The Planning Process

Purpose of the RainReady Plan

The Center for Neighborhood Technology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began developing this RainReady plan in February 2016 with the following objectives in mind:

1. Establish a shared understanding of the scope, severity, and type of flood risk(s) (i.e. basement backup, overland flooding in streets and yards, foundation seepage, and riverine/overbank) across each community in the Calumet Corridor (i.e. know the location, type, cause and impact of flooding).
2. Achieve consensus on priority solutions that provide multiple benefits to the community, incorporating both pragmatic opportunism and analytically rigorous cost-benefit analysis.
3. Provide municipal and community leaders with a clear roadmap for plan implementation, including partners, funding and financing strategies, policy changes, and local champions.
4. Pursue plan implementation concurrent to plan development by advancing priority projects related to transit-oriented development (TOD), outdoor recreation, ecological restoration, industrial and commercial site redevelopment, and residential programs.

Planning and Outreach Approach

Over the course of nine months, the RainReady team held seven community meetings, hosted six educational workshops, reviewed over 100 relevant plans, programs and policies, and set up six Community Steering Committees. 584 residents responded to the RainReady survey, and 2,100 people chatted with the RainReady team. The team developed a new mapping tool to organize all of this information and identify solutions based on flood risk and economic development opportunities.

The resulting RainReady Calumet Corridor Plan sets communities on a path towards improved stormwater management, sustainable economic development, and integrated planning. The document can be used by community residents, municipal staff, and elected officials to collaborate on this shared vision.

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Phase 1: Risk and Opportunity Assessment

• The CNT/USACE Project Team organized and Project officially kicked off
• Municipal kickoff meetings completed
• RainReady Community Survey and mailers finalized and distributed to 41,529 homes in the Calumet Corridor
• 100+ plans inventoried, 160+ Resilience Opportunities Assessed, and known flooding risks mapped; Information packaged into Risk and Opportunity Assessment/Geodatabase
• All six Community Resilience Snapshots published and distributed to community partners

Phase 2: Solution Mapping

• Community Meetings completed
• Educational Workshops completed
• City/Village Board Meetings initiated to share preliminary findings and recommendations
• Two Steering Committee Workshops held, over 50 Steering Committee members are trained and recruited
• CNT/RainReady Resilience Mapping Tool Version 1.0 completed

Phase 3: Plan Development and Implementation Support

• Approximately 15 preliminary priority projects identified
• Draft RainReady Calumet Corridor plan completed and distributed for internal review
• Draft plan distributed to Steering Committee, Technical Advisory Committees, and other partners
• Final RainReady Calumet Corridor completed, launch party planned
• Ongoing implementation support initiated

Phase 4: Monitoring and Adaptation

Projects and programs should be continually monitored, evaluated, and redesigned to maximize benefit under changing conditions. Community leaders (e.g. residents, municipal staff, elected representatives) must adapt plan recommendations to changing needs, whether that occurs through community-driven projects, changes to policy and ongoing municipal operations, or long-term capital improvement projects.