Local Legacy Project
The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (Tri-County RPC), in cooperation with the University of Illinois Department of Urban and Regional Planning, local governments and stakeholders, and state agencies, developed a Legacy Plan for the Peoria Tri-County Region (Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties) to identify resources (natural, agriculture, cultural), related threats, and strategies that can be adopted by various local governments to protect these resources. The end result of this project is more than a Legacy Plan, it is also a new and innovative planning tool that local decision-makers and citizens can use to examine many growth issues beyond land use impacts. This project was funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to support the ecosystem protection planning efforts occurring at the DNR, particularly the C2000 Ecosystems Program.
Below is a image of the Local Legacy Map. To obtain a copy of the entire Local Legacy Plan poster, please contact Melissa Eaton at 309-679-9796 ext. 232.
Peoria Area Environmental Resource Inventory
The Illinois River Bluffs in the Peoria area mark the furthest reach of the massive glaciers that crept from the north and east during the most recent ice age. This led to a terrain that is unique to the region and that belies the reputation of Central Illinois for topographical dullness (CTAP, 1998). The wetlands and forests in the area boast a diversity of flora and fauna that find refuge in the rugged local landscape. It is also home to the largest remaining oak woodland areas in Illinois. However, recent studies show that the Illinois River Bluffs have been subject to intense development pressures. Since 1969 over 10,000 acres of forested land was lost along the river. A study completed by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) in 2002 shows that 80% of new housing starts in Peoria County were built within 500 feet of forested bluff area between 1993 and 2000.
Planners and environmental groups in the study area (Peoria County and boundaries of Fondulac Park District in Tazewell County) recognized the degradation that is occurring to once pristine and functioning ecosystems due to un-guided development. As a result, county planners applied for and secured funds from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, through their C2000 Program, for conducting a resource inventory the goal of which is to identify environmentally-significant areas threatened by development and to develop land use guidelines in order to protect and preserve these identified sites. This led to the inception of the Peoria Area Environmental Corridor Inventory (7mg pdf) .
