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/0 7Q-8 Coastal Zone, Information JUN 14 1977 Center, NORTH DEVELOPMENT AREA Department of Development and Planning X City of Chicago, Richard J. Daley, Mayor North Development Area City of Chicago, Richard J. Daley, Mayor John G. Duba, Commissioner of Development and Planning January 1967 Contents page 2 Purpose of the Development Area Reports page 5 Planning Framework page 5 Existing Conditions and Recommendations page 5 Residence page 10 Recreation page 12 Schools page 13 Business page 14 Industry page 14 Transportation page 18 Summary PURPOSE OF THE DEVELOPMENT AREA REPORTS In order to relate long-term basic policies to con- tives, proposals, and improvement programs, so discuss the preliminary findings and proposals of temporary needs and varied conditions, a con- that varying viewpoints can be considered before the report. Findings will be modified, other ideas tinuing process is required for formulating and final decisions are made about specific projects. sought, and approaches to resolving issues will refining plans and programs for Chicago com- The recommendations in the Development Area be explored. munities. Planning, programming, and the actual reports are ideas and suggested projects for con- -Appropriate revisions in the proposals will then construction of new homes, factories, transit, and sideration. They do not represent final plans for be made, which will result in a planning frame- other facilities are all parts of a complex process of the areas, nor do they cover all the issues that will work for the Development Area. After public dis- decision-making which can be coordinated best have to be dealt with. The reports recognize that cussion, the report would be adopted by the by sub-sections of the city. not all planning problems have immediate solu- Chicago Plan Commission as a policy guide 'in A series of reports on specific areas of the city has tions. In some cases questions are raised for which review of projects and programs for the area. been prepared to initiate discussion of issues, answers have not been determined, in the expec- piroblems, and possible solutions. This discussion tation that the best solution will evolve through -Using the planning framework as a guide the will lead to more detailed policies and programs discussion. department will work with the agencies involved to help government and citizens coordinate their to meet the area's critical needs and achieve local activities and achieve their goals more effectively. In this report, the statements of objectives and objectives by adjustment of programs and programs for the Development Area are limited scheduling of projects. This will be a continuing There are 16 Development Areas, covering the to the more evident community facility, trans- process requiring the maintenance of communica- entire city, each with a population of 150,000 to portation, renewal, and institutional needs and tions and the revision of programs as administra- 250,000. and with a land area of 6 to 20 square opportunities. Through community discussion and tive and staff capabilities are improved. miles. Each report recommends, in more specific continuing research, additional objectives and terms, land use changes, residential and indus- program approaches will be identified and de- From Plans to Action trial improvements, and transportation improve- veloped. These will include specific proposals for ments needed to achieve the policies of the Com- coordinating park, school, and traffic facilities and Chicago is constantly changing. Therefore, from prehensive Plan in that area. for relating industrial and business district im- time to time, each planning framework will be provements to urban renewal and transportation amended to reflect new needs or changes in Coordinating Development projects. objectives as a result of continuing study and The various kinds of projects that the city under- Of special importance will be the identification discussion. takes-street improvements, new schools and of community social needs and the evaluation of In recent years new transportation facilities, urban parks, urban renewal, and the human relations and alternative programs of facilities and activities. in renewal, and other public and private develop- community action programs-need to be related some areas, private institutions may cooperate or ments have greatly improved the city's appearance, to each other if they are to produce maximum new privately sponsored activities may be estab - livability, and opportunities. Other projects are benefits for the communities they serve. In other lished to achieve major educational, recreational, under way or planned. Still greater effort and words, the best way to improve the city is not on or health objectives. In other areas, public agencies change will be necessary if Chicago is to meet a project- by- project basis but in accordance with such as the Board of Education or Chicago Park its commitment to the goals of the Comprehensive an over-all, coordinated program that assures the District may modify their programs or start new Plan. In the coming years sections of the city proper time and location for each item. services to expand opportunity for individuals and must be rebuilt or rehabilitated to meet high expec- Chicago is too large to deal with as a whole in families. tations for living standards. New ways must be found for dealing with related social problems and scheduling specific projects. Area plan and Gen- for broadening opportunities for all Chicagoans. eral Neighborhood Renewal Plan experience has Steps in the Review Process demonstrated the need for an intermediate step Several specific steps will be followed in review- The Development Area reports have been pre- between the level of the total city and the level ing and revising the Development Area reports: pared to inform Chicago citizens what the Com- of the specific project. The boundaries of the prehensive Plan's recommendations mean to each Development Areas are drawn to provide a prac- -Each Development Area report will be dis- locality, to provide a means whereby city officials tical means of dividing up the city for planning tributed to civic organizations and other private exchange information with citizens about the purposes. There is enough detail which residents groups, both within the local area and city-wide. needs of their communities, and to develop a can readily recognize so that the scale of the area Citizen participation in Development Area plan- cooperative planning procedure. Achieving the facilitates effective citizen participation. The De- ning will be an essential objective. kind of city envisioned in the Comprehensive velopment Areas offer a means for citizens and -City representatives will meet with groups and Plan will call for the ideas, the widespread support, government officials to discuss planning objec- elected officials with an interest in each area to and the involvement of the people of Chicago. 