North Lakefront
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Chicago Neighborhoods 2015: Assets, Plans and Trends – A project of The Chicago Community Trust NORTH LAKEFRONT Demand and strong assets support diverse, dense communities The adjacent communities of Rogers Park, Edgewater, and Uptown have been called the most stable diverse neighborhoods in the nation, with a broad mix of incomes, races, and ethnicities. Bordered on the east by Lake Michigan and on the west by the Metra North commuter line, the area is bisected by the CTA’s backbone transit service, the Red Line. With the highest density of all Chicago planning districts, at 28,000 people per square mile, the neighborhoods support more than 1,500 small businesses across a dozen eclectic, pedestrian-oriented retail districts. Nearly 168,000 residents live in the planning district in a housing mix that includes a high-rise corridor along Sheridan Road, large apartment buildings, and miles of streets lined with two-flats, six-flats, and single- family homes. Two-thirds of the 82,000 households are renters, reflecting the area’s long history as an entry neighborhood for Source: Calculations by Institute for immigrants, students, and young couples. Housing Studies at DePaul University using 2010 Decennial Census. The North Lakefront has always included a significant population of working-class and low-income residents, with about 23 percent living below the poverty level in 2012. It also includes a large older population in senior buildings, nursing homes, and a naturally occurring retirement community in the elevator buildings along Sheridan Road, which is well served by CTA buses. All three neighborhoods include leafy enclaves of higher-income households in elegant century-old houses, high-end apartments, and newer developments. Many residents and organizations work hard to preserve affordable housing options and neighborhood diversity. Source: Easy Analytic Software, Inc., updated January 2014, as displayed on Woodstock Institute Data Portal. New investments Over the past 50 years, the area has experienced disinvestment and population loss, producing pockets of weaker real estate and retail activity, especially in Uptown and Rogers Park. But recent years have also seen strong reinvestment in both housing and retail across much of the North Lakefront. One driver has been Loyola University’s half-billion-dollar NORTH LAKEFRONT OVER TIME investment in new buildings in and around its Lake Shore 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Campus. Loyola has rebuilt the campus core and expanded two Population 197,197 178,477 184,896 189,213 167,874 blocks south into Edgewater, filling Winthrop and Kenmore Avenues with dormitories, classrooms, and greenspace. The Share of population in poverty 12.4% 20.1% 22.7% 21.1% 23.1% university in 2013 purchased the 6300 block of Kenmore from the Percent owner-occupied/renter occupied City of Chicago and converted it to a pedestrian-only street. West 10/90 18/82 19/81 25/75 33/67 of its campus, Loyola built a public plaza at the Loyola Red Line Sources: Calculations by Institute for Housing Studies station, two mixed-use buildings, and apartments on a long- at DePaul University using U.S. Census data from US2010 Project at Brown University. vacant stretch of Albion Avenue. In early 2015, it announced plans to build a 145-room Hampton Inn at Sheridan and Albion. Private investors have also played a role, stabilizing weaker areas and attracting new residents. In Uptown and Edgewater, Flats Chicago is rehabbing seven residential buildings and marketing them to Chicago Neighborhoods 2015 Summary of Assets – North Lakefront – February 2015 – Page 2 young, hip renters. In Rogers Park, billionaire Jennifer Pritzker’s Tawani Enterprises restored the historic Emil Bach House on Sheridan Road and the Farcroft high-rise on Fargo near the lake; opened a bed-and-breakfast nearby; and is building a parking garage. On Morse Avenue, Pritzker’s Mayne Stage offers live music and dining in a restored 1912 theater. The area’s diversity has been a stabilizing force. All three neighborhoods have large populations of white, Latino, and African-American residents, plus a mix of immigrants and second-generation residents from many African countries, Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. A fast-growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population includes families moving north into Rogers Park. Gay-oriented businesses, long a mainstay on Clark Street in Andersonville, have more recently revitalized retail nodes along the Red Line at Morse and Jarvis. Each of the neighborhoods has distinct subdistricts, creating cross-traffic among them via walking, biking, bus, train, and auto traffic. Pedestrian streams are heavy at rush hours near transit stops, and on weekends in Andersonville and on Argyle. Parking is tight, which further encourages non-auto trips. The Metra Union Pacific North Line served 2,363 weekday passengers at the Ravenswood station in 2014 (up from 1,940 in 2006) and 1,498 at Rogers Park (up from 1,176), among Metra’s