Near South Side improvements abound despite economy

By Marie Balice Ward

At a recent Near South Planning Board (NSPB) meeting, Chicago Planning and Development Commissioner Arnold Randall expressed enthusiasm for the number and types of developments— both underway and being planned—on the Near South Side.

“Since 2000, office growth has averaged 2.2 million square feet a year,” Randall said. “Retail has averaged 384,000 square feet per year. Residential has averaged more than 4,100 units per year.

Student housing has exceeded our projections, and hotel development is meeting our expectations.” Randall announced a new action plan to refine priorities, provide planning strategies, and support the Near South Side as a “livable, workable, and sustainable mixed-use district.” Among the plan’s goals are increased access to the workforce and preserving land for uses that generate employment.

“The action plan projects that the central area,” which includes the Near South Side, “could average more than 6,000 new jobs per year,” Randall said. Among new employers in the area are United Airlines, Mittal Steel, Ziegler Cos., NavTeq, and Career Builder.

Randall cited improvements along Roosevelt Rd., noting that more than 1.5 million square feet of housing and retail have been built along the street in recent years.

Several planned projects will use the City’s new green building standards, he noted, explaining that the City plans to strengthen its green guidelines based on recent studies by the City Department of Environment.

Those studies revealed that more than 30% of Chicago’s carbon emissions and the vast majority of its total energy use result from buildings and their operating systems.

The City also plans to strengthen environmental guidelines for landscapes and for “hardscapes” such as parking lots, streets, sidewalks, and parkways. It also will continue improvements to Northerly Island.

New local green spaces include a park expansion in Printers Row on Dearborn St. between Polk and Harrison Sts. The City owns the land, which it is turning over to the Park District. Workers will begin park expansion and construction and start restoring the site’s fountain this spring.

Also this season, workers will begin creating a 4.7 acre park near the Harold Ickes Homes at 24th and Federal Sts. that will include playing fields and fountains.

At 16th St. and Wabash Ave., a 1.2 acre City-owned property is scheduled for improvement next year following environmental remediation. At Ping Tom Park north of 18th St. along the Chicago River, the Chicago Department of Transportation will build an under-bridge connection following seawall repair and environmental remediation. The City also will build a new structure for the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, which will continue to operate at its current Prairie District home until the project’s leaders find a suitable site After the museum moves, the City will convert the space to a community center.

Randall identified another project at the Lake Meadows complex, explaining that only one of the current condominium buildings will remain. The rest either will be demolished or reconfigured. Plans by real estate firm Draper & Kramer “are similar to the Central Station complex,” said Randall. “Lake Meadows will contain 250,000 square feet of retail and 7,600 residential units. This is ten-year plan. There will be some affordable, low-income rentals and condominium units as part of
the overall complex.”

Randall added that the City is supporting affordable housing with a number of programs such as a “new density bonus” that allows developers to put more units in downtown residential buildings if they contribute to the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, managed by the Department of Housing. This fund is used to increase opportunities for house ownership and rental assistance for low-income families. The fund has received $12 million to date.

In another major project, the City recently acquired the entire Michael Reese Hospital site, consisting of 37 acres near 31st St. and Lake Shore Dr. It will use the property for the Olympic Village if Chicago hosts the 2016 Olympics. The village would make “a major impact” on Bronzeville, said Randall, noting that it would provide a new street grid, connection with the lakefront and communities further south, new public transit, open space, and affordable and senior housing.