2 NORTH DEVELOPMENT AREA The North Development Area includes half of the section. Rehabilitation of older some of the city's most varied and interest- buildings has been particularly widespread ing residential sections. It encompasses in the Lincoln Park renewal area. four generally recognized community areas In the last decade, many low-income -Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, and families from southern Appalachia have Edgewater-plus the Lake Shore Com- moved into parts of the North Development munity, the densely developed strip of Area, particularly the Uptown community, apartment buildings fronting Lincoln Park where many experience urban life for the and the lake. first time. Poor property maintenance For the most part, the North Development standards of large numbers of families in Area is composed of homes and apartments. the overcrowded and densely developed Its 335,000 residents enjoy large lakefront Uptown neighborhoods often lead to rapid parks and extensive public transportation deterioration of housing. Serving to com- service to the Central Business District. pound this problem of inadequate mainte- Because of these advantages, the area's nance is the unwillingness of many land- over-all density is high, yet It contains a lords to improve properties that have begun wide variety of housing types. In addition to deteriorate. to Its retailing and commercial functions, The beaches, boat harbors, golf course, and a small section in the southwestern corner other facilities of Lincoln Park extend nearly of the Development Area includes a part of the full length of the Development Area a larger industrial district. and are a major source of recreation for the The skyline along the Development Area's entire Chicago region. These facilities, as lakefront is one of the city's most striking well as means of public access to them, features. New elevator apartment buildings constructed here represent an important require further improvement as population physical change in Chicago since World demands upon them increase. War 11. In fact, development has been so Improvement programs in this Development rapid that population increases have over- Area must be directed toward solving the burdened community facilities and trans- problems of physical deterioration, over- portation lines. crowding, inadequate community facilities, The section behind the lakefront skyline and traffic congestion. There must be social generally has a medium-high density. programs to help many of the new residents Housing types vary, with walk-up apart- adjustto life inthecity.All of theseactivities ments most prevalent. Most of the housing should enhance the character of the North is old, but new town houses and low-rise Development Area as a diverse and dis- apartments have been built in the eastern tinctive urban community. 3 z LU cc cr 0 LU Ir m DEVON BRYN MAWRL----- FOSTER LAWRENCE LAW13EN 0"ADWA ou WILSON MONTROSE- - cc UJ U) Z < 0 Lu L) IRVING PARK LINCOLN ADDISON - - - WRI lp LIN @o N MONT BELMONT --ANN" DIVERSEY - CLYBOURN, L RK DE P NCOL P GEN L NE GHB OD REN AL LAN A ARMITAGE-- NORTH-- IL z LU Uj 0 U) Planning Framework ized by the very intense development of Objectives high-rise and walk-up apartments on the east; by older, relatively low-density 1) Maintain the present character of the housing along the western edge, and by North Development Area as a high-density a predominance of walk-up apartments in residential area with a wide variety of between. The over-all densitywould remain housing types. Redevelop portions of the high under the policies of the Comprehen- area that have deteriorated beyond repair, sive Plan. and encourage further rehabilitation in Approximately 17 per cent of the 154,000 areas where conservation is needed. housing units in the Development Area Characteristics 2) Provide the parks, schools, business were substandard in 1960. In Lincoln Park, North Development Area centers, and other community facilities 23.1 per cent of the housing was sub- needed to serve a larger number of people. standard; in Lakeview, 14.5 per cent; in Residence in Good Condition 3) Expand social services, especially for Uptown, 20.5 per cent. The contrast in low-income families, in connection with housing condition is often quite wide with- physical improvement programs. in each community. For example, only 5.7 Residence in Need of Some Improvement per cent of the housing between Foster and 4) Improve and expand lakefront recrea- tion facilities to serve the entire region, Devon avenues in the Edgewater com- Residence in Need of Ma or Repair while maintaining a close physical relation- munity was substandard in 1960. But 30 ship between the lake and nearby residen- percent was substandard in Uptown south tial areas. Increase local park space in of Foster avenue, where in one census tract Business Concentrations interior parts of the area. the total was 60 per cent. 5) Improve mass transit and major road- Physical improvement programs in the ways to serve the region more efficiently North Development Area must be accom- Industry in Good Condition and to reduce congestion in residential panied by social action programs which areas. meetthe needs of socially and economically Industry in Need of Some Improvement 6) Provide for the development of modern disaidvantaged persons. Parts of the area, industrial districts at selected locations particularly in Uptown, have become ports along major transportation routes. Relocate of entry for newcomers to the city. Many Park plants now scattered in residential areas of these persons are low-income, rural into industrial