Lakemoor Begins Planning Project

Originally formed as a summer vacation destination, the Village of Lakemoor grew as visitors decided to settle in this community and enjoy its assets and natural scenery. Lakemoor surrounds Lily Lake and includes a number of small lakes, ponds, wetlands, and natural preserves within and adjacent to its boundary. Over the last 15 years, Lakemoor has experienced new residential development, primarily north of Route 120.

Now, the Village of Lakemoor is embarking on an interactive, community-based process to update its comprehensive plan with assistance from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). The comprehensive plan will provide a framework to make informed investment decisions, address current community issues, and reach long-term goals. Together, the Village of Lakemoor, community stakeholders, and CMAP will explore opportunities in land-use planning, residential and commercial development, transportation, parks and open space, and a number of other issues important to the Village’s quality of life. As part of that effort, the Village is inviting local residents, business owners, community leaders, and other stakeholders to attend a special community planning event.

On Thursday, January 19, 2012, the Village and CMAP will host a public kickoff meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Village of Lakemoor Public Works Building (333 Wegner Road, Lakemoor, IL 60051). The session will feature electronic “keypad polling” in which participants can state their preferences for issues they feel should be addressed in planning for the future of Lakemoor (www.lakemoor.net).  

January 19 event lets residents have their say

To begin, the Village wants residents to answer the question: What issues do you think should be addressed in planning for the future of Lakemoor? The January 19 initial public meeting is an opportunity for Village residents, business owners, and others to tell the Village what they think the plan for the future should address. Is water an issue in your community? How about traffic? Do you want to preserve the character of your community?

For information or to RSVP, contact Cynthia Hernandez of CMAP at 312-386-8623 or email chernandez@cmap.illinois.gov. View updates on the project webpage at www.cmap.illinois.gov/lakemoor.

In the project’s first phase, the Village and CMAP will undertake a detailed analysis of existing conditions and obtain initial public input regarding the issues and opportunities of the area. The second phase will be to create a shared vision for the Village with specific goals and recommendations to help achieve the community’s vision.  The third phase will develop an implementation strategy intended to help the community put the plan’s recommendations into action.

HUD and CMAP build capacity for local planning           

Especially in challenging economic times, many communities have difficulty allocating enough resources to plan as proactively as they would prefer.  At the same time, proactive planning is necessary for economic prosperity and protecting community assets.  Through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), CMAP is  is helping fill this gap by making staff resources and grants available to assist with local planning projects that help to implement GO TO 2040, the first comprehensive plan for metropolitan Chicago in more than 100 years. 

The HUD grant to CMAP was announced one day after leaders of the seven-county region, on October 13, 2010, unanimously adopted GO TO 2040.  The region’s plan establishes coordinated strategies that help the region’s 284 communities address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues.  See www.cmap.illinois.gov for more information.

With the three-year $4.25 million HUD award (http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/press-release-10-14-10), CMAP has begun a new Local Technical Assistance program as part of the federal interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. CMAP issued a call for projects in early 2011, prompting more than 220 proposals from over 130 municipalities, counties, interjurisdictional groups, and nongovernmental organizations -- an indication of significant unmet demand for local planning capacity. 

In March, CMAP began partnering with 62 local governments, nonprofits, and intergovernmental organizations selected for assistance.  Like the Village of Lakemoor effort, these projects address local issues at the intersection of transportation, land use, and housing, including the natural environment, economic growth, and community development.  Download a full list of projects at http://goo.gl/1nYBM.

CMAP is the official regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. 

Media contact:  Justine Reisinger, 312-386-8802 or jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov

Program contact:  Pete Saunders, 312-386-8654 or psaunders@cmap.illinois.gov