R E P O R T C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION Background . .5 Planning Process . .6 Planning Goals . .7 Planning Initiatives . .8 N AREA ANALYSIS Area Context . .12 Sub-Areas/Districts . .13 Land Use . .16 Development Density . .17 Physical Conditions . .25 Transportation . .31 Future Development Pressure . .46 Near West Side Population Profile . .46 Study Area AREA LAND USE PLAN Land Use Framework. .48 Transportation System . .54 Lake Design Guidelines . .57 Design Concepts . .65 IMPLEMENTATION Community Resources . .70 Streetscape Design/Engineering . .70 Capital Improvement Programming . .70 Facade Rebate Program . .71 Micro Loan Program . .71 CitySpace Program . .71 NeighborSpace Program . .72 Chicago Gateway Green Partnership . .72 CTA Adopt-a-Station Program . .72 Open Space Impact Fee Program . .72 Special Service Area Financing . .73 Tax Increment Financing . .73 APPENDIX . .76 PAGE 1 N e a r W e s t S I D E N e a r w e s t s i d e p l a n i n t r o d u c t i o n N e a r W e s t S I D E Introduction: City Team: Participants: The following is a comprehensive Area Land Use The Plan was prepared for the City of Chicago The following agencies, organizations, and individuals Plan for the Near West Side of Chicago. The Plan Department of Planning and Development (DPD) by the provided input during the planning process: encompasses approximately 88 city blocks bounded following consultant team: by Lake Street on the north, the Eisenhower • Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., 27th Ward. Expressway (I-290) on the south, the Kennedy The Lakota Group • Chicago Department of Planning and Expressway (I-90/94) on the east, and Ashland (Planners, Urban Designers, Landscape Architects) Avenue on the west. Development. Campbell Tiu Campbell • University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The Area Land Use Plan is presented in a summary (Planners, Architects, Construction Managers) format. Its planning and design recommendations • West Loop Gate Association. are conceptual, and intended to identify opportunities Okrent Associates • West Central Association. for improving the Near West Side’s land use mix, (Planners, Communications Specialists) physical conditions, and transportation system. • Randolph/Fulton Market Merchants Metro Transportation Group Association. (Transportation Planners & Engineers) • Greektown Special Service Area Commission. The study was funded through DPD’s Planning Now program with assistance from the University of Illinois at • Jackson Boulevard Historic District Chicago. Association. Additional funding for the expanded transportation and • Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). transit analysis was provided by the West Loop Gate Association through a grant from the University of • Chicago Department of Transportation Illinois at Chicago. (CDOT). • Chicago Public Schools (CPS). • Chicago Park District. • Local residents, business owners, and property owners. PAGE 4 I N T R O D U C T I O N BACKGROUND Mission: Community Organizations: The Near West Side is a mixed-use area containing a Currently, seven community organizations serve the Several of these organizations have overlapping wide range of commercial, industrial, institutional, and needs of local residents, businesses, and institutions: service boundaries, specifically West Central and residential uses. It is located adjacent to Downtown West Loop Gate. As a result, several businesses and • West Loop Gate Association. Chicago. Many of its businesses, restaurants, and institutions are members of both organizations. institutions serve the larger City and region as well as • West Central Association. Downtown and the Near West Side. There is a need to continue to develop collaborative • Greektown Special Service Area relationships between community organizations, Commission. While the area continues to develop due to its proximity residents, businesses, property owners, and to Downtown and excellent transportation system, • Greektown Chamber of Commerce. institutions. West Loop Gate and West Central have rapid residential development, conflicting land uses, established cross membership of their boards to • Randolph/Fulton Market Merchants Association. unattractive and deteriorating streetscape, traffic further this effort. congestion, and limited parking are impacting its • Jackson Boulevard Historic District overall character and quality of life. After a long period Association. of stagnation and a reputation as Chicago’s “Skid • Industrial Council of Northwest Chicago. Row”, the Near West Side is now experiencing “growing pains”. Many of the area’s residents and business owners have a strong loyalty to the Near West Side. They feel that its active, mixed-use and low density character should be preserved wherever possible. In