Remaking an Historic Corridor

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANEL JUNE 28 AND 29, 2006 REMAKING AN HISTORIC CORRIDOR ARCHER AVENUE/BRIDGEPORT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Table of Contents The Backdrop 1 The Panel’s Charge 2 Sponsor Presentations 3 Bus Tour 4 Community Interviews 5 Final Presentation 7 1: Assess the Market Potential 8 2: Upgrade Street Infrastructure 9 3: Focus on Transit-Oriented Development 10 4: Establish Gateways and Midpoint 11 5: Fill in the Streetwall 13 6: Review Zoning and Financing 14 7: Honor the Past 15 Reactions and Questions 16 ULI Chicago Campaign for Sensible Growth ULI Chicago, a District Council of the Urban Land Institute, The Campaign for Sensible Growth is a coalition of gov- has more than 1,300 members in the Chicagoland area who ernment, civic and business organizations promoting come together to find solutions and build consensus around strategies to enhance the economic vitality of the greater land-use and development challenges. The Urban Land Chicago region while preserving open space, minimizing Institute’s mission is to provide leadership in the responsible the need for costly new infrastructure, and improving the use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communi- livability of communities. ties worldwide. More than 200 organizations and 1,000 individuals are members of the Campaign, including ULI Chicago. The ULI Chicago gratefully acknowledges the support and Campaign is co-chaired by the Metropolitan Planning ongoing assistance of its Sustainers: Council and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Chicago Title Insurance Company Planning. Crown Community Development Epstein LaSalle Bank The Campaign thanks the following supporters of Its technical assistance work: OWP/P, Inc. Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation Shefsky & Froelich Ltd. Grand Victoria Foundation The Walsh Group The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation U.S. Equities Realty McCormick Tribune Foundation The Backdrop The northeastern section of Archer between Canal and Halsted streets consists of a series of industrial buildings, For generations Archer Avenue provided a primary route with the headquarters of Connie’s Pizza wedged among from the Loop to Chicago’s southwest side and beyond. them, and a smattering of residential buildings. Southwest The stretch of Archer Avenue between Canal Street and of Halsted, there is a mix of Italianate buildings containing Ashland Avenue, in the Bridgeport neighborhood, enjoyed older residential and either marginal or vacant commercial a retail and commercial heyday and served as a gathering spaces. place for the neighborhood. The bridge carrying traffic along Archer over Ashland That changed drastically with the construction of the Avenue was recently demolished, providing the opportuni- Stevenson in 1964, which severed the northern section of ty for an attractive western gateway into the district and the neighborhood along the Chicago River, displacing spurring new retail and residential uses at this notorious many businesses and homes, and creating a physical and intersection, once branded by the Chicago Reader as the psychological barrier that still predominates. The affects of city’s “ugliest,” before the bridge was demolished. the Stevenson and years of economic disinvestment along Archer eventually destroyed the neighborhood’s pedestri- The construction of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) an-friendly environment. Today, the four-lane arterial Orange Line in the 1990s greatly improved transit access serves as an alternative to the Stevenson, with few traffic from Bridgeport to downtown and out toward Midway lights and a widely flouted speed limit, presenting an Airport, but is still an underutilized service that could be a imposing barrier for the community — particularly seniors much greater asset for the community. and children. The mostly commercial district suffers from a patchwork of uses ranging from warehouses to auto repair facilities. The 2006 construction of a 27-acre park on a former quarry and landfill also adds to the potential for community improvement and residential development. When com- plete, Stearns Quarry Park will include a fishing pond and pier, interpretive wetlands, preserved quarry walls with sce- nic overlooks, more than 1.7 miles of trails, an athletic field and running track, sledding hill, and decorative fountain. