Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Environment and Natural Resources Committee met July 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
Members Present: Lindsay Birt – Xylem, Keary Cragan – U.S. EPA, Martha Dooley – Village of Schaumburg, Danielle Gallet – Metropolitan Planning Council, Elena Grossman – BRACE-Illinois at UIC, Andrew Hawkins – Forest Preserve District of Will County, Paul May – Northwest Suburban JAWA, Stacy Meyers – Openlands, Mike Prusila (for Mike Warner) – Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Tom Rickert – Kane County, Mike Sullivan – IDOT (via phone), Sean Wiedel – Chicago Department of Transportation
Members Absent: Jack Darin – Illinois Sierra Club, Aaron Durnbaugh – Loyola University Chicago, Deborah Stone – Cook County Department of Environmental Control
Staff Present: Kyle Acevedo, Nora Beck, Brian Daly, Kate Evasic, Avery Goods, Maggie Jarr, Kathleen Lane, Iszy Licht, Jason Navota, Kelsey Pudlock, Conner Rettig, Jeff Schnobrich, Melissa Silverberg, Matthew Stern, Rebecca Yae
Others Present:
Garland Armstrong, Heather Armstrong, Alex Beata, Joe DeAngelis, Cecilia Diaz, Tony Fuller, Patrick McPartlan, Kevin Schnoes, Jessica Schumacher, Arthur Williams
1.0 Call to Order
Chair Sean Wiedel called the meeting to order at 9:43 a.m.
2.0 Agenda Changes and Announcements
Agenda change: Item originally numbered 5.0 (Lincoln Highway Logistics Corridor) was moved up in the agenda to follow Item 3.0. The items were renumbered as below.
New Executive Director: The CMAP Board selected Erin Aleman as the agency’s next executive director, effective July 15.
Willis Tower construction update: The Wacker entrance to the building is now open and the Adams entrance is now closed. The Franklin entrance will close at a later date and a new secondary entrance will open on Jackson.
Small Plans, Big Ideas event series: CMAP will host a series of events that will connect local leaders and provide expert advice about how ON TO 2050 can make a difference in communities. Each event will take place in a different area of the region during the months of September and October. Visit the event webpage for registration and more information.
3.0 Approval of Minutes—May 2, 2019
A motion to approve the minutes of the May 2, 2019 meeting, as presented, made by Martha Dooley was seconded by Tom Rickert, and with all in favor, carried.
4.0 Lincoln Highway Logistics Corridor Strategic Plan – Alex Beata, Cecilia Diaz, Jessica Schumacher, and Arthur Williams, Cook County
Completed in August 2018, the strategic plan for the Lincoln Highway Industrial Corridor prioritized industrial development sites in the disinvested communities of Chicago Heights, Ford Heights, and Sauk Village, leveraging the corridor’s longstanding industrial character and access to freight facilities. Cook County staff presented on the development of the strategic plan, including the methodology to identify and prioritize industrial development sites, and ongoing implementation efforts.
Property taxes. Responding to a question about property taxes in south Cook communities, Alex Beata stated that a goal of the plan is to help stabilize property tax rates and broaden the tax base, and added that the plan proposes property tax relief in response to concerns held by many stakeholders.
Access to transit. Members asked if the methodology also looked at access to transit for new employment. Cecilia Diaz confirmed that the team looked at site access via Pace bus service, which was considered as a factor in site selection and used to market sites.
Water supply. Meeting attendees asked what the most viable industry sectors are for the area, and whether the water demand of such industry was compared to the water supply for the communities. Alex Beata noted that the sites could be developed for manufacturing of metals, chemicals and plastics, as well as transportation and warehousing. He added that the site analysis looked at utility service to the site, but the capacity to serve new demand was not reviewed.
Job training. Members asked if the team identified job training partners for the corridor. Arthur Williams noted that the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership presents an opportunity to identify the needs of businesses in the corridor.
Previous plan alignment. Members asked if previously developed open space plans for the area were considered when evaluating the sites. Alex Beata said that they referred to the work completed under the South Suburban Economic Growth Initiative (SSEGI).
5.0 Welcome New Members
The committee welcomed new members and heard brief introductions on their organizations and expertise. New members include Lindsay Birt, Aaron Durnbaugh, Elena Grossman, Andrew Hawkins, and Paul May.