districts. Appalachian whites for whom adjustment to an urban environment is difficult. People Institutional living in such areas often have severe Existing Conditions problems of poverty, health, and delin- and Recommendations quency which greatly complicate the task A Elevated Structure a Blighting Influence Residence of improving the environment. Thus, a major need is to continue and Housing in the North Development Area enlarge the programs of public and private B Serious Housing and Environmental Problems varies greatly in its condition, age, and type. agencies which assist newcomers and help In the Lincoln Park community some frame them become accustomed to urban living. houses and apartment buildings were con- Social services are now being expanded C Adequate Housing, Some Environmental structed as early as the 1870's. In the through the an'ti-poverty program of the Problems Lakeview and Uptown communities the Chicago Committee on Urban Opportunity, first substantial development took place in which has established an Urban Progress D Overcrowded High School the decade between 1885 and 1895. In Center in Uptown. In addition, steps should all three communities a surge of new apart- be taken to encourage a comprehensive ment construction followed the opening of social program involving the activities of E Inadequate Lakefront Facilities the elevated lines in the 1900's and con- all the social agencies serving the Develop- tinued through the 1 920's. ment Area. It is particularly important to Most of the new construction in the past coordinate over-all social programs with F Adverse Mix of Land Use 25 years has been limited to the eastern improvement programs in areas where part of the Development Area. A new sky- physical renewal is to occur. line of elevator apartment buildings has A General Neighborhood Renewal Plan has G Obsolete Railroad Line risen along the lakefront, while smaller been prepared for the Lincoln Park Con- apartment buildings have been built to the servation Area, generally south of Diversey west on side streets between Diversey Parkway and east of the Milwaukee Rail- H Diagonal Street Parkway and Devon Avenue. road right-of-way. Much private rehabilita- The North Development Area is character- tion already has taken place. A conservation 5 project is under way in the southeastern portion of the area, and additional programs calling for limited clearance, additional community facilities, and traffic improve- ments will be undertaken in stages. The Lincoln Park area will continue to support A an over-all high population density with a 11N variety of housing types. Physical treatment needs in the rest of the It Development Area vary greatly. The in- tensively developed sections of newer housing, generally along the lakefront, need -.,640 transportation improvements and additional community facilities, plus other services to reduce the problems resulting from this high vt' population concentration. Moreover, in the western portion, there are sections of well- maintained, older housing containing scat- tered pockets of blight and deteriorati Z-7 ion. Development programs here should include MPW code enforcement, relocation of scattered A011 industry, consolidation of strip commercial development wherever desirable, and pro- 4@ vision of needed schools, parks, traffic im- Uptown is one of the city's most rapidly deteriorating provements, and other community facilities. areas. Buildings are deficient and overcrowded. Various types of publicly assisted renewal Schools, local parks, and services are inadequate. will be needed in several seriously dete- riorated sections of the North Development Area. Generally, these sections form a Lakeview is a basically sound residential area. How- ever, it requires programs of continued maintenance corridorwest of the Lake Shore Community to help retain its pleasant environmental qualities. from Diversey Parkway north to Bryn Mawr 11111@1111111F, Avenue. This corridor of housing deteriora- tion, running through the Lakeview and Air ")'' Uptown communities, covers approximately 1,200 acres and is too large for a single 41 urban renewal project. Through careful scheduling, a broad range of physical and social programs can help stabilize and maintain the Edgewater, Lincoln Park, and Lake Shore communities both in and ad- Jacent to this corridor. Uptown 7, - In the North Development Area's corridor of deterioration, the most serious problems are found in an area of about two-thirds of the Uptown community bounded by T.- A r Lawrence Avenue, Sheridan and I rvi ng Park roads, and the rapid transit elevated tracks. An improvement program focusing on 4N@ lvw_ Lawrence and Broadway should be given a high priority. This section is the nucleus of the deteriorating corridor, serves a regional shopping function, and is a center of _jwl jW1 services and activity for the surrounding community with its many low-income residents. A substantial amount of rehabilitation in 6 this central section of Uptown is needed rose, and Clark (which includes the Uptown to restore the former commercial vitality Study Area) is under consideration. and to create a healthy residential environ- ment. For the regional business center at Lakeview Lawrence and Broadway, programs of store Generally, the Lakeview community west modernization, pedestrian and vehicular of Clarendon Avenue and Broadway is circulation improvements, and off-street characterized by medium-density, low-rise parking should be considered. Such im- residential development, some of which provements in the heart of Uptown would dates from the last decades of the 1 9th establish a solid base for further neighbor- century. The Lincoln- Belmont-Ashland hood rehabilitation and conservation in regional business center ranks high among three adjacent blighted sections of the the city's shopping areas, and both Clark community. Street and Lincoln Avenue are highly devel- To the north is a section of mixed residential- oped with strip commercial uses along their commercial uses bounded by Bryn Mawr diagonal rights-of-way. There are industrial and Lawrence avenues, Sheridan Road, areas along the North Western Railway's and Broadway. Residential deterioration elevated tracks that run the length of the generally characterizes a section to the west community's western boundary and