North Chicago to Apply for IDNR Coastal Grant for Shoreline and Bluff Stabilization
The City of North Chicago’s Economic Development and Public Works staff have partnered with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and Foss Park District to prepare a grant application to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Coastal Management Program.
The proposed grant would support preliminary engineering for shoreline and bluff stabilization at two locations in North Chicago: the North Chicago Water Plant and Foss Park.
The IDNR Coastal Management Program is designed to protect, conserve, and restore Illinois’ Lake Michigan shoreline while strengthening coastal community resilience.
Eligible projects include:
- Bluff and shoreline stabilization
- Naturalization of shorelines
- Green infrastructure and other nature-based solutions
- Planning, engineering, and design of coastal resilience projects
- Hazard vulnerability assessments
- Projects addressing coastal hazards, including erosion, flooding, and fluctuating lake levels
The proposed project would address both bluff stabilization at Foss Park and shoreline stabilization at the North Chicago Water Plant. If the grant is awarded, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative would serve as the grant recipient, with the City of North Chicago and Foss Park District participating as project partners.
Under the proposed grant structure, the city would not be responsible for providing a local grant match.
Grant funding would allow the project team to advance preliminary engineering and planning for both locations. This initial work is an important step toward developing long-term solutions to protect North Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline, reduce the impacts of erosion, and improve the resilience of these important community assets.