highest for neighborhood stations. A $15 million station at Peterson is scheduled for construction starting in 2015. The CTA Red Line, meanwhile, serves 45,600 boarding passengers at North Lakefront stations each weekday. CTA Red Line Ridership (weekday boardings, year-end averages, 2009 and 2013) Bryn Howard Jarvis Morse Loyola Granville Thorndale Berwyn Argyle Lawrence Wilson Mawr 2009 5,925 1,479 4,145 5,039 3,517 2,745 4,499 3,245 2,567 3,261 5,645 2013 6,387 1,555 4,591 5,469 4,017 2,954 4,982 3,159 2,913 3,261 6,328 Source: Chicago Transit Authority Annual Ridership Reports. Rogers Park is largely residential, tightly packed with apartment buildings, two- to six-flats, and single-family homes, with spines of retail along Clark Street and near the Red Line stops. The North of Chicago Neighborhoods 2015 Summary of Assets – North Lakefront – February 2015 – Page 3 Howard area, traditionally serving a large low-income population, saw major rehabilitation of its aging housing stock in the 1980s and 1990s; it continues today as home to more than 5,100 people. Retail strength has evolved and shifted in recent years: Gateway Center at Howard and Clark Streets – bordered by suburban Evanston and adjacent to the CTA’s Red, Purple, and Yellow Line terminal – is anchored by Jewel and LA Fitness and almost fully leased. Retail along Howard Street remains under-developed, with several vacant parcels and empty storefronts. Clark Street has been a strong Mexican district for 20 years, though it experienced a loss of businesses during the recent recession. Morse Avenue is recovering from years of stagnation, attracting customers with new restaurants, sidewalk cafes, bars, and the Mayne Stage. Artist galleries, an annual arts festival, and the Glenwood Sunday Market have also enlivened the strip. A smaller node of vitality has emerged near the Jarvis CTA station. Edgewater includes a dense high-rise corridor along Sheridan Road; the Andersonville shopping district along Clark Street, filled with independent shops and ethnic restaurants; 1890s-era brick mansions in the Lakewood Balmoral Historic District; and the block-long Gethsemane Garden Center that supplies thousands of area gardeners with flowers, trees, and vegetables. Recent investments include: New developments along Broadway Avenue, including a branch library, Walgreens, health club, medical facilities, and a Whole Foods scheduled to open in 2015. Redevelopment of multi-unit apartment buildings and some new construction, including a 42- unit loft conversion of a former laundry building on Broadway. Continued rehabilitation of century-old brick and wood-frame homes, with some demolition of older structures to allow new construction. Chicago Neighborhoods 2015 Summary of Assets – North Lakefront – February 2015 – Page 4 Uptown is a mosaic of sub-neighborhoods including the residential Buena Park east of Broadway near the lake; the Asian-dominated shopping district at Argyle and Broadway; and a cluster of new- construction townhouses and condominiums around Lawrence and Clark. The Uptown Entertainment District, around Lawrence and Broadway, includes the active Aragon and Riviera theaters, small clubs, and restaurants, plus the larger-but-vacant Uptown Theater, which is owned by Jam Productions and recently received a $10 million state appropriation to support an estimated $50 million or more in renovation needs. Side streets are lined with multi-unit buildings, single-family homes, and two-flats. Investment drivers include: The $151 million Wilson Yard development on a former CTA train yard includes Target, Aldi, and smaller stores, plus 80 affordable family apartments and 98 senior units. The $203 million rebuild of the Wilson CTA station, which began in late 2014, will revitalize a long-neglected corner adjacent to Truman College, which serves about 22,000 students a year. At Ravenswood and Lawrence, Metra is rebuilding its station next to a new Mariano’s grocery store and 150-unit housing development. History of action EMPLOYMENT – NORTH LAKEFRONT All three neighborhoods have been shaped by Top six employment sectors (# jobs) 2005 2011 citizen activism and “Lakefront Liberals,” Health Care and Social Assistance 10,350 12,348 including a long history of independent aldermen Educational Services 6,523 5,728 in the 46th, 48th, and 49th Wards. Rogers Park Accommodation and Food Services 2,788 3,313 Retail Trade 2,547 2,978 residents saved their beloved street-end beaches Other Services (except Public Admin) 1,831 2,488 from development by sending bags of sand to the Manufacturing 2,006 2,080 first Mayor Daley; organizers have fought steadily Total # jobs in planning district 34,902 35,341 to preserve and maintain the area’s affordable District Citywide housing; and block clubs and neighborhood Unemployment rate 2012 8.9% 12.9% associations hold annual parties, multi-street yard Sources: Calculations by Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University using Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics data (top sectors) and sales, garden walks, and tours of historic houses.