bounded by Lawrence and Montrose ave- along the Milwaukee Railroad's at-grade nues, Clark Street, and the elevated tracks. line generally between Belmont Avenue An eastern section, bounded by Lawrence and Addison Street. Major physical features and Clarendon avenues and Sheridan and within Lakeview for which improvement Irving Park roads, provides two areas of and redevelopment would benefit the over- contrast. The area north of Montrose Ave- all community environment include: the nue is characterized throughout by rapidly Lincoln- Belmont-Ashland regional busi- deteriorating residential structures, while ness center, the diagonal streets containing that area south of Montrose contains a deteriorating strip commercial development; small enclave of highly desirable single- and the disruptive rail line with its associated family homes surrounded on three sides by commercial and industrial uses. deteriorating multiple-fam ily structures. There is also a need to establish residential These three sections should require less repair programs in the deteriorating corridor intensive treatment than the Lawrence- within the eastern one-third of Lakeview. Broadway center and the area immediately Very generally, the same neighborhood surrounding it. However, over a period of problems confronting Uptown find their time it may be necessary to remove from counterpart in the corridor's extension 20 to 30 per cent of the structures for new south of Irving Park Road into Lakeview. housing, parks, schools, and other facilities The area bounded by Irving Park, Clarendon to achieve an attractive residential environ- and Broadway, Seminary Avenue, and ment. Steps have already been taken to Addison Street is in need of long-range im- improve the community. The Department provement activities which could result in of Urban Renewal has applied for a reserva- the removal of 30 to 40 per cent of the tion of federal funds for the Uptown Study structures for new housing, recreational Area between Montrose Avenue and Argyle open space, and other neighborhood facil- Street east of Sheridan Road. In portions of itles. South from Addison to Diversey and this area, the Chicago Dwellings Associa- east from Seminary to Broadway, there tion has proposed residential rehabilitation should be an extensive program of reha- and new construction, while the Chicago bilitation along with possible clearance of Housing Authority is currently adding 436 25 per cent of the area's structures. The apartments for the elderly on two Sheridan rejuvenation of this portion of Lakeview Road sites. would complete improvement plans for the These actions are a first step toward achiev- entire North Development Area's blighted ing an improved residential environment in corridor. the corridor of deterioration. Programs for It is proposed to retain the current quality the remaining one-third of Uptown should of the remainder of Lakeview's residential consist of residential conservation and the areas (west from Seminary Avenue) addition of community facilities. Accord- through application of conservation and ingly, a conservation project of 457 acres rehabilitation policies. bounded by Argyle, Marine Drive, Mont- Outside the Uptown and Lakeview com- 7 munities with their corridors of blight are three additional communities comprising the remainder of the residential sections of the North Development Area-Edgewater, Lincoln Park, and Lake Shore. Edgewater The Edgewater residential community extends north from Foster Avenue to Devon 7 *97 - Avenue and east from the North Western Railway to the rapid transit elevated tracks. Established neighborhoods and well- N maintained residential structures are typical in Edgewater, one of the city's desirable medium-density areas. To maintain a high quality of development and to preserve n current environmental assets, conservation rograms should be established throughout 17 . .. ... . ... p 04 the community. Lincoln Park The greater part of this community is within the Lincoln Park General Neighborhood Renewal Plan area. This plan has been asic existing com- designed to build upon b Edgewater is another example of a substantially munity strengths in order to heighten the sound North Side residential area where the current unique qualities of the community. Accord- community fabric could be maintained and improved ingly, conservation and rehabilitation pro- by a conservation program. grams will provide the means for the major- ity of the proposed improvements, with clearance kept to a minimum. The purpose of the Lincoln Park plan is to remove con- DePaul University plans campus expansion as part of centrations of substandard structures and the Lincoln Park urban renewal program. This will to provide land for new residential and reinforce the significance to the community of the educational and related institutions clustering here. commercial developments, for new public facilities, and expansion of local institutions such as De Paul University and McCormick Theological Seminary. Project 1, encompassing 271 acres in the southeastern portion of the Lincoln Park community, is currently under way. Imple- mentation of the planning program involves extensive private rehabilitation , improve- ment of the pedestrian and vehicular circu ion patterns; provision lat' of parks, X tw 4' playgrounds, pedestrian greenways, and public plazas: and consolidation of com- mercial activities. Lake Shore The Lake Shore residential community is 4 one of the city's most impressive features. Extending from Armitage Avenue on the NO south in a nearly solid line to the northern boundary of the Development Area, this narrow strip of high-rise apartment build- t Ings is located directly opposite one of _Z rV Chicago's foremost attractions, Lincoln Park and the lakefront. 8 3@, Typical improvement efforts in the Lincoln Park Urban Renewal Area. New town houses, rehabili- tated apartment buildings and courtyards, and well- designed street plantings and furniture help to main- tain the area's individuality and improve community appearance. 