Planners work on Antioch lifestyle corridor
By Diana Kuyper Special to The News-Sun August 29, 2012 7:34PM
Updated: October 1, 2012 4:28PM
ANTIOCH — Someday residents may easily travel throughout the village and beyond by bicycle or on foot, a goal that starts with a year-long planning process facilitated by Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
Jason Navota, CMAP senior planner, is one of 100 planners working in a seven-county region to develop projects that fit into the regional master plan called GO TO 2040. “We are setting in motion projects to improve quality of life and make the area more globally competitive.”
He is specifically helping create a lifestyle corridor or multi-use trail to connect destinations throughout Antioch and beyond.
“I am thrilled,” said Dustin Nilsen, director of community development, explaining that the lifestyle corridor concept is very forward-looking, but difficult to develop without expert help. He said CMAP employs world-class engineers as consultants to help local communities develop a long‐range regional comprehensive plan and it isn’t costing Antioch a dime for their services.
Last week, CMAP planners met with a local steering committee, including Lake County Storm Water Commission and Fox Waterway Agency, and representatives from the grade and high school districts, residents and the village public works and parks departments. The Illinois League of Bicyclists has also been asked for suggestions.
A public workshop to gather feedback about the developing plan will be scheduled in early October after CMAP planners finish gathering data, said Nilsen.
The lifestyle corridor would connect the Depot Street bike path, downtown Antioch, the Metra station, schools and Tiffany Road bike path to tie regional trails, including Kenosha County north of the state line on Trevor Road, Raven Glen and other Forest Preserve property on the eastern portion of the village and to a future bike and pedestrian path that would be tied into improvements on Route 173.
“Eventually we would like to see it connect to the Des Plaines River Trail east of Route 41,” said Nilsen. “We are looking at this in a regional context.
“We very much want public input on this, including residents’ needs and suggested location of the corridor. The general public is the broadest spectrum of interest that is involved in this process,” said Nilsen.
“We are not doing this for the village but rather we are facilitators to develop an action plan. We are open to any and all suggestions as we develop the plan,” said Navota.
Two or three workshops will be scheduled during the year-long planning process and before the plan is presented to the Antioch Village Board for final approval. The study will identify funding options, said Nilsen.
“With a project of this magnitude we will have to seek grants and other sources of revenue outside the village. We want a well-planned plan with community participation to make us competitive in the marketplace when we seek grants.”
