McLean County Regional Planning Commission

The draft of a new McLean County Land Use Plan suggests future growth will largely happen on the fringes of Bloomington and Normal.

While no new rentals can be made in areas marked as single-family residential in Normal, a five-year transition period for current STRs is included in the ordinance approved by the town council on Monday.

The Normal Town Council on Monday approved several infrastructure-related items and heard about labor concerns for the Tailgate and Tallboys event.

The McLean County Regional Planning Commission is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation to complete the state’s first high-speed rail feasibility study. You can share your input through a survey or by visiting a virtual event.

Raymond Lai, the commission's executive director, presented the McLean County Board with problems identified so far. Lai hopes there's much more feedback to come before recommendations on improving the roadway are assembled next year.

The public has had a fair amount to say about how to improve Veterans Parkway in Bloomington-Normal, with more to come.

Government efforts to address the Bloomington-Normal housing shortage are a work in progress. Every little effort to make it more attractive to develop helps.

The McLean County Regional Planning Commission said the design of Veterans Parkway is outdated and the commission is studying how it might be different.

McLean County's decision to drop Show Bus as its rural transportation provider and explore a partnership with Connect Transit poses challenges and tight deadlines for other counties in the region that Show Bus may still serve.

Jeff Jurgens, Bloomington's new city manager, expects to move expeditiously to address the Twin City housing shortage. Jurgens said in a Sound Ideas interview there will be a council meeting early next month to talk about barriers to creating new housing and sharing ideas of what the city can do.