About the Project|Will County Green

About the project
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Block Grant provided funds for
a consulting team-Duncan Associates, with the Lakota Group and Primera- to assist Will County in updating and greening the County's zoning and building ordinances. The project will entail a comprehensive revision of the zoning ordinance and appropriate revision to the building ordinance. The project will not include a comprehensive rezoning of the County. The Will County Land Use Department of the County Executive's Office is coordinating the project with the County Board's Ordinance Review Subcommittee (ORS).

There is a need to make appropriate revisions to the building ordinance and comprehensively revise the zoning ordinance, particularly with regard to energy efficiency and sustainable development practices as may be referenced in the draft Will County Long Term Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan, the Will County Land Resource Management Plan, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's (CMAP) Go To 2040 Regional Comprehensive Plan.

The County's zoning ordinance was adopted July 20, 1978, has been amended over 70 times since its adoption, and is the subject of numerous interpretations. The zoning ordinance has conflicting, unclear, outdated, and/or confusing use categories, provisions, and definitions. The current zoning ordinance is often difficult for the public and planning professionals to use and interpret, and is not organized in a user-friendly format. Additionally, the County's zoning and building ordinances are not entirely consistent with the Land Resource Management Plan's recommendations, particularly with regard to sustainable development practices and energy conservation.

Through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, Will County intends to be a leader in implementing sustainable development practices, and provide incentives for businesses and the general public to do so. Not only are there environmental benefits, but financial incentives as well. For example, for every one million dollars spent on clean energy, 16.7 jobs are created. In addition, building with sustainable development practices equates to energy efficiency which will, in turn, add significant savings for residents and businesses alike. The County intends to remove barriers to making energy efficiency improvements and consider alternative energy opportunities, such as geothermal, and wind turbine and solar panel installations.