9 High residential densities fronting Lake- view Avenue, Lake Shore and Marine drives, and Sheridan Road are countered V "'Q W by less dense residential developments C-,S,- "s- "g, cant amounts immediately to the west. Signifi "Pe of new construction are occurring in this 74 _T@ community, in a range of building types, . . . . . ..... from low-rise elevator buildings to high- I-- I I @ N v, _-MUST', r se towers offering both rental and sales Al units. "k- -tg N While they make possible for large num- 011 bers of people to enjoy the amenities of urban living along the lakefront, these build- ings are intensifying certain problems j within their own and adjoining neighbor- 7 777 E" 7-@%, hoods. Additional off-street parking is g;, -@@,q @,,i'g N, sorely needed, small recreational open -4, L"N ;2t spaces designed for concentrated popula- __1 tions should be provided, and access to the lakefront should be enhanced through vehicular and pedestrian circulation H igh-density apartment buildings, both old and new, improvements. extend in an almost unbroken vista along the lake- front in the North Development Area. Generally, they The North Development Area's corridor of contrast dramatically with the medium-density areas deterioration is adjacent to most of the Lake to thewest, in both physical appearanceand theage- Shore community. Environmental improve- income-family size characteristics of residents. ments previously discussed for this corridor would improve connections between the Lake Shore community and the residential and commercial areas to the west. More 4 till people living in the lakefront apartment buildings would be encouraged to make use of shops and community facilities to the west. In turn, the access to the lake and Lincoln Park would be improved for 5, residents of the inland communities. In addition to these suggested improve- 0000 ments for Lake Shore, the preservation of two lower-density areas in the community will help assure a residential balance. Three owl residential streets (Castlewood Terrace, Hutchinson Street, and Hawthorne Place) containing large single-family homes should be retained. The brownstone area south of Diversey Parkway will be pre- *to served in accordance with the Lincoln Park RIPE Sol General Neighborhood Renewal Plan. Recreation The North Development Area has some of 01 4 Chicago's finest lakefront recreational features, notably Lincoln Park with its beaches, zoo, golf course, tennis courts, 29 playgrounds, playfields, and boat harbors. Implementation of the lakefront recom- mendations of the Comprehensive Plan would require the addition of approximately 200 acres of park land. This proposed ex- 07- A EL pansion and any further extensive,additions 10 [email protected] and, RecrestionT icifitles "WPM, Actimities Center Beach Area Lake Michigan, Landfill, and Marina ULI. i" @o Jim Lm lk --4 V-Wn V-1 L'j @616 66 Al should be developed in a manner which would preserve the Lake Shore community's current feeling of closeness to the water. In addition to its present facilities, portions of Lincoln Park should be developed with community activity centers, picnic groves, and expanded beaches and boat harbors. Landscaped walkways and pedestrian bridges over Lake Shore Drive should be provided to improve linkages with the high and medium-density residential areas to the west. The need for small park and recreational open spaces throughout the Development Area is pronounced. Outside the Lake Shore community and the Lincoln Park conserva- tion.area, there are only 0.8 acres of park land per 1,000 residents, significantly below the city-wide average. Nearly all the public schools have inadequate playgrounds, and Lake View High School with an enrollment nearing 3,000 has no open space for its athletic programs. Many of the required neighborhood parks should be provided as part of the renewal programs for the various residential communities. Moreover, the im- provement of vehicular circulation in the Development Area could include the clos- ing of some local streets for re-use as land- scaped walkways which would serve to join residential neighborhoods more direct- lywith community facilities and recreational areas. Schools Extensive improvements are needed to provide modern school facilities and reduce overcrowding in the North Development 2@ Area. Sixteen of the 30 public elementary schools, branches, and upper-grade centers are more than 50 years old. Average class- room enrollments are higher in 29 of the 30 schools than the Board of Education goal of 30 pupils per room, while the current city-wide average of 32.5 pupils per room is exceeded in 24 of the 30 schools. In addition to overcrowding, three schools also exceed the board's standards for maxi- mum elementary enrollment, and most lack adequate play space. The equivalent of approximately 100 class- rooms is required at the present level of enrollment to meet the objective of 30 Typical scattered mixtures of industrial and com- pupils per room. Additional facilities are mercial businesses in Lakeview. Such uses as meat needed to replace over-age schools, and packing operations with no off-street truck parking A structural modernization and the provision and loading create excessive traffic congestion. They. should be relocated to a consolidated produce ter- of more adequate recreational space are re- minal. The at-grade railroad right-of-way further a*g- quired at others. gravates vehicular circulation. 12 A !k- All three high schools-Lake View, Senn, and Waller-are in need of major improve- ment, according to the Board of Education. Lake View has a particularly urgent need for recreational space. Additional space for Waller is in the Lincoln Park plan. School replacements, enlargements, and modernizations should be developed in conjunction with neighborhood improve- ment and renewal programs. Where feasible, schools should be located adjacent to local parks and linked more closely to surrounding residential areas by landscaped walkways. Business Businesses in the North Development Area pattern of generally follow the city-wi rows of stores along major streets. Inad- equate off-street parking, poor patterns of pedestrian circulation, and unattractive physical appearance characterize these strips as well as the business centers lo cated at ma'or street intersections. city outside the Loop in volumes of sales, Ranked third and fourth respectively in the the two regional business centers at Lincoln- Belmont-Ashland and Lawrence- Broadway need extensive improvements. A commercial conservation program should be considered for the