Ridgeland Connect Excerpts

Ridgeland: Connect

Overview

Throughout this process, our team’s ideas, principles, and goals balanced both Berwyn’s COVID-19 recovery foci, such as small business support and local employment assistance–and also Berwyn’s general planning issues, like addressing property vacancies and densifying growth in an already dense environment. This awareness translates into principles for each of our alternatives, like hyper-locality and adaptability. At this stage in the planning process, the team coalesced values that appeared compartmentalized into major guiding principles for our final alternatives: Equity, Civic Unity, and Sustainability & Resilience. These principles address concerns of engaging minoritized communities, strategies to mitigate climate change effects, and advance spatial interventions that promote the democratization of plurality through culture.

From the preliminary evaluative analysis of the three alternatives–which utilized criteria like Sustainability & Resiliency, Equity, Accessibility, Enhanced Cultural Identity, Plurality, Connectivity, and Livability–the team understood that the structure of alternatives was singularly focused on if alternatives

were adequately meeting the criteria. Through the class feedback and professor guidance process, the team reaffirmed its idea that each of the alternatives were complementary to one another and that the evaluating criteria, themselves, were not necessarily exclusive. In fact, the intentionality of each alternative was based on interconnected experiences and growth along the Ridgeland corridor. As such, the final proposal integrates each of the alternatives and aggregates the criteria into the main Equity, Civic Unity, and Sustainability & Resilience overarching principles under which goals and strategies are better organized.

By merging the three alternatives, we developed our final concept- Ridgeland: Connect. This concept selects the best components of each alternative for the developments of a comprehensive corridor revitalization. The vision utilizes knowledge sourced from appropriate case studies, comprehensive data on existing conditions, qualitative analysis of the residents’ behavioral consumption, and innovative ideas that can be sustained beyond the COVID-19 recovery to improve upon the spatial experiences of Ridgeland’s visitors.

CULTURAL

THE STREET

ALLEYS & PARKING LOTS

Team Berwyn Spatial Research Process

Knowing the Place

Existing conditions helped define how Berwyn used its streets.

Four Options Community engagement led us to research four distinct corridors.

Diverse & Emerging

The orientation, cultural diversity, and mixeduses made Ridgeland attractive.

Block by Block

The group selected a 2,500-ft. stretch with mixed-use, cultural, and connective opportunities

The Street

The redesign of Ridgeland Avenue was developed to address intersectional challenges Berwyn faces. This redesign will be executed through a systems approach with actions that reclaim the public realm as a pedestrian environment, enhance community connection, facilitate economic development, and provide climate

change mitigation strategies. The street redesign concept is the essential link in Ridgeland: Connect project. Not only will the improved street bolster the success of each element of the plan, but cohesively fuse the connection.

Geography

To add a sense of place that will attract pedestrians to the street, the 15’ sidewalk along Ridgeland Ave. will be altered with extensive streetscaping. The alterations will incorporate many native trees, along with rain gardens and stormwater planters to serve as a functional system to capture, filter, and infiltrate runoff while being aesthetically pleasing. The sidewalk will incorporate interlocking permeable pavers, as well as previous concrete. A twoway bike lane will replace one lane of street parking on the western side of the street with 3-4’ bus stop islands

acting as bike lane protection. Partially marked parking lines will be painted on the opposite side of the street to assist efficient use of space and vehicle positioning. Bike lanes will extend south down Ridgeland and feed into the plaza and through the gateway with multiple paths branching off traversing through the alley ways. Each intersection will be equipped with an Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) to provide safe, inclusive navigation to all pedestrians. An abundance of natural screening will be planted bordering 2900 Ridgeland to visually obscure the industrial freight

Figure 5-2: Ridgeland Avenue Existing and Proposed Conditions Street Section

house, and add additional ecosystem services. Vertical additions to existing single-story retail and/or commercial properties will be encouraged and permits will be streamlined. Utilizing the height maximum along the C-1 corridor

will provie greater variety of living units, build density, and strengthen economic activity. To improve visual interst and enhance economic opportunities, transparency of retail uses should be increased and encouraged.

Figure

Extensive native plantings and tree canopy throughout for flood mitigation.

Reduce street parking to single lane, making space for protected bike lanes creating a thoroughfare connecting the plaza, Freedom Middle School, North Berwyn, and the Depot District.

Implementation

The complete redesign of Ridgeland Ave. will be implemented in phases with considerations to cost and community-led priorities. An ordinance that streamlines permitting for mixeduse conversions of single-story retail/ commercial will be an initial goal. This will be immediately followed by the elimination of one side of street parking with the dual direction bike lane will be an immediate implementation, as it will require little funding, but deliver a major change to the street. The anticipated revenues from vertical development will assist in the streetscape construction phase. Each phase of this process should be deliberated through public engagement to ensure each step of the project is thoroughly supported and reflects the community’s overarching priorities and vision

Increase building heights from single story to twoand three-story for mixeduse. Update storeronts to increase transparency

The Plaza

The Plaza will act as the Ridgeland: Connect anchoring point with a focus on civic unity and environmental resiliency. The site will be versatile in character, adapting to different needs of the community and being dynamic rather than having a prescriptive identity. The Plaza will cohesively merge all aspects of Ridgeland: Connect reflecting the Latinx heritage while integrating natural flooding mitigation and beatification with green infrastructure.

