Traditionally, the Great Streets Initiative has provided planning assistance in the form of planning reports at the corridor or community scale. The new Planning Panel approach will provide planning assistance to projects on a smaller scale, such as specific properties or intersections.
The Planning Panel aims to:
- Expand the Great Streets program to address very localized and specific needs within communities
- Raise awareness of how issues of safety, traffic, placemaking, utilities, local economy, the environment and other issues are interrelated
- Provide practical and actionable recommendations
Project Overview
This process is compact, centered around a 4 day event, and the deliverable product is a detailed memo outlining a viable, collaboratively developed set of strategies to identify, implement, and maintain a solution to the proposed project area.
Project assessments are expected to begin in April of 2024, with the 4 day event in May of 2024. The Planning Panel will consist of a multi-disciplinary team of four individual consultants (a transportation planner, a market consultant, a consultant focused on “natural systems”, and an urban design or planning consultant), augmented by agency staff (such as the state DOT or transit provider) as appropriate. A cohort of up to 4 projects and their sponsors will be selected for this process, and the intent is that the various cohort members will participate in and benefit from the conversations related to all four projects, not just their own.
The Panel members will work collaboratively to fully define each project’s challenges, opportunities, and potential “ripple effects”. Panelists will spend a few weeks studying each project’s existing conditions. Each consultant will act as a primary author for one of the four project memos, in which the project problem is defined, the existing conditions are outlined, and the recommended strategies and priorities are explained.
The Illinois Great Streets project application will be open from October 5 – October 30, 2023. All application links, tools, and forms can be found on the right side of the page. If you have any questions, please email staff at GreatStreets@ewgateway.org. Before you apply, please watch the following videos:
What are We Looking For?
We are looking for small-scale projects in need of professional planning assistance.
Planning Panel Event
The panel event will occur over 4 consecutive days:
- Day 1 – Panelist presentation, sponsor presentations on problems, discussions
- Day 2 – Panelist working session (sponsors do not need to attend)
- Day 3 – Panelist working session (sponsors do not need to attend, however, should be available for a scheduled progress review)
- Day 4 – Draft concept memo presentations and discussions
The Deliverable
The final deliverable for this process is a memo that will layout steps to address the identified area. The memo will outline scope, phasing, schedule, and budget expectations for the various strategies of recommended implementation, along with steps for engagement, design or engineering, ordinance modifications, utility investments, and other related tasks will also be outlined.The memo will also identify recommended partners, engagement practices, and possible funding sources.
The Application Form
You need to complete the Illinois Great Streets Planning Panel Application Form to apply. The application form and supporting materials are due no later than 3:00 p.m. local time on October 30, 2023. You may submit your application and supporting materials to EWG by email at GreatStreets@ewgateway.org.
Eligible Project Applicants
Projects eligible for funding are those for new planning projects and not for additional phases of a previous Great Streets project. The project area must be located within the Illinois portion of the St. Louis region served by EWG: Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties.
Funding Available
Project funds will be available to provide planning support only. Project sponsors will be responsible for implementation. Project sponsors will need to commit logistical support and participate in the panel. EWG anticipates selecting 4 projects for this process.
Application Review
EWG will evaluate applications based on consistency with the Great Streets Initiative program, commitment of project sponsors to participate in the planning process, and intent to implement the resultant recommendations.
Application Assistance
Application assistance is available to those interested. This is either an in-person or zoom opportunity that will consist of EWG staff reviewing your proposed location and application with you. To sign up, please email staff at GreatStreets@ewgateway.org with your desired time and format.
Next Steps
Once a project has been selected, EWG will work with the project sponsors during the procurement process to hire up to four individual consultants.
Applications are due no later than 3:00 p.m. local time on October 30, 2023.
If your community is interested in submitting an application, please notify staff as soon as possible by email at GreatStreets@ewgateway.org so that staff can notify you with updates about the application process.