Lincoln- Belmont- Ashland business center. This center is currently at a competitive disadvantage w th new, outlying shoppi of I ing centers contemporary design. The improvement program could include street improvements lr@m for through traffic, closing Lincoln Avenue Awl' C and re-using it as a pedestrian mail, clearing su bsta ndard structu res to provi cle add itional off-street parking, and modernizing store 21@ buildings to create a more attractive over-all appearance. The Lawrence- Broadway center is the midst of the deteriorating Uptown com- mun ty. It will require extensive modern- ization and reorganization between Lawrence and Montrose avenues and Sheridan Road and the elevated tracks. The am realignment of the one-half mile diagonal portion of Broadway to the west of the shopping area and the conversion of its current right-of-way, plus Wilson Avenue between Sheridan Road and the elevated, into landscaped walkways could improve pedestrian and vehicular circulation. Such improvements would also create an attrac- tive environment for shoppers and relieve I&L vehicular congestion by rerouting through 13 traffic around the center. Other moderniza- through a publicly assisted renewal congestion is still serious. Such diagonal tion measures would provide additional program. The area of mixed housing and streets as Lincoln, Clark, Broadway, and off-street parking facilities easily accessible manufacturing east of Ashland and south Ogden often create bottlenecks at major from a new Broadway alignment and other of Diversey Parkway is recommended for intersections. major thoroughfares. As part of the over-all residential use. Industrial firms here should The Comprehensive Plan identifies a trans- Uptown improvement program, high-rise be relocated to planned industrial districts. portation corridor of high accessibility along housing could be developed adjacent to The Milwaukee Railroad spur line between Foster Avenue and the Ravenswood transit the business center to capitalize upon con- Wilson and Webster avenues should be line in an east-west direction and a north- venience to the center itself and to the rapid removed and industries along the route, south corridor along Lake Shore Drive. The transit stops at Wilson and Lawrence which are in predominantly residential latter corridor is presently being improved, avenues. areas, should be encouraged to move to but there is still a bottleneck at its northern Throughout the North Development Area, more suitable industrial locations. However, end. To resolve the serious problem of con- deteriorating commercial strips no longer the narrow strip along both sides of the gestion at the north end of Lake Shore serving a useful function should be removed North Western Railway tracks between Drive, extension of this parkway north to and -the vacated properties converted to Irving Park Road and Lawrence Avenue Devon Avenue should be studied. housing, recreation, or other uses. Business should remain industrial. Additional off- In addition, the plan calls for the improve- uses can be regrouped into efficient neigh- street parking spaces and loading bays, ment of the following routes as primary borhood centers through private action by major needs within this strip, could be pro- thoroughfares: Ashland, Foster, Belmont, merchants or in conjunction with programs vided by the removal of obsolete and sub- Fullerton, and North avenues, Halsted for renewing residential areas and improv- standard structures. Street, and Irving Park Road. These streets ing major streets. Transportation will form a part of the continuous pattern Currently, four developed shopping con- Traffic volumes are high in the North of primary thoroughfares planned for the centrations in the area have been identified Development Area, although the construc- entire city. Their main function is to dis- as neighborhood business centers serving tion of the Kennedy Expressway has tribute expressway traffic and provide high- community center functions. These are reduced traffic on the main north-south level connections throughout the city and in the vicinities of Armitage- Halsted in the arteries-Lake Shore Drive, Clark Street, the metropolitan region. Because of their Lincoln Park community, Diversey-Broad- Broadway, and Sheridan Road. The Holly- function, these streets will require extensive way in Lake Shore, Irving Park-Sheridan wood connection between Sheridan Road improvement. in southern Uptown, and Ridge-Peterson- and Peterson Avenue, with reversible lanes To be improved to secondary thoroughfare Clark in Edgewater. Proposals call for for rush-hour traffic, also has helped, but standards are Peterson, Bryn Mawr, commercial reorganization and moderniza- tion programs at these locations. To aug- ment the two regional and four neighbor- hood-level business and community centers, 20 smaller business concentrations have been identified as neighborhood centers. In addition, numerous small con- venience centers are scattered throughout the Development Area, particularly in the A higher-density residential sections. Industry "W Industry in the North Development Area is limited. A portion of the industrial district along the North Branch of the Chicago River extends into the southwestern corner of the area, while industrial functions are mixed with residential uses to the east. In addition, strip-like industrial areas adjoin portions of the North Western and Mil- waukee railroad rights-of-way. To consolidate the North Branch industrial The North Branch Industrial Districtsouth of Fullerton area, the incompatible residential structures Avenue is typical of the mix of old and new industrial west of Ashland Avenue and south of and related uses lining the Chicago River banks. Wellington Avenue should eventually be The entire southwestern portion of the Development Area is proposed for similar industrial development removed so that land for expansion of this to relate directly to the available river, rail, and ex- major industrial corridor can be made avail- pressway transportation routes. able. This action could be accomplished 14 Lawrence, Montrose, Addison, and Transit the present Clark and Broadway alignments Armitage avenues, Diversey Parkway, and The transit problem in the North Develop- to Lawrence Avenue. Such an alignment portions of Racine, Larrabee, Broadway, ment