April 24, 2014
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 Village of Big Rock adopts new comprehensive plan
 Congratulations to the Village of Big Rock for adopting its new comprehensive plan by unanimous vote on Tuesday, April 22nd. The plan was made possible through a Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Local Technical Assistance grant, with planning support provided by CMAP and Kane County. The plan updates the Village's 2003 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which was the Village's first plan after its 2001 incorporation. The updated plan better reflects the Village's current conditions, challenges, and opportunities and prepares the Village for future growth and development.
Click to view a draft of Big Rock's new comprehensive plan. The final draft will be available on the CMAP website soon.
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Kane County secures IL Dept. of Ag grant to support a food hub feasibility study!
Kane County has been awarded a grant from the Illinois Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of opening a food hub in our area. A food hub is defined as a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand (USDA Regional Food Hub Resource Guide). The presence of a food hub is considered a crucial component in supporting a vibrant local food system. Studying the feasibility of a food hub in Kane County was a recommendation that came out of the Growing for Kane Health Impact Assessment, completed last summer.
The study, "Bringing Healthy and Fresh Food to Kane and Neighboring Counties: A Food Hub Feasibility Study," will look into all aspects of food hub feasibility. This will include: supply and demand analysis; facility, equipment and transportation requirements; packaging and marketing; operational structure; technology needs; farm-to-pantry and farm-to-school potential; and more.
Several partnerships established for the purpose of this study were critical in securing the IDOA grant. Partners include: Kane County, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Kane County Farm Bureau, Illinois Farm Bureau, and University of Illinois Extension. The County and its partners are working to obtain additional funds to further support the feasibility study. More news to come!
Have questions or interested in learning more about the food hub feasibility study? Conta ct Janice Hill (630)232-3483.
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Kane County 2040 Green Infrastructure Plan featured during recent events
 Since the adoption of the 2040 Green Infrastructure Plan by the County Board in December 2013, Kane County Executive Planner Karen Miller has been active in getting the word out about green infrastructure and the County's plan to a variety of groups.
Most recently, Karen presented at the Fox River Summit II, a collaboration between the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership and the Southeast Fox River Partnership (WI). The purpose of the Summit was to share new tools and practices being developed to protect the Fox River Watershed, share challenges, and strengthen collaboration. Karen also presented on the Green Infrastructure Plan at the 9th Chicago Wilderness Congress at UIC. The Congress brought together over 750 individuals to identify opportunities for collaboration, build partnerships, and make connections to support the health of the Chicago region's people and environment.
Please contact Karen Miller (630)232-3418) with questions about the Green Infrastructure Plan.
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Elgin Green Expo returns May 9-10
The Elgin Green Expo is back for its 6th year, May 9-10 at the Centre of Elgin. Presented by ECCO, the expo will feature 100+ exhibitors representing companies, non-profit organizations, governmental entities, farmers, and more that seek to make a positive impact through a commitment to sustainability. A full schedule of workshops, demonstrations, live music, kids activities, and more will take take place alongside the exhibitors. The event is free!
Interested in sharing your community's green initiatives? Consider becoming an exhibitor. Find more information and the application here. |
GreenTown comes to Chicago May 21-22 GreenTown is coming back to Chicago, May 21-22 at UIC. The two-day conference will feature a variety of presenters addressing a wide range of topics related to sustainable development. Pre-conference presentations will be held Wednesday, May 21 with the main conference taking place on Thursday, May 22. Sessions will fall into six tracks: transportation; natural resources and ecosystems; neighborhood and community planning; energy; healthy communities; sustainability potpourri.
 Watch out for Kane County staff who will be presenting during three sessions: "Developing the Chicago Region's Food System" Janice Hill "Green Infrastructure Planning" Karen Miller "Planning for Healthy Communities" Mark VanKerkhoff
GreenTown Chicago will be held at UIC Student Center East. Click for more information and to register. |
New posts on our blog, Food & Farms- Kane County!
Visit Food & Farms- Kane County, our blog featuring local foods and farming in Kane County. Posts are uploaded frequently and highlight educational and grant opportunities, special events, where to buy locally grown food, County projects, and more related to the local foods scene in our area. Check back often for updates!
Guest contributors are always welcome- please contact Ellen Johnson if interested. 
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Contact:
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Kane County Planning Cooperative
Ellen Johnson, Land Use Planner - (630) 232-3493 - johnsonellen@co.kane.il.us or kcplancoop@co.kane.il.us
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