Land Strategies, Inc. Chicago, IL - Transportation Projects

Route 47/Kishwaukee River Corridor Preservation Project
McHenry County, Illinois
In cooperation with Conservation Design Forum of Elmhurst, Illinois, Land Strategies planned for the sensible development and preservation of an 8 mile long by 3 mile wide corridor straddling Route 47 in McHenry County. The Route 47/Kishwaukee River Corridor is an environmentally sensitive area located directly within the path of Chicagoland's northwest suburban expansion. Our goal was to create a land use plan that would preserve the environment while identifying opportunities for mixed land use development. A transit corridor was established to provide a future alternative mode of travel between the commuter rail stations in Woodstock and Huntley, Illinois. For the next stage of the project, Land Strategies is working on Model Codes and Ordinances for the Corridor, to be completed in 2006. The Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects presented Land Strategies and the project team with the Honor Award for this project in December 2003.

Kane County Transit Opportunity Assessment Study
Kane County, Illinois
In partnership with urban planners Okrent Associates and transportation policy consultants Schlickman & Associates, Land Strategies worked to plan alternative transit opportunities in Kane County, home to rapidly expanding communities west of Chicago. This progressive county wanted to develop transportation options that would keep its citizens from becoming dependent on automobiles, so it held a countywide charrette asking residents for input on how to improve their local transit options. Land Strategies worked with the Kane County Division of Transportation to establish niche transit markets for the county. After comparing existing and future travel demand to transit systems proposed by PACE (the suburban bus company), Metra (commuter rail) and CATS (long range transportation planning), we developed a comprehensive transit plan that addressed funding mechanisms and organized actions into a priority matrix. Our plan made recommendations for park-n-ride locations, commuter rail stations, transportation centers, on-call shuttle service and employer based transportation solutions. The county integrated our recommendations into its Kane County 2030 Transportation Plan.

Rich Harvest Links Golf Course
Traffic and Parking Impact Analysis
Sugar Grove, Illinois
The exquisite 18-hole Rich Harvest Links Golf Course in Sugar Grove, Illinois hired Land Strategies to analyze how hosting a major golf event might affect surrounding roads and properties. Examining the course's parking options and traffic flows, we reviewed existing transportation access alternatives, roadway and intersection physical conditions, surrounding land uses, and potential parking locations. We attended numerous coordination meetings on behalf of the course to identify specific issues and concerns raised by representatives of Kane County, the Village of Sugar Grove, Big Rock Township, the Village of Big Rock, Kendall County, Aurora Municipal Airport and surrounding land and business owners. At the end of the project, Land Strategies submitted a report highlighting critical concerns and the results of our analysis, as well as our recommendations for transportation access and parking locations, to the Kane County Board of Supervisors for approval. Shortly after, the Kane County Board of Supervisors approved a Special Use Permit allowing the course to hold major golf events and to expand its services to accommodate additional guests. Rich Harvest Links is now beginning to attract golf events and will host the Solheim Cup in 2009.

Connors Park Neighborhood
Comprehensive Transportation Study
Chicago, Illinois
The Connors Park Neighborhood Coalition asked Land Strategies to assess current and future traffic and parking conditions within the Gold Coast neighborhood bounded approximately by Division Street, LaSalle Street, Chicago Avenue and Michigan Avenue. Land Strategies gathered existing road system and land use information including: peak hour traffic counts, field observations of roadway operations, traffic control devices, on and off-street parking occupancy rates, parking restrictions, transit ridership rates and land use regulations. The Coalition was particularly concerned with the impact of 10 proposed high-density developments on area roadways. Land Strategies analyzed future traffic impacts related to these proposed developments and made recommendations for their site access drives and study area intersections. Once completed, Land Strategies submitted the Connors Park Neighborhood Coalition Transportation Study to the Chicago Department of Transportation and Department of Planning and Development for review. The study continues to help the Coalition win key concessions from developers and is frequently used as a base for determining the impacts of major development on a neighborhood.

City of Waukegan Lakefront and Downtown Master Plan
Waukegan , Illinois
Land Strategies joined with the urban design team of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to prepare a downtown and lakefront transportation plan for the City of Waukegan. Once a thriving industrial port, Waukegan's lakefront has hit hard times as businesses have moved away and left a severely polluted lakefront. Land Strategies' transportation plan included a shuttle bus system, relocation of freight rail yards to develop an intermodal (train/bus) transit station, a shared parking plan and the redevelopment an unused expressway into a pedestrian friendly boulevard. The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), an interdisciplinary nonprofit supporting sensible urban planning, presented the City of Waukegan Master Plan with its 2005 Charter Award for excellence in neighborhood design.