APA Federal Policy Briefing

Federal Policy & Program Briefing | September 30–October 2 | Washington | CM
Lame ducks. Fiscal flux. Program cuts. The Beltway is in a twist. How will Washington's policies and politics play out in your community? Come to APA's 2012Federal Policy & Program Briefing and prepare for planning in a time of challenge and change. This year's sessions will cover: The new federal transportation law — MAP-21 Threats to American Community Survey funding Challenges to community development grants The new economy and the looming "fiscal cliff" Strategies for countering critics of planning The outlook for the November elections and beyond Change is coming over the Hill. Be there to meet it.  Register now Added Attractions Register for both days of FPPB and get free admission to the next event in APA's Daniel Burnham Forum on Big Ideas, Sunday evening at the National Building Museum. And sign up for a Monday morning breakfast session on "Winning Federal Grants for Your Community." See if the early bird catches the funds!	Planners' Day on Capitol Hill Stay through October 2 for Planners' Day on Capitol Hill. Enter your home ZIP code + 4 on your registration form and let APA arrange meetings with your congressional representatives. Planning needs strong advocates. Speak out on the Hill. Questions? Contact govtaffairs@planning.org. CM (meets the law and ethics requirement)

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American Planning Association 205 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 1200 Chicago, Illinois 60601 US

Illinois APA Conference

	Early Bird Extended! As a special bonus . . . Early Bird Registration has been extended to August 3rd! Do not miss out on saving $50 on Full Registration. When registering please use code: EARLYBIRD to make the most of those year end funds! *** Save $50 on Full Registration by using code: EARLYBIRD ***   Session Titles Now Available Whether you want to learn more about the latest on Complete Streets, the future of retail sales, or take advantage of the greatest planning law update of all time - this year’s conference should be your destination in September! Visit our website to find more information on each of the sessions planned and register today! Hotel Rooms Available at a Discount Rate!  The Hilton Garden Inn is now taking reservations at a discounted rate for a limited time. If you are interested in a room, be click here to find more information. Rooms are going fast! To take advantage of a discounted rate please reserve your room by August 12th. Click here for more information. Don’t forget to sign up for Mobile Workshops  Five engaging mobile workshops are planned for this year’s conference, ensuring that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Get out of the session rooms, connect with colleagues, and experience planning in Urbana-Champaign and beyond.  Click here for more information.   Please remember that early bird registration now ends August 3rd, 2012.
	Visit ilapa.org for more information.

Home Sales

Drop in Home Sales May Overstate Weakness

Existing home sales dropped to a 4.37 million unit rate in June, down from a 4.62 million rate in May. Sales were revised up slightly in May, which blunts the blow. A shortfall in the inventory of foreclosures and short sales on the market are the primary reasons that realtors blame for the drop...

The median price of an existing home rose to $189,400 in June, up almost 8% from a year ago. This increase was mostly because of the mix of sales...

That said, structural problems in the mortgage market – title problems, capacity constraints, high down payments, a shortfall in demand for mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which limits the ability of banks to remove risks associated with underwriting mortgages on the market – will continue to constrain sales relative to demand... 

Read the full article 

Millenials Screwed by the Boomer Generation?

That is the focus of this interesting article.

"Today’s youth, both here and abroad, have been screwed by their parents’ fiscal profligacy and economic mismanagement. Neil Howe, a leading generational theorist, cites the “greed, shortsightedness, and blind partisanship” of the boomers, of whom he is one, for having “brought the global economy to its knees.”

Click to Read

I don't buy all his arguments but he does make some good points. And it is very tough now for young people finishing school and trying to get a good job, or any job, for that matter.

Tinley Park Housing Renovation Program

It always interesting to look back over plans and programs that you developed to see what worked and what did not.  The Tinley Park Housing Renovation Plan worked well.  


The plan supported the continual improvement and expansion of homes in the older neighborhoods near the train stations. The photos below show some of the successes.

Typical older homes - small frame homes

Adding a front porch is a nice improvement.

Dormer windows on the second floor improve the home.

A home with a partial second story addition.

New or substantially expanded homes. 

______________________

The Plan developed in 1998 was part of the Comprehensive Plan

Tinley Park Housing Renovation Program

The housing quality in Tinley Park is excellent.  Attractive new housing is under construction.  Existing neighborhoods are well maintained. Some of the older housing stock, however, is showing its age, and will require substantial improvements over the next years.  In many of the older neighborhoods near Oak Park Avenue, residents leave to move to larger homes, which could eventually lead to housing quality problems in these areas. 

The Village gains when citizens expand and improve their existing homes in the Village.  The Village's real estate tax base improves, and the additional investment in home expansion can stimulate investment by other homeowners.  Some of this type of development has been taking place, but the rate and quality of this type of development could be improved with an aggressive Village effort. 

The Village should implement the following programs to increase investment in homes:


▸ Establish a public relations campaign to induce homeowners to expand or otherwise improve their homes in the Village.  Honors, awards and recognitions should be a part of this program.

▸ Solicit a University architectural program to develop a large number of designs to expand Tinley Park homes into larger, more energy efficient designs.  An example of this is expanding a standard ranch home into a two-story home, or renovating in historic context while improving the home. 


▸ Solicit previously developed plans for the expansion of older homes by local architects.


▸ Develop before and after photos of expanded homes.


▸ Develop before and after models of homes for display in the Village Hall and commercial centers.  A school architecture class might assist in this project. 

▸ Work with local lenders to develop an attractive financing package.  Consider Village participation in a loan pool to reduce interest costs.  


▸ Consider waiving or reducing building permit fees for expansions and improvements of existing housing.  


▸ Study existing zoning codes to determine if variations in setbacks are feasible to accommodate home expansions without normal variance procedures.


These efforts can guide development in Tinley Park and induce extensive reinvestment in older sections of the Village.

____________

November 11, 1997




Fm: Craig Hullinger AICP Assistant VM
To: Dave Dorgan Village Manager


Sub: Existing Housing Improvement Plan

Attached is a one page proposal to improve housing in the older part of town.  Some of this is happening now, but a concerted program could increase the rate and quality of housing improvement.


Resource Option Cost / Impact


1. Do Nothing. Cheapest, least productive


2. Side job for Hullinger/Goebig 2nd Cheapest, least productive.


3. Ask for Architectural Student help Cheap, more bang for buck.


4. Hire part time planner. More expensive, more productive.


5. Consultant Too expensive.


We chose option 2. It worked well. At the same time the Village also embarked on a substantial improvements of downtown, which encouraged and supported improvements in the adjacent residential area where these photos were taken.

Baseball, Global Warming, and Palm Trees

O'brien Field in Peoria is a great little minor league ballpark located just south of downtown.  The stadium was financed in part by a Tax Increment Financing District. The stadium brings life and vitality to the City.

Note the Palm Trees. Each year they are imported from Florida.

In 2008 we hosted the Illinois American Planning Association conference in Peoria. I led a walking tour of the area.  When we got to the ballpark I told the young planners to note that "Because of Global Warming and because Peoria was so far south of Chicago we were able to grow Palm Trees."

"Really?" said one young planner.

"No!" I said.  "I used to be a city planner and always told the truth" I said, "But now I am the City Economic Development Director and I am always stretching the truth."

Dragon Attacks Peoria Bridge

Run For Your Lives!!!

Close up view of the monster.