“A new board charged with coordinating regional land use and transportation is holding its first meeting Thursday. It brings together representatives from seven counties.
The Illinois legislature created the Regional Planning Board last summer. It merges two agencies - one dealing with transportation, the other with land use and development.
The idea is that planners in Northeastern Illinois have to work together to decrease traffic congestion, regulate urban sprawl, and prioritize projects.
The Board consists of 15 voting members - 5 appointed by the mayor of Chicago, and the rest by county and local officials.
Initially they’ll recommend how state and federal money should be spent in the region...eventually they could have the final say.
On the agenda for Thursday: discussing the board’s responsibilities and creating its first committees.”