Village of Bartlett Adopts Downtown Plan

December 1, 2016

RTA Partnership with Village Encourages Transit-Oriented Development

CHICAGO – The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is pleased to report that the Village of Bartlett Board of Trustees recently adopted the Bartlett Downtown Transit-Oriented Development Plan, which includes RTA funding. This Plan includes proposed improvements to the downtown area surrounding the community’s commuter rail station.  The Plan recommends additional multi-family residential and retail development for the blocks surrounding the Metra station as well as improved access to the station for pedestrians and bicyclists. Funding for the $125,000 plan is made up of $100,000 from the RTA’s Community Planning program and $25,000 from the Village of Bartlett.

“The RTA is pleased to partner with the Village of Bartlett in funding this study, to enhance its downtown area, focusing on the community’s Metra station,” says RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden. “This project is funded by the RTA’s Community Planning program, aimed at assuring access to transit is a priority in local community development.”

Specifically, the Plan recommends the revitalization of older downtown retail properties to enhance the appeal of existing businesses, to improve traffic and pedestrian connectivity downtown by re-establishing a street grid south of the railroad tracks, and increasing the downtown residential population by focusing on new housing development to fuel commercial growth. The Plan reinforces Bartlett Avenue as the historic retail center and envisions the extension of the character of the street to the west by encouraging infill development. Transportation improvement recommendations include bike and pedestrian connections from surrounding residential neighborhoods to downtown and the redistribution of Metra parking to both accommodate future commuter needs and allow for new development on key downtown sites.

The RTA will continue to partner with the Village by providing expertise and assistance as the recommendations in the Plan are implemented. To date, the Community Planning program has completed more than 100 Transit-Oriented Development Plans and Implementation Plans since the late 1990’s using a combination of RTA, local and federal funds, totaling nearly $10 million.

For more information about the RTA’s Community Planning program, visit www.rtachicago.org/cp.   Visit RTAMS to view the approved Bartlett Downtown at http://www.rtams.org/reportLibrary/4099.pdf.