Route 171 Corridor Opportunity Analysis City of Lockport, Illinois Route 171 Prepared by Hitchcock Design Group in association with Wolhtgroup, Baxter & Woodman, and Business Districts, Inc. September 2019 290 90 94 O’HARE ELMHURST COLLEGE & ART MUSEUM DOWNTOWN GLEN ELLYN DOWNTOWN ELMHURST 290 DOWNTOWN WHEATON YORKTOWN MALL BROOKFIELD ZOO MORTON 88 I-88 CORPORATE ARBORETUM CORRIDR 294 DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN LA GRANGE HINSDALE MIDWAY DOWNTOWN 90 NAPERVILLE 355 WOODRIDGE CSX BEDFORD PARK 94 GREEN VALLEY 55 THE PROMENADE SPRINGBROOK BOLINGBROOK PRAIRIE WATERFALL ROUTE 171 OAK LAWN ARGONNE GLEN NATIONAL LAB FOREST PRESERVES I-55 DISTRIBUTION CORRIDR COG HILL DOWNTOWN LEMONT PALOS HEIGHTS TAMPIER SLOUGH 57 CHEVRON WOODS REFINERY ROMEOVILLE project area ORLAND GROVE LEWIS ORLAND PARK RUBIO WOODS UNIVERSITY MALL HOMER GLEN 159TH STREET DOWNTOWN PLAINFIELD PRAIRIE BLUFF YANKEE PRESERVE LOCKPORT MESSENGER WOODS LOCKPORT WOODS LOUIS JOLIET PRAIRIE ORLAND MALL GRASSLAND HADLEY SILVER CROSS FIRST MIDWEST VALLEY HOSPITAL AMPHITHEATER 80 SOUTH GREEN ROUTE 53 BELT JOLIET PANDUIT HEADQUARTERS NEW LENOX VAN HORN WOODS FRANKFORT ELWOOD INTERMODAL CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY Contents AUTOBAHN COUNTRY CLUB 1 Executive Summary 4 Opportunity Analysis EXXON 12 Preferred Strategy (future) MOBIL ABRAHAM LINCOLN NATIONAL CEMETERY CENTERPOINT INTERMODAL MIDEWIN TALL GRASS PRAIRIE 30 MINUTES FROM LOCKPORT Executive Summary Lockport’s Route 171 Corridor is one of the few areas throughout the southwest suburbs that has access to significant multi-modal transportation assets adjacent to large amounts of relatively undeveloped land. The opportunities that are present in this area are exceptional and Lockport is well-positioned to manage the growth and quality of what ultimately gets built through strategic decisions related to infrastructure, zoning and managing growth. Within 30 minutes, Lockport is positioned close to numerous regional destinations, over 800,000 jobs and significant recreational resources. This Opportunity Analysis includes a summary of the background research and planning exercises conducted for the study area and identifies the key points analyzed in each category. The information collected and analyzed will form the basis for the Preferred Strategy created in the next phase of work. The Preferred Strategy will include integrated, market-supported recommendations for public policy, operational and capital improvements, corridor market positioning and real estate development opportunities. The master plan includes the area between 2nd Street to the south and Interstate 355 to the north. Although the specific boundaries do not extend west to New Avenue or Interstate 355 south of 143rd Street, this analysis recognizes the impact those properties can have on the viability and vibrancy of the corridor, making them an influencing factor. Defining objectives is a critical early function of a plan that provides direction and guidance as recommendations and the Corridor’s market position is articulated. Guiding the work are three complementary directives: Establish a Market Supported Brand Position and Brand Promise The Route 171 Corridor is Lockport’s signature ‘Green Gateway’ and should project the City’s status as a high quality community. Attract high quality investment and development One of the most attractive components of the study area is the amount of developable land that is west of the corridor. This land is well-positioned to accommodate new sustainable growth that, guided by utility extensions, annexations and zoning improvements, can serve Lockport’s long-term economic interests. Elevate the corridor’s character Promote first class landscape, developments, roadway improvements, signage and branding to enhance the corridor’s ‘curb appeal’ and elevate its profile in the investment community. Archer Road / Interstate 355 Interchange Master Plan Area Downtown Lockport Opportunity Analysis 3 Introduction The most promising opportunities for the Route 171 Corridor are based on the alignment of significant study area resources, a modest local market, substantial regional marketplace, and the behaviors and expectations of a cross-section of community stakeholders. The Resources includes the study area context, existing land use, infrastructure, appearance, brand and image and financial considerations. The Marketplace focuses on trends, local economics and the existing condition of, and prognoses, for a variety of different market sectors including retail, residential, commercial and industrial. Stakeholders provide critical input regarding historical and cultural perceptions that influence market dynamics. These perceptions provide a window into things that are not readily apparent. The best opportunities are identified for further study in