response to the need to take a comprehensive approach toward improving the Near West Side and guiding its future development, the City engaged the Lakota team to identify area needs and craft the Area Land Use Plan presented in this report. PAGE 5 N e a r W e s t S I D E PLANNING PROCESS The Near West Side planning process involved: • an assessment of the area’s land use, • three workshops with the Alderman, DPD, • a community meeting to present the draft physical conditions, and transportation. local organizations, institutions, residents, and Area Land Use Plan for public comment. business/property owners to generate input on • research meetings and interviews with the area issues and opportunities. Alderman, DPD, CTA, CDOT, Chicago Public Schools, and area business/property owners. • meetings with the Alderman, DPD, and community to review the study’s findings and preliminary land use strategy. PHASE 1: AREA ANALYSIS PHASE 2: AREA LAND USE PLAN PHASE 3: IMPLEMENTATION Streetscape Design & Area Analysis Engineering • Land Use Community Community Visioning Community • Physical Conditions Meetings Meeting Capital Improvement Programming - Buildings • Area Issues/Constraints - Streets/Alleys • Land Use Mix Near West Side - Streetscape • Development Opportunities - Open Space Tax Increment • Improvement Strategies Area Land Use Financing • Transportation • Design Concepts Plan - Traffic Access - Transit Access - Parking Open Space Impact Fee Parking Regulation Plans PAGE 6 i n t r o d u c t i o n PLANNING GOALS The following goals were generated and refined during the planning process: • The Near West Side Area Land Use Plan should • The Near West Side’s physical conditions be used as a long-range guide to foster area should be improved with streetscape elements improvements and guide public and private that enhance its commercial and residential sector redevelopment activities. viability. • A comprehensive rather than piecemeal or site • The Area Land Use Plan should emphasize the specific approach should be taken toward need to “clean and green” the overall area, planning for the Near West Side. especially its expressway “edges” and the Randolph Market District. • A range of land use and transportation options should be considered to address the • The Plan should emphasize and build upon the community’s sub-areas, developing blocks, area’s unique mix of uses, numerous positive underdeveloped sites, and vacant land. These aspects, and major activity generators. options may include neighborhood-level retail and service uses, office uses, industrial uses, residential uses, cultural facilities, open space, and parking. • The Area Land Use Plan should encourage adaptive reuse of existing buildings and new development consistent with the area’s loft district character. Greektown District Industrial Building Converted to Residential PAGE 7 N e a r W e s t S I D E PLANNING INITIATIVES During the past 30 years, the Near West Side has • Real Estate Market Trends Affecting • Kinzie Industrial Corridor Transportation been the focus of numerous planning and Chicago’s Near West Side Plan/Program (Draft) revitalization studies. The scope of these studies has (Applied Real Estate Analysis,1988) (Barton-Aschman Associates,1997) ranged from area-wide conservation assessments to transportation initiatives. The predominant focus of • Corridors of Industrial Opportunity • Kinzie Planned Manufacturing District these documents, which are listed below, was the (Department of Planning & Development,1992) (Department of Planning & Development,1998) preservation of the Randolph Market and the need to create a livable mixed-use community within the • Near West Redevelopment Project Area Tax • Kinzie Industrial Conservation Area Tax area. Each of these studies was reviewed to Increment Finance Program Increment Redevelopment Plan and Project determine their relevance to the area’s current (former Madison-Racine TIF,1989) (Camiros,1998) issues. Recommendations from these studies which (Department of Planning & were still applicable today were incorporated into the Development,1994) • Transit Oriented Development Plans at Area Land Use Plan. A summary of each document Selected CTA Green Line Stations is provided in the Appendix. • Chicago Food Wholesaling Market (Camiros, Campbell Tiu Campbell,1998) Districts: Revitalization Feasibility • Central West Redevelopment Plan Study • Real Estate Needs Assessment for the (Chicago Department of Urban (Department of Planning & Development,1995) Randolph/Fulton Market Area Renewal,1969) (Arthur Andersen, 2000) • Randolph Street Market Planning Report • Madison-Racine Redevelopment Plan (Okrent Associates,1995) (Department of Urban Renewal,1979) • Strategic Plan for Kinzie Industrial Corridor • West Loop Adaptive Reuse Analysis (Industrial Council