6.0 Climate Resilience Guidebook – Brian Daly, CMAP and Joe DeAngelis, American Planning Association
The American Planning Association, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and climatologists from the University of Illinois and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Consortium have partnered to develop a road map to incorporating climate change information into local planning efforts. Joe DeAngelis gave an overview of the project. Brian Daly presented on climate projections and climate change impacts in the Chicago region, followed by CMAP’s approach to assess climate vulnerability within a community planning process. Finally, Joe DeAngelis presented on the forthcoming guidebook, which identifies how community planners in the Great Lakes can use available resources, data, and programs to adapt to a changing climate.
Flood preparedness. Responding to a question about communicating flood risk to residents, Brian Daly stated that mapping social vulnerability can help identify places in communities where more assistance and outreach could be needed.
Social vulnerability. Responding to a question about the indicators used to assess social vulnerability, Brian Daly said that CMAP used the Economically Disconnected Areas (EDA) layer, since it is available region-wide. However, the guidebook encourages the use of all available data. The EDA layer does not include age, but CMAP confirmed that many of the same census tracts that are identified in the layer also have significant elderly populations.
Guidebook. Responding to a question about the release date for the guidebook, Joe DeAngelis stated that it is anticipated in August or September of 2019. He noted that the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (GLISA) will soon release a similar guidebook that is focused on how to use climate science.
Implementation. Members commented that climate action could help communities meet a requirement on their MS4 permit, which could help with implementation. Members also commented about the need for an agreed upon number to point to when upgrading infrastructure. Joe DeAngelis responded that the guidebook could help inform which projections should be used.
Public health. Responding to a question as to whether public health data would be included in the guidebook, Joe DeAngelis stated that it is included in the climate impact chapter to ensure public health planning is part of community planning. Brian Daly noted that availability and access to public health data is a barrier for CMAP’s local planning.
Impacts of climate change. Members commented that communities that are impacted by flooding and other climate hazards now will continue to be impacted in the future. They also noted that drainage costs are already a sizeable portion of transportation projects and could increase in the future.
7.0 Drinking Water 1-2-3 – Danielle Gallet, MPC
The Drinking Water 1-2-3 guide is designed to support our elected officials and community leaders in understanding the key aspects of water management, and critical questions to discuss with your water system managers and engineers, municipal planners, public works officials, finance directors, developers, residents and businesses. Danielle Gallet gave an overview of the resource and talked about the exciting Drinking Water 1-2-3 Academy initiative to host educational events throughout the region and provide technical assistance to communities.
Distribution. A meeting attendee encouraged that communities, including the City of Des Plaines, receive this educational guide.
Past workshops. Responding to a request to highlight comments made at previous workshops, Danielle Gallet noted that a lot of people did not know about the many educational resources that already exist.
Water pricing. In response to a question about how water prices are determined for communities receiving water from Lake Michigan, Danielle Gallet explained how contracts are determined between communities with direct supply and those to which they pass on water.
Water quality. Responding to a question about emerging contaminants, such as PFAS, Danielle Gallet explained that it provides guidance on sensible salting and relies on other resources and organizations like the Northwest Water Planning Alliance to educate on those issues.
8.0 Integrating Water Supply into Local Plans – Kelsey Pudlock, CMAP
Through an IDNR grant, CMAP has been developing an approach on how to incorporate water supply planning into LTA projects, such as a comprehensive plan. The purpose of this effort is to ensure future land use, transportation, and infrastructure decisions are informed by the water supply of the community and region. Kelsey Pudlock provided an overview of the approach to date and explained how CMAP staff intend to use it in upcoming LTA projects.
Wastewater. Members commented on the opportunity to look at the intersection with wastewater. Some communities struggle with wastewater violations that could be alleviated by a change in water source and result in cost savings.
Lead contamination. Responding to a question about water quality and lead, Kelsey Pudlock noted that lead contamination via the distribution network would be assessed based on available data under the water quality assessment of the approach.
9.0 Other Business
None
10.0 Public Comment
Patrick McPartlan requested feedback on Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District’s Land Use Opinion Report, including suggestions to incorporate recommendations from ON TO 2050. CMAP staff responded that they could meet with KDSWCD to provide feedback and will schedule a presentation at the September 5th committee meeting.
Heather Armstrong voiced support for container-deposit legislation to raise revenue for environmental protection and encourage recycling.
Garland Armstrong voiced support for better education and outreach to the community of people with disabilities when drinking water may be contaminated.
11.0 Next Meeting
The next meeting will be September 5 at 9:30 am in the DuPage County conference room.
12.0 Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m.
https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/documents/10180/937360/2019-09-05-ENR-3.0-Minutes-2019-07-11.pdf/e9fc85be-80b6-082c-46da-116942f38126
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