(Above) Chicago River from State Street Bridge, looking east on July 31, 2009. (Click on image to view larger version.)

March 19, 2015 – After the Chicago Riverwalk has expanded, what happens next?

A long-term plan for Chicago-area rivers will be the goal of a commission appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Over the next 15 months, Great Rivers Chicago will meet with residents and business owners to develop a long-term plan for economic and community development along the Chicago, Calumet, and Des Plaines Rivers. Its goals will be to improve the appearance of the riverfronts, improve water quality, and make recreation and commercial use of the rivers more balanced.

“Much like Lake Michigan is Chicago’s front yard, the Chicago River is our backyard, and should be an asset that people across the city enjoy,” said Emanuel on Wednesday. “With the excitement seen around the Chicago Riverwalk expansion, now is the right time to ask residents how they want to interact with their rivers in all of Chicago’s neighborhoods and [this] partnership is the first of many steps that will lead to greater use of the river ways by Chicagoans.”

23 people have been appointed to the commission. They include architects Carol Ross Barney and Jeanne Gang, Michael Borgstrom, president of Wendella Sightseeing Company, and from the construction industry, Paul Ozinga, executive vice president of Ozinga RMC, Inc., and Michael Faron, chairman of W. E. O’Neil Construction.

Friends of the Chicago River and the Metropolitan Planning Council are also involved.

“The Chicago River system is healthier and more accessible than it has been for over 150 years and it is fast becoming one of our region’s greatest natural resources,” said Friends of the Chicago River executive director Margaret Frisbie (left) on Thursday.

The project will get $350,000 in grants from charitable foundations Joyce Foundation and Chicago Community Trust, and ArcelorMittal, a steel and mining company.