TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Chicago Transit Authority Sponsor Solomon Cordwell Buenz Prime Consultant, Urban Design, Land Use, and Zoning Planner McGuire Igleski & Associates Historic Preservation Consultant Kirsch-Taylor Consulting Real Estate Consultant Goodman Williams Group Market Analyst Consultant Fish Transportation Group, Inc. Transportation Consultant Vistara Construction Services, Inc. Cost Estimating Consultant David Mason & Associates Civil Engineering Consultant Grisko LLC Community Outreach Consultant April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 2 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Plan Overview 5 Existing Conditions 7 DISTRICT 8 Land Use Overall 9 Detailed Land Use 11 Public Open Space 13 Zoning 14 TOD Eligible Zoning Parcels 18 Historic Districts / Buildings 19 Transportation 20 Roadway Typology, Traffic Volumes, and Signalization 25 Public Realm and Street Character Analysis 26 SUMMARY AND INITIAL ASSESSMENT 46 Summary and Initial Assessment 47 Development Opportunity Sites 48 INDEX 50 Figure Index 51 Table Index 54 April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 3 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS INTRODUCTION April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 4 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS RED AND PURPLE MODERNIZATION (RPM) TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) PLAN OVERVIEW RPM is a multi-stage Chicago Transit Authority runs along the Red Line to reduce overcrowding (CTA) capacity expansion program aimed and meet growing demand for transit service. at accomplishing extensive transit system Benefits of building the Red-Purple Bypass improvements using a strategically phased include: implementation approach. This RPM TOD Plan is a development-focused study to be completed • The addition of up to eight more Red Line as part of the RPM Phase One Initiative. The trains per hour during rush periods RPM Phase one project requires the acquisition • Accommodate up to 7,200 additional and demolition of properties in order to locate customers per hour during rush hour new track structure elements and stage • Increase Red and Purple line train speeds by construction. The TOD Plan scope is focused on 60 percent through this intersection specific redevelopment strategies for portions of the properties that may no longer be needed • Customers are saved a half-million travel for CTA operations after construction. The final hours each year design for the construction project has not More information about the RPM Phase One been completed. Thus, the TOD Plan develops track level improvements can be found at concepts based on approximate property shapes http://www.transitchicago.com/rpmproject/ and sizes that may change once the design and construction is complete. (see Figure 1.1) SUMMARY OF THE DISTRICT The TOD Plan focus area encompasses the The RPB District, is comprised of entertainment Red-Purple Bypass Area (see Figure 1.1) destinations along Belmont Avenue, major City referred to as “the RPB District” and the commercial corridors such as Clark Street, and Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization District adjacent residential areas. It lies one quarter (covered in a separate document). mile south of Wrigley Field and covers roughly 42 acres with a broad range of densities and RED-PURPLE BYPASS PROJECT uses. The Belmont CTA station anchors the BACKGROUND southern portion of the RPB District and was recently rebuilt as part of the Brown Line As part of the first phase of the Red and Capacity Enhancement Project. The Belmont Purple Modernization (RPM) Program, CTA Avenue station serves as a major transportation will construct a Red-Purple Bypass north of hub for the Red, Brown, and Purple train lines the Belmont Station. Currently there is a flat and connecting bus lines. A primarily residential intersection, and all northbound Brown Line corridor along Sheffield Avenue defines the trains cross over the four tracks used by western portion of the District, while Clark Street northbound and southbound Red and Purple line serves as the focus for the neighborhoods to trains. This outdated track configuration results the east. The RPB District is a lively, and well in inefficient train operations that constrain the visited destination in the City, but is also a vital CTA’s ability to add train service. residential neighborhood within the Lakeview With the new bypass, northbound Brown Line community. With the recent construction trains will proceed along a dedicated, grade- of higher density residential / mixed-use separated rail line above the Red and Purple developments near Wrigley Field, along Clark line tracks. This improvement will allow CTA Street, and adjacent to the Belmont CTA station, to significantly increase the number of trains it the neighborhood is clearly growing. April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 5 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS Note: The RPB District is entirely within the 44th Ward under Alderman Tunney. Figure 1.1: District Boundary and Sites April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 6 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS EXISTING CONDITIONS The Existing Conditions Report is a compilation 1. Portions of properties previously acquired of background information, data, initial for the Brown Line Capacity Enhancement assessments, mapping, site research, and Project that are required for construction of review of previous documents and serves as the the Red-Purple Bypass. basis for the more detailed TOD Plan analysis 2. Properties where new tracks and structures and recommendations. CTA provided the need to be located, thereby requiring planning team with informational resources from demolition of existing buildings. past planning and development work, which was augmented with updated map data from the City 3. Properties required to stage the complicated of Chicago, and extensive field data collection construction process in a constrained urban and verification completed in December 2016. area. The following maps, diagrams, and photographs The selection and acquisition of these properties provide a snapshot in time of the RPB District was the result of an extensive National characteristics to help inform future real estate Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), environmental decision making. impact analysis process that included extensive public and property owner outreach (starting in DISTRICT BOUNDARY AND LOCATION OF 2009). The NEPA requirements were finalized REDEVELOPMENT SITES and approved prior to the start of this TOD Prior to initiation of the TOD Plan, the CTA Planning process. The TOD Plan is focused on developed an acquisition plan for properties redevelopment strategies for portions of these that will be required for the track infrastructure properties that may no longer be needed for CTA construction project. The CTA also inventoried operations after construction. The TOD sites are and assessed land under current CTA shown in Figure 1.1. ownership. These properties are identified for three primary reasons: Additional information is available for download from the CTA’s website http://www.transitchicago.com/rpmproject/ April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 7 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS DISTRICT April 2017 - REVISED DRAFT CTA Red and Purple Modernization Phase One 8 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT RED-PURPLE BYPASS LAND USE OVERALL The RPB District consists of a broad mix of land Avenue and Clark Street. Belmont Avenue uses ranging from small scale healthcare and contains a mix of fast-casual restaurants, community facilities to boutique hotels and local entertainment, retail, and small unique retail (see Figure 1.2). The dominant land use in businesses. Similar commercial areas define the District is mixed use, with other supporting Clark Street between Belmont Avenue and uses arranged in a fine-grained pattern. Streets Roscoe Street. The northern portion of the RPB such as Sheffield Avenue, that appear to District contains more transitional uses, with a have a more residential character, in fact also stronger relationship to serving Wrigley Field contain a broad mix of local businesses, offices, visitors than to the activities in the Belmont community facilities, restaurants, and night life Avenue station area. Some vacant buildings and establishments. These characteristics contribute parcels exist north of Newport Avenue. to the unique and vibrant atmosphere of the RPB District. BUILDING UPPER FLOOR USE Residential multifamily units occupy a majority of DETAILED BUILDING USE DIAGRAMS upper floors of buildings within the RPB District Detailed building uses were field collected by (see Figure 1.4). Higher density residential the consultant team and mapped using a GIS apartments are focused along Clark Street, database. The resulting diagrams illustrate the while flats and townhome style condominiums specific building activities within