Planning Programs and Projects

The RTA assisted the Village of Richton Park to update to the Village’s 2004 transit-oriented development plan (TOD), encompassing the 1/2 mile area surrounding the Richton Park Metra station. The goals for the project were to update, consolidate, and refresh the 2004 plan with new recommendations, imagery, and graphics. The plan included a modernized strategy to offer more housing options and create a new public open space near the Metra station. The updated plan focuses on ways to retain existing character, celebrate the Village’s history, and create an appealing Town Center for the community.

The RTA is assisting the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways to prepare a corridor study focused on segments of Sauk Trail (from Cottage Grove to Torrence Avenue) and Torrence Avenue (from Sauk Trail to US 30). The goals of the study include developing strategies to: improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and access to transit services, attract investment and development, and reduce motor vehicle speeding and crashes.

This project will fund Phase I engineering needed for a side path that will connect the University Park Metra Station to the I-57 Industrial Corridor. This project will complete a multimodal connection between transit and a growing employment center, making it easier and more safe for workers to access jobs via transit.

This program provides transportation and mobility management services for persons with disabilities and older adults residing in eastern Will County townships. The award funds the County’s Mobility Manager position. This is an existing Section 5310 project.

The RTA is assisting the City of Berwyn to make transit-supportive amendments to the zoning regulations along the Harlem Avenue corridor from Roosevelt Road to Pershing Road. The result will include code revisions that foster a pedestrian-friendly development style along the corridor, preparing it for future Pace Pulse service. Revising the code along Harlem Avenue is a recommendation for the City in the Central Harlem Avenue Corridor Study.

The RTA partnered with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to convene a half-day discussion panel of development experts to provide guidance and advice to Village staff. The panel discussed the development climate and potential strategies to prepare for, and attract development to, Village-owned parcels near the Congress Park Metra station.

The RTA provided technical assistance to Chicago's Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and the Albany Park community to pinpoint new and expanded pedestrian and shared space amenities along Kimball and Lawrence Avenues as well as introduce new micro-mobility infrastructure and device parking to advance first and last mile connectivity near the Kimball Brown Line station. New public amenities recommended in the plan included specific locations for improved crosswalks, designated shared bike parking areas, wall murals along the exterior of the Kimball CTA station, a plaza area near the Kimball station, and dedicated bus priority zones for transfer stops of CTA bus routes 81 and 82. The RTA and DPD worked alongside the North River Commission, the CTA and others in Albany Park to finalize short-term, tactical recommendations.

The RTA assisted the Village of Maywood to amend the Village’s Zoning Code in the downtown area as recommended in the Maywood TOD Plan Update, completed through the RTA’s Community Planning program in 2020. Code updates were developed that will foster the type of development envisioned in the plan, address current parking in downtown Maywood, and respond to the historic nature of the area. The project’s focus area includes Lake Street and 5th Avenue.

The RTA assisted the Village in updating the zoning code in the southeast portion of the Village, from South Claire Boulevard to the Robbins Metra station. The adopted code amendments will allow the Village to realize the type of development envisioned in the Robbins TOD and Industrial Areas Plan, completed with support from the RTA and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

This project created various pedestrian and access improvements to and around the Aurora Transportation Center including entrance modifications at the intersection of Spring Street and the creation of a Kiss and Ride area for passenger drop off. Other improvements included the installation of real time message boards on the platform to indicate train departure/arrival time and track location, installation of bike shelters on the east side of the Metra tracks and at the existing bike racks located along the west side of the platform, and installation of decorative monument signs at the Spring Street and Broadway Avenue entrances. Finally, four commuter transit shelters with heaters were installed on the platforms and bike lanes along Spring Street, running east and west were installed to improve access for people using bicycles to access the station.