CHICAGO, IL - State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D – Chicago) has secured funding for a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Auburn-Gresham Transit Oriented Development Study.

The announcement comes in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation who are seeking to create a transit-oriented development plan for the area around the proposed Auburn-Gresham Metra Station on the Rock Island Line at 79^th Street near Vincennes.

"We're very pleased with the support that we're getting to move this project forward, including a strong commitment from Metra, Governor Quinn, Secretary Hannig, Senator Durbin and Senator Burris," Collins said.

Last session, as part of the capital bill, Collins fought to get $11.5 million from Metra for the construction and engineering costs for the Auburn-Gresham train station.  Collins notes that while the project will bring jobs to the neighborhood over the next two years, members of the community will have a long-term option to commute to jobs outside of their neighborhood.

The transit-oriented development plan will focus on spurring economic growth in an area with one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates. The consultant would focus on bringing compatible development in the station’s surrounding area to promote ridership, ensure compatible development with the proposed station, provide multimodal connections, and spur economic development in the surrounding area.

To learn more about the RFP, interested parties can visit the Illinois Procurement Bulletin website at www.purchase.state.il.us under the reference number 22018713. Proposals are due by Friday, April 9, 2010.