REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR
AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PROGRESS OF LEGACY PLANNING
March 11, 2005
Illinois Legacy Resources
Untapped Economic Opportunity

The regional planning pilot projects involve the melding of numerous growth plans through a novel computer program called LEAM (Land Evaluation and Impact Assessment Model). LEAM was developed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and it was authorized by Governor Rod Blagojevich through the Local Legacy Act in the spring of 2003. The goal of the project is to facilitate the creation of a regional planning tool that can be implemented statewide. This useful tool gives local stakeholders the ability to identify their priority needs to state agencies while giving them return on their investment and protecting valuable resources.

The Legacy Act mandates that a progress report be submitted to the Governor’s Office and the General Assembly. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has taken the lead on this effort and has provided a two part report, the first addresses policy needs and the other deals with the technical progress of the pilot Legacy Plans. Policy needs are addressed first.

In partnership with

Illinois Department of Agriculture
 Illinois Historic Preservation Agency