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population of the area around the Archer Avenue corridor in Bridgeport rose 11 percent, to 33,694, from 1990 to 2000, including a 30 A once-bustling Archer Avenue corridor — Bridgeport’s “Main Street” — is today a shadow of its former self, with the adjacent and parallel Stevenson Expressway (top left) severing the neighborhood to the north and creating a psychological barrier to commerce and pedestrian activity. The corridor has an unwelcoming western gateway (bottom left) and remnants of Main Street appeal (bottom right). Remaking an Historic Corridor ARCHER AVENUE/BRIDGEPORT, CHICAGO ILLINOIS • 1 Landscaping efforts (left) attempt to soften the harshness of the infrastructure for the Stevenson Expressway. Not obsolete; just underutilized. Viable buildings along Archer Avenue await a market and rezoning (right). percent increase (to 10,165) in Latinos and 80 percent text and study background information prior to the meet- increase (to 8,851) in Asian residents. The current demo- ing, including a history of the community, current issues, graphics are 41 percent non-Hispanic white, 30.2 percent demographic and economic statistics, maps, plans and Hispanic and 26.9 percent Asian. Bridgeport also saw a 42 zoning regulations, and any prior or ongoing analyses. percent increase (to 952) in residents with bachelor’s Next, panel members interview key stakeholders in the degrees and a 52 percent increase (to 719) in those with study area, including municipal and elected officials, busi- graduate degrees; the median family income went up 9 ness owners, and residents. Once sufficiently informed, percent (to $43,335) during the 1990s, while the median the panel commences two days of discussion and analysis, housing value spiked 36 percent (to $138,731). Since 2000, devising a strategy for revitalizing the study area. At the new construction in the area has dramatically increased end of the second day, panel recommendations are pre- housing prices. sented at a public meeting. TAPs provide progress toward both the Campaign’s sensible growth goals and ULI Redevelopment and infill projects are underway in many Chicago members’ desire for community involvement by adjacent sections of Bridgeport. Residential developments providing planning and development expertise. On aver- are either completed or underway at Archer Avenue and age, the Campaign and ULI Chicago conduct three TAPs Canal Street (50 condos over first-floor retail), 2801 S. each year. The Archer Avenue panel, on June 28 and 29 of Halsted (45 units with 7,000 square feet of first-floor 2006, was the 15th undertaken since 2001. retail), 2821 S. Halsted Street (senior suites), 2609 S. Halsted Street (60 units with 10,000 square feet of first- The Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development and 11th floor retail), 25th and Senour Avenue (64 single-family Ward Ald. James Balcer invited ULI Chicago and the homes), and 2830 S. Lock Street (40 single-family or town- Campaign to organize a TAP to recommend ways to homes along the Chicago River). The Panel’s Charge Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) are two-day sessions jointly sponsored by the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Chicago District Council and Campaign for Sensible Growth (Campaign) that recruit experts in such fields as real estate development, urban planning, law, engineering, and environmental issues to provide thoughtful recommendations on a set of questions related to land use and development. The panel strongly encouraged retaining the neighborhood’s rich The selected community creates a problem statement that architectural heritage along Archer Avenue, particularly lays out its key questions. Panel members learn the con- Bridgeport’s characteristic Dutch-style architecture (above). 2 • Remaking an Historic Corridor ARCHER AVENUE/BRIDGEPORT, CHICAGO ILLINOIS address the barriers preventing the revitalization of a specified section of Bridgeport, including parcels on and around Archer between Halsted and Ashland. QUESTIONS ADDRESSED BY THE PANEL: TRANSPORTATION. Panel members considered how to surmount the fact that the Stevenson Expressway currently acts as a physical and psychological barrier between nearby residential areas and public transportation. They thought about how to improve pedestrian safety without disrupting the current high volume of traffic along the street, as well as how the city might incorporate pedestrian connections between Archer and the nearby Stearns Quarry Park. RETAIL. The panel examined existing land-use regulations, which dissuade the type of retail necessary to draw customers to Archer. Panel members also considered zoning changes, density enhancements, and transit-oriented development ideas that could complement the area and help spur revitalization. MARKETING/IDENTITY. The group considered how the city should engage existing property owners in marketing the area. The panel looked at how best to preserve or recreate the historic architecture of Archer; creating con- text-sensitive design guidelines would help capitalize on the area’s historical significance. Sponsor Presentations Ald. Balcer, a lifelong resident of Bridgeport, began the two-day proceedings by recalling the

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