Planning Programs and Projects

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.

Construction commended in April 2025 of 25 new townhomes at 1189 Shermer Road, just west of Route 43. Known as "Gateway" the development will offer residents proximity to an array of restaurant, entertainment and shopping venues in downtown Northbrook. The community will be an eight-minute walk to the Northbrook Metra station, which provides service to Chicago’s Union Station. This project implements recommendations from the 2011 plan and 2013 zoning code update.

The Village Board unanimously adopted the Romeoville East Side Plan on April 18, 2012 as an amendment to the Village's Comprehensive plan. In 2013 Metra included this new station/stop as part of the 2013-2017 Capital Projects Program and is currently exploring ways to obtain the necessary funding to move forward.

In May 2017 the Village broke ground construction of the new station with funding provided from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program. More information can be found reading the Romeoville Press Release

This study is being used by City staff and elected officials to guide transit access improvements and land use development along the corridor. A significant amount of development has been occurring near the station. Visit our Story Map for details

In 2015 the CTA was awarded funds from the RTA's Community Planning program to study the slow bus service along the 79th street corridor and to identify ways to improve the slow zones, thus restoring the reliability of this important and busy bus route. This study was completed in 2018 and can be found on RTAMS.

The City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development will be partnering with the RTA in 2019 to complete a study in the South Shore neighborhood that will study land use, business retention, housing and connectivity to transit improvements for both corridors.

Within the development area identified in the Clarendon Hills TOD plan, In 2018 two mixed-use developments were constructed within the development area identified in the Clarendon Hills TOD plan, a four-story development with 42 apartment units with 900 square feet of street level commercial at the corner of Park and Walker Avenue, and at the corner of Park and Prospect Avenues, 88 Park Avenue was completed as a three story 8-unit apartment building. Both of these projects are within a two to three block walk of the Metra station and the adjoining Pace Bus stop in downtown Clarendon Hills.

In May of 2018 Clarendon Hills received an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) grant for new railroad crossings gates at Prospect Avenue; improved pedestrian crossings and corner bump out enhancements at Prospect Avenue, Burlington Avenue, and Eastern Avenue/Anne Streets; installation/enhancement of bicycle lockup areas and shelters north and south of BNSF; development of a defined kiss-and-ride north of BNSF; and other streetscape improvements including plaza development, benches and street landscaping.

Reconstruction of the Clarendon Hills commuter station was completed in 2022. In addition to station improvements, the Village incorportated streetscape improvements that created a shared vehicle/bike lane, and reduced the distance pedestrians must walk to cross the street.

The plan was formally approved as an amendment to the Geneva Comprehensive Plan in November 2012. In May 2015, the City completed construction of a third tier on the Third Street parking deck, adding an additional 180 spaces. 

Geneva continues to build transit supportive infill residential development per the plan recommendations. Two recent developments are noteworthy Campbell Row and Park Place, both completed in 2017. Campbell Row is a 5-unit townhome development at the corner of Campbell and Fourth Streets, 1/3 of a mile from the Geneva Metra station and within two blocks of Pace routes 801 and 802. Park Place is a 30-unit row house development at the corner of First and Stevens within 3/4 mile of the Metra station and Pace bus routes. In addition, in August 2019, approval took place for Phase I of Hamilton Place, which includes the construction of 16 single-family homes at the Northeast corner of Richards & State street.

In summer 2023, construction was completed on the Lilac Station development at 101 South Main Street. The development is a 118-unit mixed-use building located directly to the south of the Lombard station on Metra's UP-W line. As of summer 2025, a cafe is preparing to open in a portion of the ground floor retail space. In addition to this development, the Village of Lombard has awarded several downtown businesses with business facade and other grants to improve the vibrancy of downtown Lombard.