CHICAGO-Leaders throughout Chicagoland gathered Wednesday to approve a 30-year plan for economic development and transportation growth for the region that is expected to see two million additional residents by 2040. Representatives from seven counties, including Cook and DuPage, as well as the city of Chicago, approved the plan, created by the public-private organization Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

The plan focuses on livable communities, human capital, efficient governance and regional mobility, including several ideas for expanding and repairing highway systems and rail lines. As for commercial real estate, less is more, as the plan focuses on creating park systems, though job creators such as office and industrial is encouraged over large retail projects.

Randy Blankenhorn, director of the agency, said interrelated issues strongly connect communities in the region. “For example, promoting a good balance of jobs and housing will give residents the option to live near where they work, which lets them spend less time commuting. Improved access to transit helps people and businesses save on travel expenses, keeping cars off the road and reducing energy consumption,” he said in a statement.

Infrastructure projects recommended by the group include a west O’Hare bypass, a new West Loop train terminal, expanding Illinois Route 53 further into central Lake County and extending the CTA Red Line more than five miles to 130^th Street. These projects could cost about $10 billion, but that is just a small percentage of funds earmarked to maintain and modernize various road and rail projects in the region, according to the agency.

The group estimates that more than 100,000 acres within municipal boundaries are vacant or underused, properties that need redevelopment efforts. However, state and local tax policies promote big-box retail uses over office and industrial reuse, so the agency plans to recommend actions to restructure and modernize the Illinois tax code.

Agency board members come from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will county staffs. The group, organized in 2005, is responsible for producing the region’s official plan for land use and transportation.