Planning Programs and Projects

This page allows users to search for projects from the RTA’s Planning Programs. Users can search for projects by name or keyword from the Search bar or the Filter pulldown menus. 

Table results display summary information about each project. To view more details for a project, select the + icon to expand the view for additional information.

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This search filters based on details within the Planning Project. The search box below allows users to search by Planning Project name.

Year Project Title Program Project Type Project Partner Budget Funding Source(s) Status Sort descending
+ Richton Park Developer Discussion Panel Community Planning Developer Panel Richton Park $3,750
  • RTA
Completed

Project Details

Description
The RTA coordinated with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to bring in a panel of development experts to provide guidance and advice on ways the community can attract TOD investment in their Metra station area.
Current Activities
This panel convened in December 2013 and a summary of this discussion can be found in the Study Documents below. The RTA is monitoring progress and will offer assistance with implementation as needed.
Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
RTA $3,750

Last Updated 10.07.2014

+ Winthrop Harbor Station Area Plan Community Planning Transit-Oriented Development Plan Winthrop Harbor $72,200
  • Local
  • Federal
Completed

Project Details

Description
This study recommends the redevelopment of the Village's business district using the Metra station as the anchor, while placing emphasis on the proximity of the harbor to downtown.
Current Activities

This project was completed in January 2005. Per a recommendation in the plan, the Village enhanced the streetscape along 7th Street in the TOD area in 2010 with funding assistance from ITEP. Currently, the Village is exploring ways to market their harbor and adjacent proximity to Lake Michigan as a destination and development opportunity for condos, hotel and retail. The Village was chosen as part of the 2012 RTA Community Planning Program for assistance revising their zoning code in the TOD area. This project began in April 2013 and new TOD area zoning regulations were adopted in May 2014. The adopted regulations can be found here.

Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
Local $14,440
Federal $57,760

Last Updated 02.14.2024

+ Naperville/Lisle Partners Ride DuPage to Work '13-14 Section 5310 / JARC / NF Operating Naperville $1,228,200
  • Local
  • Federal
Completed

Project Details

Related Reports

Not Available

Description
This project, as part of the Ride DuPage program provides seniors and individuals with disabilities increased employment opportunities by providing them with transportation to jobs in and outside of their own town and at times that may extend beyond traditional work hours. Seven local governments sponsor the service: City of Naperville, Naperville Township, Lisle Township, Wheatland Township, Village of Glen Ellyn, City of Wheaton, and Milton Township.
Current Activities
The service provided 2,322 trips in January 2017. This project is complete.
Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
Local $614,100
Federal $614,100

Last Updated 09.30.2019

+ Transportation to Work '13-14 Section 5310 / JARC / NF Operating DuPage County $504,000
  • Local
  • Federal
Completed

Project Details

Related Reports

Not Available

Description
The Ride DuPage to Work is a service of the Ride DuPage system designed to enable persons with disabilities greater opportunities to obtain and maintain employment through more affordable transportation.
Current Activities
DuPage Transportation to Work, initially funded with the 2006 program, was implemented March 1, 2008. DuPage County became the grantee for the project in 2010. Prior to that Pace served as the project grantee. The service provided 2,680 trips in August 2016. This project is complete. This project is complete. This project is complete.
Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
Local $252,000
Federal $252,000

Last Updated 06.13.2019

+ Tinley Park Station Area Plans Community Planning Transit-Oriented Development Plan Tinley Park $40,000
  • RTA
Completed

Project Details

Description

This project developed plans for two commuter rail station areas in the Village of Tinley Park, the Oak Park Avenue Station located in the downtown and the 80th Avenue station located southwest of the downtown. For the Oak Park Avenue Station, the project identified mixed-use redevelopment opportunities to revitalize the commercial core surrounding the station. The 80th Avenue Station scope of work focused on civic uses, expanded parking, and improved access to the station. The study was completed in September 1998.

Current Activities

A new station was rebuilt between 2002-2005 at the Oak Park Avenue stop on the Rock Island Line that includes a café and a clock tower with 360° views of the station area. Additionally, a new station at the 80th Avenue stop opened in the Spring of 2012.

The Village was selected for inclusion in the 2014 Community Planning Program of Projects for a Developer / Financial Advisory Panel. The Panel convened on October 14th, 2014 and a summary report of the discussion can be found below under "Related Studies".

Among the short-term goals is to expand Zabrocki Plaza, immediately east of the Oak Park Avenue Metra station, to increase space for activities that draw people into the downtown, and at the same time to showcase the downtown's amenities to people from outside Tinley Park. Because any expansion would impact parking spaces in the Metra lot, the village would have to make up for those lost spaces elsewhere near the station, and discussions with Metra about that have been ongoing.

'The Boulevard' - a mixed use project consisting of 165 units and 29,853 sq. ft of commercial space at South St and 67th Ave, was approved for construction in September 2018 and completed in 2021.

The Village of Tinley Park recently announced it is partnering with a developer that has acquired the final parcel of property needed to move forward with construction of Harmony Square, a new multi-use plaza that will be located at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and North Street in Downtown Tinley.

The Village also secured funding for a new traffic light at 80th Avenue and Timber Drive to help control traffic in the Metra station area.

Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
RTA $40,000

Last Updated 02.13.2024

+ Ride in Kane Phase 7 & 8 Section 5310 / JARC / NF Operating - Mobility Management Association for Individual Development (AID) $5,613,611
  • Local
  • Federal
Completed

Project Details

Related Reports

Not Available

Description

This program, now in its fourth year of operation, coordinates paratransit services in Kane County into a centralized system that optimizes transportation resources for older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income individuals. The sponsors of Phases 7 and 8 include 19 private, non-profit organizations and local units of government. Approximately 130,000 trips were provided through this program in 2010. Ridership continues to increase each month with a January 2011 vs. January 2010 increase of 25%.