With a 60,000 sq foot vacant building currently sitting on a 3.5 acre proposed site, the parcel’s existing zoning is IIndustrial. Because of the excess of impervious surfaces and slight shift in topography, this location is highly vulnerable to flooding. Once the site acquisition has been completed the site will be re-zoned as P-Parks and Recreation, allowing the building removal and green infrastructure enhancements which will aid in flood mitigation. A pre-demolition

inspection of the building will take place to thoroughly note any potential environmental hazards. All necessary deconstruction to remove hazardous materials will be safely implemented.

The development and design of the plaza will be community-led, creating additional opportunities for community involvement. The adjacent middle school will be invited to participate throughout the process to provide meaningful civic engagement for youth. The goals of the plaza are incorporated through the design. The central meeting area should provide for an array of spatial interactions with flexible interpretations. Materials and colors will be reflective of the Latinx culture with community-led design. Green infrastructure also plays an important role in the design of the plaza with permeable pavers intersecting with the sidewalk on Ridgeland creating an entryway into the plaza. The addition of a bioswale of native plants selected

for their ability to tolerate periods of saturation and drought will surround the plaza in order to help with stormwater runoff. In addition to the existing trees, additional native deciduous and conifer trees will be planted throughout to boost the tree canopy cover of the area. The plaza will also feature a jogging path along the perimeter of the to keep the users physically and mentally rejuvenated. The path will be bordered by existing as well as new

trees to circulate fresh air in the area and keep temperatures at balance especially during summer seasons. A multi-purpose stage at the center of the plaza could be used for different events such as community festivals, as well as general socialization throughout the year. The multi-functionality of the stage will allow for the plaza to be versatile in character, adapting to different needs and being dynamic rather than having a fixed identity.

Isometric View of Land Use Changes for the Proposed Plaza

Building a new community anchor that serves for plural and adaptive uses, yet foremost allows for a casual meeting space for a dense community requires changes from the existing conditions.

Among the first steps are puchasing and demolishing the existing vacant building on the corridor’s souther end and changing the zoning from IIndustrial to P - Parks and Recreation.

Figure X-X shows the isometric view of these changes at their land use level, whereas the other images showcase the existing conditions aerially and from the street.

Figure

Multiple uses feature heavily in the plaza’s intention and design with spaces for active recreation, placeaffirming activities, street vending, and performances.

Adaptive seating for multigenerational families and those with disabilities or aging into disabilities is placed throughout. Spaces for street vending will be prioritized in the plaza.

The plaza presents an opportunity for further climate change mitigation efforts. it features stormwater detention areas, as well as permeable pavers that will intersect with the sidewalk on the street. Bioswales with native plants will feature prominently.

The Cultural Gateway

Cultural Gateway

As part of Ridgeland: Connect, we are proposing a cultural gateway that fosters a sense of place and community along the corridor. Over-the-street gateway arches are to be installed at both ends of the corridor -- at the south end, adjacent the Depot District and the north end at the intersection of 26th Street -- in order to differentiate the space as unique and to signify the celebration of Latinx culture and the local community. The process for creating the gateway arches would be influenced and led by the community. Local artists would be

commissioned to submit designs and local residents would be able to vote on their favorite design, the selected winner then being built. Further community participation would be encouraged with the community also deciding what they would like the corridor to be called.

Along the corridor, additional cultural elements such as murals on buildings, sculptures along the right of way, and other projects based on community desire, will be implemented.

Art & Incubator Spaces

Part of the cultural gateway would be the creation of an artist studio space in a

vacant building along the corridor. This would provide much needed spaces for artists to create their works, as well as a gallery space for their art to be displayed and sold. The artist studio spaces will support the emergence of local Latinx art and pipeline creative projects from the community into physical space along Ridgeland and beyond, such as murals, sculptures, and art walks.

The Incubator will function as the main economic development driver for Ridgeland: Connect, focusing on assisting innovative and minority- and women-owned small businesses in their endeavors. The strategy sources its intentions from the Tiny Urbanism and Cultural Corridor alternatives and is supported by case studies in Bronzeville where community development organizations like Urban Juncture and Little Black Pearl have implemented mixed-use retail, restaurant, coworking, and artist spaces in dense creative environments for a diverse community.

In addition to the artist spaces, another aspect of Ridgeland: Connect is a food incubator. This addition to the corridor would allow for more people to start their own businesses that otherwise would not have been able to due to a lack of access, as it would provide the opportunity to open a restaurant on a smaller scale with less overhead and risk than if they purchased or rented a full restaurant space. The Incubator will function as a kitchen share on the ground floor, where a corridor will connect the Ridgeland Avenue frontage to its alleyway, encouraging unique circulation. Food service businesses will be encouraged to occupy the space to develop their business ideas,

test the Berwyn market, and eventually transition to brick-and-mortar locations for permanent operations. In addition, street vendors will be encouraged to utilize the Incubator facilities to support their vending in other public spaces along the corridor, primarily the Plaza.