Area is three-fold. A blighting effect would provide greatly improved service to Marine Drive, and Sheridan Road. These has been produced by the poor relationship both existing and future high-density de- streets need not form a continuous net, but between the elevated tracks and adjacent velopment along the lakefront and could are designed to serve as connectors be- properties, operation is impeded by a attract substantially greater numbers of tween the primary thoroughfares and the number of sharp curves, and heavy popu- rapid transit riders. This in turn could reduce local service streets. They will carry smaller lation concentrations are not adequately traffic congestion on the overburdened volumes of traffic and will require less served by present alignments. street system. improvement to bring them up to recom- Detailed studies should be initiated with a For a second stage of develbpment, it is mended standards. long-range view of resolving these defi- suggested that the Ravenswood line be The need for parking space becomes par- ciencies in the tra.nsit system. North of studied. One alternative would be extension ticularly acute in the Lake Shore community Lawrence Avenue, it would appear that the of the Clybourn Avenue subway to Lake- because of its concentration of high-rise present alignment is satisfactory and that wood Avenue and from there north in the housing. In one census tract east of Broad- the main problem is one of the poor rela- Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way to Irving way between Belmont and Cornelia, there tionship between the elevated structure and Park Road. North from Irving Park, this line are nearly 1,500 more registered auto- adjacent developments. Ultimate improve- might follow the present transit alignment mobiles than parking spaces available. ments here might take the form of a re- to Lawrence Avenue and then provide for Although it is not possible to eliminate all designed elevated structure in a landscaped traffic congestion in high-density areas, parkway, a transit line in a depressed right- extension westward as part of a Crosstown additional off-street parking should be pro- of-way, or a subway. transit loop. A major Interchange point between transit lines could be provided vided as residential and commercial areas South of Lawrence Avenue, however, con- near the Lawrence- Broadway regional are renewed. sideration should be given to the relocation business center. Space must also be found for additional of rapid transit lines to serve more ade- employee parking in the industrial area quately the high-density concentrations of Alternatives for treatment of structure or for along the Chicago and North Western population along the lakefront. As one realignment should be evaluated in connec- tracks, generally between Lawrence Ave- alternative to be considered, the existing tion with community improvement and nue and Irving Park Road. If Wrigley Field State Street subway could be extended renewal studies. High intensity of use and remains a major sports stadium, additional north from Division Street under Lincoln revitalized activity centers could justify parking should be provided nearby. Park to Clark Street, and north beneath long-term major adjustments. fe 44 ILM 15 Street Patterns in Edgewater V The large volumes of traffic funneling onto @_:_C EVO and off the north end of Lake Shore Drive create a bottleneck in the Edgewater section of the North Development Area. As shown on the existing diagram, Holly- wood, Ridge, and Sheridan Road now must < handle this traffic. Reversible lanes in Hol- .-A lywood and Ridge increase rush-hour ca- < VQ p acity. However, these routes are inade quate for existing volumes, especially since < the new high-rise buildings constructed north of Hollywood Avenue have increased *O'W the amount of conflicting local traffic move- M1 ments on Sheridan. These alternatives show two possible ways RRYN of accommodating this traffic and alleviating congestion in Edgewater. In Alternative A, Ridge Avenue has been up-graded to pri- mary thoroughfare standards with con- trolled access from Peterson Avenue to Ridge's connection with Hollywood and Bryn Mawr. Hollywood serves as a one- way northbound exit from Lake Shore Drive and Bryn Mawr as a one-way SOUthbOUnd entrance. Existing Alternative A Alternative B 0 < TU - - - - - ---------- --------- RY_N=O4AWR-_----J BqY.N=:N AWR_@ cr < cc Lu cc. 1- 0 < z < U cp u, LF1 @STER___ ---FCSTER- 16 Alternative B shows the northward exten- sion of Lake Shore Drive to Devon Avenue, which has been improved to primary thor- ARM oughfare standards. Ridge Avenue has been de-emphasized as a traffic carrier. In both alternatives Sheridan Road has reverted to local use. Environmental Patterns in Lincoln Park The Ogden Avenue Mail A portion of Ogden Avenue will be closed and rebuilt with a variety of activities as part of Project 1, Lincoln Park General Neighborhood Renewal Plan. This is a ma- jor environmental improvement scheduled for the North Development Area. MENOMONEE As shown here, the Ogden right-of-way will be re-used for housing, churches, shops, a community center, and plazas. Land- scaped walkways will connect the various parts of the mall with each other and with nearby residential areas and existing focal points. Some other adjacent local streets will be closed or specially landscaped to U1 extend the mall into the Lincoln Park com- munity. The Ogden Avenue Mall illustrates how two policies of the Comprehensive Plan can be ARMITAGE implemented: the development of commu- NORTH I -malls connecting neighborhoods n ty park with parks and local activity centers, and the re-use of the rights-of-way of unneeded Existing diagonal streets. Similar improvements could take place in other parts of the North Development Area. d 3: Existing Residential @T OR, New Residential 0MONM Institutions Business Walkways and Plazas Park UJ Industry U Proposed 17 Summary Planning Framework North Development Area Residential 1 nstitutional Business The illustration opposite this summary presents an E. The medium-density Edgewater area is a gen- Industry overview of the major concepts identified through erally well-preserved neighborhood which could the Development Area process at this stage. be improved by a community conservation pro- Through this device