ULI CHICAGO PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, please contact Cynthia McSherry, Executive Director, ULI Chicago, 773-549-4972, [email protected]

ULI Chicago Report Recommends Cargo-Oriented Redevelopment Opportunities for Willow Springs

CHICAGO (January 26, 2016) —The Urban Land Institute Chicago (ULI Chicago) has released a report outlining opportunities for cargo-oriented development for undeveloped sites along a narrow corridor situated along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal in Willow Springs, IL. The report is based on a one-day, technical assistance workshop convened by ULI Chicago in September of last year in partnership with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and the Village of Willow Springs.

The panel’s recommendations focus on leveraging the unique advantages of the corridor, especially access to barge and rail transportation, to support and enhance current and potential future businesses.  The report recommends continuing and expanding the Village’s leadership role to guide the many stakeholders in the study corridor and balance their mandates/motivations.  The report also advises a transportation study to evaluate options for improving efficiency and safety for all transportation modes along the corridor. As panel member, Matthew Otto, Division Manager, Apex Companies LLC, said “The study corridor, though challenging in many regards, is a gem for intermodal development. The Village, by continuing to work collaboratively with all private and public sector stakeholders, can help unlock its development potential.”

Read the full Willow Springs “Opportunities for Cargo Oriented Development” TAP Report

The panel and final report were developed through CMAP’s Local Technical Assistance program to support implementation of the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan.

For more information about the ULI Chicago panel process, please visit:  www.chicago.uli.org.

###

ULI Chicago, a District Council of the Urban Land Institute organized in 1986, has more than 1,300 members in the Chicago land area. The ULI Chicago Technical Assistance Panel program draws upon ULI member expertise to provide creative and practical solutions to land use challenges in communities across the Chicago region and beyond. ULI Chicago’s TAP program was started in 2002.

The Urban Land Institute, is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is the region’s official comprehensive planning organization.  Its GO TO 2040 plan is helping the seven counties and 284 communities of northeastern Illinois to implement strategies that address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues.  See www.cmap.illinois.gov/ for more information.