the Preferred Strategy phase of the study. Resources Key resources analysis The 4-mile, 800 acre study area includes both tangible and intangible resources takeaways: that shape the Corridor’s ‘brand experience’. These include a combination of a two and sometimes four lane road connecting Interstate 355 with Downtown Lockport The study area is well that collectively are the City’s primary northern gateway. The study area’s positioned within the Des character as a green corridor with historic appeal and close proximity to transit Plaines River Valley accessible and transportation nodes are highly marketable assets that have benefited, and will continue to strengthen, the community in the future. to both Metra and Interstate 355 within 5 minutes (Figure 4) Traveling west from Chicago, the corridor, an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) route, changes from urban and industrial to green Key planning documents and rural west of LaGrange Road. This demarcation is enhanced by the large do not reflect shifts since forest preserves between Willow Springs and Lemont. The residential nature the recession, creating of Lemont’s section of the corridor and the relatively undeveloped nature of Lockport’s section continue that character, creating an uncommon experience mixed messages for private within the context of Chicagoland’s major arterial corridors. Within Lockport, developers seeking a the road has several associated names. North of 151st Street, it is ‘Archer reasonable return on their Avenue’, south of 151st Street it is ‘State Street’, and south of Division Street it investment is ‘Collins Street’ and all of it is ‘State Route 171’. These changes - in both name and appearance - detract from the corridor’s otherwise welcoming qualities. The Lockport is a one-sided market name changes especially create navigational confusion and weaken the corridor’s collective identity. because of the significant non- residential uses west of the Jurisdictionally, the study area is a jigsaw puzzle of City and County controlled downtown (Figure 3) land zoned for industrial, commercial, residential and agricultural uses (See Figure 1). Much of the corridor, even property touching Archer Avenue, is The land under County under County zoning jurisdiction, which limits the City’s ability to manage jurisdiction is not served development, appearance and planning. However much of the land is not served by utilities, which the City can provide to encourage annexation and development. by utilities, giving the City The City’s Comprehensive Plan, last revised in 2009 at the height of the an opportunity to manage recession, is outdated for the changes in the economy that occurred as a result development and encourage of overdevelopment in the early 2000s, especially in the retail market sector. annexation However, the market never responded to that plan, leaving retail and commercial development focused, fortunately, in its pre-recession locations, around major Much of the land is large lot roadway intersections. residential and agricultural The road corridor is controlled by IDOT and is built for businesses and motorists uses, making property without multi-modal access connecting jobs, housing or recreation. There is a consolidation, where low volume of vehicles, typically an indicator of poor retail potential. In general, appropriate, easier Route 171, within the study area, appears tired, with scattered and disjointed aging development, all of which was developed prior to the City design guidelines Low traffic counts limit the becoming codified in the mid 2000s. New developments, such as the Highlands and Prologis, show the difference between pre- and post- guideline aesthetics. commercial opportunities (Figure 2) 4 Route 171 Corridor Study T n EVI L L E R D C O a R N E L L A VE GR AND VIEW PL l R I VER R B I L A PR VI O EY R L A O W E C I KPO R N K R A Y C T D VE A R A (I A T E L E V E V RT E V 17 O 1) N ST D N EL NEIL CT O SO AM HER ST AVE R N EV. L O B U W B ES R R T O T W U H H A O A C CEN TRAL PA RK P L V A D A L E VE V E T F A R A H O E VE U D D L I N O R G HAWTH OR N EL C E P L K M PO D H L R R P R O E T R N PA D S I (YA (I N L T R A R C T 1 A VE L 7 K 1 ET E V ) E A O S V N T BAR RET S T E ) T S BAR RET S T R N C E C PR EXTER CT A A O M IR W EXHIB ITION PL I N ER E I N C O K O W F R R N O R A D A O A N V VE D M C E S A S D E ST Y R S ST T GR EEN G AR DEN PL GR EEN G AR DEN PL GR EEN G AR DEN PL GR EEN G AR DEN PL GR EEN G AR DEN PL M A Lockport patrons east of the Sanitary and Ship canal. Ship and Sanitary the of east patrons Lockport Y Lockport’s commercial developments mostly dependent on local local on dependent mostly developments commercial Lockport’s B Stateville complex cover all of the areas west of the city, making making city, the of west areas the of all cover complex Stateville R O use.