Current Activities

The service provided 1,908 JARC trips in February 2018.  This project is complete.

Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
Local $2,761,713
Federal $2,851,898

Last Updated 11.19.2023

+ Tinley Park Developer / Financial Advisory Panel Community Planning Developer Panel Tinley Park $3,000
  • RTA
Completed

Project Details

Description
The RTA coordinated with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to bring in a panel of development expertst to the Village for a half-day discussion to provide guidance and advice on ways the community can attract TOD investment in their Metra station area.
Current Activities
The Panel convened on October 14th, 2014 and a summary report of the discussion is posted below in the Study Documents.
Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
RTA $3,000

Last Updated 12.23.2014

+ Buffalo Grove Transit-Oriented Development Plan Community Planning Transit-Oriented Development Plan Buffalo Grove $124,427
  • RTA
  • Local
  • Federal
Completed

Project Details

Description

Through this study, the Village developed transit-oriented development plans for two locations along the Metra North Central Line: Deerfield Parkway at Commerce Court and Route 22 at Prairie. This study produced transit-oriented development plans for two Metra stations on the North Central Line in the Village of Buffalo Grove: Buffalo Grove and Prairie View.

Current Activities

The study was completed in January 2007. The Village surveyed area employers within the station area in summer of 2010 to identify any needed revisions to Pace Bus Route #626, which serves the station. Upgrades were made to the route shortly after.

Buffalo Grove was also chosen as part of the 2011 RTA Community Planning Program of Projects to update their zoning regulations in both station areas to include transit-supportive regulations. This project began in the 4th Quarter of 2011 and updated regulations & design guidelines for both station areas were completed in August 2012. 13 new townhomes were built in the Waterbury Place development within the Prairie View TOD area in 2013, but these units were approved for development prior to the start of the TOD zoning project. In spring of 2016 the Easton Station project broke ground in the Prairie View station area just west of I-94 and just south of Route 22. The development will consist of 15 luxury townhomes.

In 2019 the Village completed an update to the Prairie View plan and is now working to implement the revised vision. The updated plan calls for single-family homes and townhouses clustered around more than 12 acres of park space; a central area with a mix of uses, including single-family homes, multifamily housing and commercial properties, along with a gateway paying tribute to the neighborhood's history; and a south area featuring townhouses and a mixed-use building overlooking a plaza. The RTA continues to track development progress in both station areas and offer implementation assistance when appropriate.

Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
RTA $12,443
Local $12,443
Federal $99,541

Last Updated 09.28.2021

+ Metra Station Evaluation Community Planning Transit Improvement Plan Metra $65,000
  • RTA
  • Local
Completed

Project Details

Related Reports

Not Available

Description

This project included an examination of nine stations across the region in an effort to diagnosis the reasons for low ridership. The project will include an examination of service levels, current and forecasted ridership, service options, market area characteristics, and the potential for transit-oriented development. A cost benefit analysis of each station's ongoing operations was included to provide an overall set of recommendations for the future of each station.

Current Activities

Work on this project began in the fall of 2020 and was completed in the fall of 2021 with the delivery of Station Summaries and Deep Dive Reports for all nine stations. 

Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
RTA $52,000
Local $13,000

Last Updated 11.19.2023

+ Pace Transit Signal Priority Planning for the Milwaukee Avenue Arterial Rapid Transit Community Planning Transit Improvement Plan Pace Suburban Bus $118,302
  • RTA
  • Local
Completed

Project Details

Related Reports

Not Available

Description
This planning effort developed Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Signal Timing Strategies and Signal Timing Optimization Plans for the future Milwaukee Arterial Rapid Transit (ART) corridor along Milwaukee Avenue from the Jefferson Park Transit Center in the City of Chicago to Golf Mill Mall in the Village of Niles. It is the first step toward implementing TSP. Signal optimization improves traffic flow for all vehicular traffic, including transit. Improved traffic flow results in reduced stop-and-go traffic, improves platoon progression as well as reduced idle time; which reduces vehicular emissions. TSP improves travel speed and schedule reliability of transit, which, in turns, makes transit a more attractive mobility choice.
Current Activities
The project was completed in August 2011. Pace continues to advance Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and Arterial Rapid Transit (ART) along the corridor. Through an RTA Innovation, Coordination, and Enhancement (ICE) project, Pace will test the integration of transit signal priority technology that will allow CTA and Pace buses to interact with multiple types of traffic signal systems located on the same arterial.

Pace received a CMAQ grant in 2014 to fund the following components of Milwaukee Avenue ART from Jefferson Park to Golf Mill: Phase 1 Engineering, stations, real time information, ART vehicles, and queue jump lanes (where appropriate), which are elements of the Pace TSP Planning for the Milwaukee Avenue Arterial Rapid Transit. Pace held public open houses for its Milwaukee Avenue ART service in 2015 to solicit feedback. Milwaukee Avenue will be the first Pace ART line - now titled Pace Pulse - to be implemented. Construction on shelters and other supporting infrastructure will begin in summer of 2017 with an expected opening of the line in 2018. For more information regarding the Pace Pulse service, visit http://pulse.pacebus.com/.
Funding Amounts by Source
Source Amount
RTA $94,642
Local $23,660

Last Updated 05.31.2017