it is possible to see how each gram. It should also benefit from the planned up- of these ideas contributes to the design of the grading of the adjacent Uptown area. Park total fabric for the Development Area: F. A consolidated regional-level business center, A. Too many closely spaced thoroughfares cut proposed transit improvements, community A Circulation and Thoroughfare Improvement through the North Development Area. Diagonal rehabilitation and limited redevelopment, plus routes will be de-emphasized while most mile concerted social services are needed to alleviate streets will be up-graded to primary thoroughfare the current problems of Uptown. B Rapid Transit Revisions standards. An improved Lake Shore Drive will con- G. The Lakeview area would benefit from im- tinue to function as the area's primary through proved maintenance, the improvement of rapid traffic artery. transit service, a modernized regional-level busi- C Lakefront Recreational Proposals B. Improvements along present rapid transit ness center at Belmont and Ashland avenues, and rights-of -way are suggested as well as considera- the removal of scattered industrial activities. D Lakeshore Residential Improvements tion of long-range alternatives for realignment to H. A conservation and rehabilitation program is provide more direct service to existing high inten- under way in the Lincoln Park Project I area. Ad- sity residential areas along the lakefront. ditional community improvement activities will be E Edgewater Conservation scheduled for the other sections of the Lincoln C. The excellent lakefront facilities of the North Park General Neighborhood Renewal Plan area. Development Area could be further improved by Medical and educational institutions, as well as F Uptown Rehabilitation adding beaches and boat harbors through land- commercial and residential areas, will benefit from fill. More pedestrian underpasses are proposed to this over-all renewal program. improve access between residential neighborhoods 1. Conflicts between residential and industrial land G Lakeview Conservation and the lakefront. uses need to be further resolved in the North D. Improved streets for local traffic circulation, Branch industrial district. City agencies will con- off-street parking, and additional community fa- tinue to cooperate with local industrial firms to H Lincoln Park Area cilities are proposed for the band of high-density, improve traffic conditions and provide space for high-rise apartments along the lakefront. industrial growth. Industrial Consolidation 18 xx/ ""0 f WF ENN .4 SCHOO-L 7--Iqw 04, 40 Is" 10 EMETERY '11," "I", 1,@ li.-I1 1.11 5@ CIO CE gR \' XXK -W 13U 'y HOOL CEMETE 0+ SU w y IEL AK LIAOLN P ERAL NEIGHBO R EWAL PLA PARV Department of Development The preparation of this report and Planning was the responsibility of: City of Chicago Dean L. Macris John G. Duba Jerral T. Harper Commissioner Martin R. Murphy Louis B. Wetmore Deputy Commissioner Among the department staff William R. Marston who made significant contributions Deputy Commissioner to the content of this report Thomas J. Bacouris Dean L. Macris Marshall E. Baskin Assistant Commissioner Kyle G. Benkert General Plan Division John G. Doolen Thomas P. Melone Gerald A. Estes Director Robert E. Hayes Area Development Division Gene 0. Marx Jerral T. Harper Sheri F. Naditch Director S. Dwight Scott Project Coordination Division Eric G. Yondorf George J. Nollet Director Others who contributed Analysis and Development to the report: Donald J. Skinner Rosemary T. Coty Assistant to the Commissioner Robert Gordon John P. O'Donnell Zoning Division Raleigh Spinks Philip Zeitlin Those who aided Director in the production of Capital Improvements Division the report: Thomas Kapsalis Daniel P. Lydon Director James C. McInerney Referrals Division Marjorie W. Macris Sam Venturella Samuel Mazzone Assistant to Deputy Commissioner Richard Youhn Program Coordination Division Charles C. Sklavanitis This report has been prepared as a Assistant to the Commissioner discussion document. Many city Graphics Division departments and agencies, private James C. McInerney organizations, and community groups Director have already made contributions to this report, and their assistance is Public Information Division gratefully acknowledged. The Daniel P. Lydon Department of Development and Director Planning looks forward to continuing Administration Division and expanding these relationships in Jerome J. Jacobsen the future, as Development Area Director proposals are reviewed. j Assisted by a grant administered by the Renewal Assistance Office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Section 405 of the Housing Act of 1959. n i% r- G, 3; "L-i L_JL_j I C@ I S W TOUNY 200 TOUHY UHY AV. Ll 0 F_ IF- AiFu 71 z ER=- AV FLI W_ FARWCLL v IM @BU I AV Ell wou I' U Il __ 1@ !-,)i@ - ::!! - . @== E 0 0 E W A T E A . .... ... . El='. UP A- 00 HMO 2 lWomx L- L-ca-i DEVON 40 ca.tTt.l L 6 0 00 [12 AV. IV ODD] AV T-E- L=ILl I -VILLE AV AV, La I AV E-A C IV ULZ lz 0 31 Dino SEE PA:K I .01EDALE AV I W T@HOALI 1:1 0 ...... IV z VII -A .1 It H [H:] -St.ILL OR 1-1-Tll W [email protected] ;o IV IV .61-0.0 IV 10 -LL-OOG A-@ W OLIVE BRYN MAWR 5600 N w YN MAWR AV Egli II C.T- VICAl.- IF] FIFI F__`I FIF-T] FT__IF-I F_`1 F77 i r-ir-i r-iR m F-lFI r-iHllr-1 z a >_ w z ui LU V) 0 co io FF LU CA; GENERALIZED LAND USE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO AS OF JANUARY 1970 LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL HIGH-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (UNDER 5 STORIES) __J HIG -DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (5 STORIES AND OVER) H MIXED COMM ERCIAL- RESIDENTIAL RETAIL TRADE AND SERVICES OFFICES 7, NNW AUTO SALES AND SERVICE WHOLESALE TRADE AND WAREHOUSING MANUFACTURING TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES EDUCATION COMMUNITY FACILITIES PARKS AND OPEN SPACES CEMETERIES RIVERS AND LAKES e UNDEVELOPED-VACANT DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING LEWIS W. HILL, Commissioner rT-TT7r-+ RICHARD J. DALEY Mayor SCALE: In Thousands of Feet 1974 SECTION The preparation of this map was financed in part through a Comprehensive Planning Assistance Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Project CPA-IL-05-06-1012. JOAA COASTAL SERVICES CTR LIBRARY 3 6668 14111771 5