After residential comeback, West Haven
looks to increase its retail
By Lisa R. Jenkins
The West Haven community has been experiencing a residential property boom in recent years, and locals now are hoping for a commercial renaissance as well.
While new single-family dwellings have sprung up in the old Henry Horner Homes area and other parts of West Haven, the area still is missing that balance between residential and commercial that is the hallmark of a healthy neighborhood. Although the area has seen a 61% increase in the price of houses and new buyers who on average make 41% more than their counterparts in the area’s pre-boom days, West Haven still lacks basics such as enough grocery stores, dry cleaners, and hardware stores.
The Madison Retail Revitalization Initiative (MRRI) is pushing to make West Haven the viable neighborhood it has the potential of becoming. The Near West Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC), the driving force for change in the area for the past 20 years, recently joined with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and local investors to develop MRRI.
The MRRI program’s primary goals are to manage and organize business district revitalization initiatives within the West Haven community. Its initial implementation objectives are to oversee a real estate market study; implement key street beautification elements, streetscape cleaning, and enhancements; and launch marketing, promotions, and incentives.
“Using an analysis of retail spending prepared by MetroEdge, the NWSCDC plans to aggressively market the neighborhood to local and national commercial developers and retail corporations using the information from the MetroEdge study,” according to an LISC statement. The MetroEdge study focused on alternate market analyses for inner city neighborhoods and highlighted the experience of successful ventures such as the United Center, the new Walgreens located at the corner of Madison Street and Western Avenue, and other commercial entities in the area.
Joel Bookman, director of the New Communities Program at LISC/Chicago said, “We see MetroEdge as an invaluable tool in our efforts to bolster business development in communities that are intent on becoming stronger.” The report calculates money spent by residents and the estimated retail sales in that same area. The NWSCDC and LISC then use this information to determine how much money residents spend outside the neighborhood in specific venues such as drug stores, restaurants, grocery stores, and department stores. “Communities use the market research from MetroEdge to demonstrate to investors that there is, in fact, money to be made in urban areas,” Bookman commented.
The MetroEdge analysis looked at 2005 figures and revealed that West Haven residents spent $70 million for goods and services outside the West Haven community and that the area represents $91 million in concentrated buying power. Those figures indicate West Haven residents must leave their neighborhood for basic necessities such as to purchase groceries, have their cars serviced, and eat at full-service restaurants.
West Haven also has experienced a dramatic increase of 275% in its median income, and the area has acquired $425 million in residential developments since 2000. NWSCDC personnel feel that, with residential growth at an all-time high, now is the time to focus their attention on retail and commercial development.
“Attracting more and better retail services is a key strategy for increasing the quality of life in West Haven,” said Michael Quinlan, MRRI program manager. “It is the community’s vision to bring retail services to West Haven, mapping out key corridors and nodes along transit and attracting a healthy mix of shops, restaurants, and other businesses that will provide products, services—and jobs.
“Segments of our retail sector are hurting and have been for decades,” Quinlan continued. “The once-teeming Madison Street corridor presently supports few businesses, and other nearby commercial areas continue to be vacant.”
MRRI appears to be taking shape, as the Gazette has learned that City construction permits have been submitted for Sweet Dreams Café, to be built on the corner of Western Avenue and Madison Street. A retail store, Misaki Denim, is scheduled to open on the same block. Also, West Haven businesses have displayed self-portraits and other artwork by Crane High School students in their windows, sprucing up the commercial spaces in the area.
For more information about MMRI or the NWSCDC, visit www.nearwestsidecdc.org or call (312) 738-2280.
