Declaring that Chicago’s aggressive standing is determined by bridging the gaps between its thriving core and its struggling neighborhoods, a downtown civic group is looking for broad investments in public transit, workforce coaching, inexpensive housing and different efforts to unfold the advantages of town’s development.
“A new physical and economic development strategy offers the opportunity to position Chicago as a leader in growth, quality of place and equity,” stated a report of the Chicago Central Area Committee, drafted with enter from greater than 60 enterprise and civic leaders.
With a brand new mayor taking workplace Monday, the group hopes to focus discussions on concepts it believes will radiate downtown’s dynamism into underserved areas. These embody incentives for hiring individuals from poor communities, bus speedy transit service on key routes corresponding to Lake Shore Drive and Clybourn Avenue, a quick rail hyperlink from downtown to O’Hare Airport utilizing current rights of method, and growth of broadband web service.
The report doesn’t get into price estimates, nevertheless it accepts the notion that financial exercise downtown can be utilized to subsidize neighborhood tasks. “If there’s going to be money taken from the downtown area, let’s make sure it’s used in the best way possible,” stated Kelly O’Brien, the group’s govt director.
Kelly O’Brien, govt director of the Chicago Centra Area CommitteeSupplied picture
“As a downtown area organization, we want to be part of making positive change for all neighborhoods.”
Gregory Hummel, chairman of the group and accomplice on the legislation agency Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, stated town should proceed exploring inventive financing for neighborhood enchancment. Examples underneath Mayor Rahm Emanuel included tax increment financing for transit work and tapping income from downtown tasks to assist companies on the West, South and Southwest sides.
“Public-private partnerships will be key, and they will drive capital spending,” Hummel stated.
Another thought is to pair housing wants with a public use, corresponding to Emanuel’s use of libraries constructed together with Chicago Housing Authority models.
Paul O’Connor, senior city strategist at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and one other contributor to the report, stated the group hopes to debate its concepts quickly with Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot and to speak about how neighborhood property, such because the Illinois Medical District or the colleges, can be utilized to advertise development.
Hummel stated many Chicago neighborhoods “don’t have the connective tissue” with downtown, so the report, “A Central City Strategy for all Chicago,” emphasizes transit as a device for development.
It recommends vital consideration to the Metra Electric service from downtown to the Kensington-115th Street station, nearly making it equal to CTA speedy transit. It additionally calls for brand new CTA stations alongside the Green Line and a transit hub close to Western Avenue and Lake Street the place Metra and CTA routes intersect.
The level is to get metropolis residents to numerous job facilities and to enhance neighborhood-to-neighborhood journey.
Otherwise, Chicago development might be constrained and town can lose floor to smaller metro areas which have walkable and bikeable enterprise facilities, the report stated.
The group advised that increasing companies ought to get incentives, corresponding to expedited permits, in the event that they meet targets for subcontracting to minority- and women-owned corporations. It additionally requires creation of a web-based message board to advertise downtown job openings to neighborhood residents.
An overriding theme is that the previous thought of transit and roads serving a dense, Loop-centered core is outmoded. It speaks of a broader “central city” with a mixture of makes use of that may be regarded as working from Armitage Avenue to 31st Street and west to Western Avenue.
Some of its concepts might be controversial or far too costly to ponder. Its part on…