces. Another mixed-use residential, retail and parking project, called Oak Park Station, opened in late 2017 on the Village-owned Westgate site between Lake Street and North Boulevard just east of Harlem Avenue. Oak Park Station features a 20-story tower and five-story building that include 270 rental apartments, 28,000 square feet of retail and a five-story parking garage with 428 spaces for residential, retail, and public use. Additionally, a new transit-oriented development on the southeast corner of South Boulevard and Harlem Avenue was completed in 2019. The building, known as Eleven 33, is a mixed-use structure consisting of approximately 263 rental apartments, 10,000 square feet of retail and a 400 space parking garage. These new developments encourage increased ridership on all available transit services in the downtown area by adding a significant number of residential units within walking distance of CTA, Metra and Pace service. 

The Village is also planning an extension of the Marion Street streetscape improvements west on South Boulevard to Harlem Avenue to enhance pedestrian and bicycle mobility and access to surrounding transit service. These improvements would include wider sidewalks, shorter intersection crosswalk distances improved lighting and public seating. The project is partially funded through the Transportation, Community and System Preservation Program (TCSP).

The study was completed in July 2002 and in the same year the Village was awarded $247,827 from the TCSP grant program to construct a new station house. A senior living facility was constructed in 2003-2004 just west of the Metra station. On June 13, 2012 the Village celebrated the opening of a newly-paved, 157-space commuter parking lot complete with new bike racks. To build on this effort, the RTA worked with the Village to convene a working group consisting of Village staff, the City of Blue Island, RTA staff, CMAP, Metra, ATA and Cook County Highway Department to identify ways to improve pedestrian mobility and access to the Metra Station. The final Robbins Pedestrian Access Improvement Plan can be found under Related Reports.

Park Forest received a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (ILDCEO) for a Phase II study in summer of 2010 to explore development and financial incentives to realize recommendations in the RTA-funded study. A Steering Committee consisting of representatives from Pace, Metra, RTA and Park Forest, Olympia Fields and Matteson finalized the Phase II study in the Fall of 2012 and all three communities are now focusing on implementing the recommendations.

In June 2013 the RTA coordinated with ULI to convene a developer panel to provide guidance and advice to the Village as they work to attract TOD investment near the 211th Street Metra Station. A summary of this discussion can be found in the Related Reports. Additionally, the Village was chosen as part of the 2014 Community Planning Program to complete a pedestrian access plan around the 211th Street Metra Station, which was completed in 2015.