Planning Programs and Projects

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 final report was completed in November of 2018 has been shared with Pace and members of the steering committee. Rezoning work is talking place in 2021 and 2022 along the sections of Harlem Ave within Riverside and Berwyn, as recommended in the plan.

This study was completed in September 2002. In 2009 the RTA funded an update to this study; please visit https://rtams.org/projects/planning/2745 for more information.

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.

The City is taking steps to identify the best timing to start implementing the additional modes recommended in the plan and hopes to begin implementation as soon as possible. The RTA will continue to monitor any implementation activity. A final report will be posted to this page as soon as it is available.