A vacant building at 2721 Ridgeland Avenue was identified for this plan as an ideal area for a food or art incubator space. Along with the other tiny spaces identified, this building can become a temporal space that allows local entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities. The building itself -- which sits adjacent to the aforementioned north-south alleyway running from 27th Street to 28th Street -- features garage doors facing both the street and the alleyway. In addition to providing the community with flexible uses, this could create an inviting passage from Ridgeland Avenue to the intimacy of the alleyway.

The Berwyn Development Corporation (BDC)–with its experience from recent initiatives of activating space for economic development–will facilitate the transformation of the property, including leading the purchasing process. The space will undergo a rehabilitation into a shared kitchen and food hall, with street furniture additionally being purchased for both the frontage and alley ends of the property. The BDC will be responsible for the community management of the Incubator, which may include the creation of a Ridgeland Roundtable committee made up of the corridor’s key stakeholders and interested artists and business owners who could benefit from the Incubator.

The Gateways foster a sense of place and community along the corridor distinct from the rest of Berwyn.

The celebration of local Latinx culture will influence the design of the corridor’s visual assets.

Street and building murals, sculptures in the public way, and other projects will be community-led.

The strategy calls for two over-thestreet gateway arches installed at both ends of the corridor, intersectin the Depot District to the south and 26th Street to the north.

South Gateway

North Gateway

The Incubator’s structural setup allows for direct access to alley activations.

The Alleys & Parking Lots

A distinctive feature of Chicago and its inner ring suburbs, alleyways play an essential role in Berwyn’s landscape. Yet despite their many practical uses, the inherent charm of their narrow widths, and their ability to provide a connection between the public and private realms, they are often an afterthought in urban planning. Ridgeland: Connect will use strategic, place-affirming measures to help the area’s alleyways and parking lots realize their potential as sustainable and informal “people places”. The goal is to provide a space that is public yet intimate; hyperlocal gathering spots where neighbors can meet in the pandemic-friendly outdoors. Interventions for this will include green infrastructure implementation, creation of permits allowing for pop-up shops, and ordinances allowing for additional dwelling units; these interventions will be explored in more detail under Features and Implementation. The specific alleys and parking lots selected for interventions were chosen for their ability to connect other elements of Ridgeland, including existing and potential businesses and sites. All of these spaces fall into C-1 neighborhood mixed use zoning, meaning they already allow for increased heights and mixed uses such as daycare facilities and restaurants.

Green Alley Infrastructure

Generally, alleys in the Chicago area are not connected to sewage systems and as such are particularly susceptible to flooding.56 Historically, alleys experiencing particularly bad flooding would be torn up, and expensive measures would be taken to connect it to the sewer system. Green infrastructure initiatives bypass this costly procedure, and instead replace alley surfaces with permeable, highalbedo pavements and other materials to reduce stormwater runoff. While green infrastructure measures should be applied to the selected alleys, a Green Alley Program could also be used to update alleys throughout Berwyn on an as-needed basis.

Green alley infrastructure can also be enhanced by measures taken by property owners, including the planting of native plants and trees near alleyways and the installation of rain gardens. Further, privately owned parking lots create a potential space for permeable pavements. To encourage these actions, informational campaigns, technical assistance, and tax incentives will be provided.

Pop Up Ordinances

The creation of a Pop Up Ordinance will allow for temporary uses of portions of private property for retail, food trucks, and other purposes. As C-1 zoning already allows for many commercial uses, this will not bring in any types of businesses residents do not already feel comfortable with. Additionally, it has precedence in Berwyn’s Temporary Use Permits, which focused on use of right-of-ways and parking lots outside of buildings during Covid-19 and was met with success. This indicates an appetite in Berwyn for this type of usage. An example of a model that could be used for this is the Chicago PopUp Initiative. This initiative provides licenses for pop-up operators and pop-up hosts. Pop-up hosts are property owners who are able to get permits to lease out a portion of their premises; these leases can last from 5 to 90 days. In

addition to providing a more lively outdoor experience, pop-up shops provide local entrepreneurs a chance to test out a physical business without requiring them to commit to a long-term lease.

Accessory Dwelling Units

An ordinance allowing the building of accessory dwelling units over garages and in coach houses facing alleys will add additional vitality to the alleyways. The ordinance will encourage doors that face alleys as well as sides. Berwyn is extremely built out, but its population continues to seek a more diverse housing stock. ADU’s will allow for the creation of more affordable housing that could accommodate different types of populations. This is especially important as Berwyn is completely built out and is looking to grow in a manner that preserves its residential character.

Figure 5-4: Types of Accessory Dwelling Units Common in Chicagoland Area

Along Ridgeland, several properties already have detached structures whose primary entrances are alley-facing. Encouraging ADUs enhances the already existing plural uses of these structures while adding density and versatility to the community.

Before

Parking lots are idea spaces for redevelopment when much of the Ridgeland corridor has adequate parking.

Ridgeland: Connect seeks to help parking lots realize their potential as sustainable and informal “people places.”

Alleys are a common afterthought, but their inherent charm and their connection from the public to private realms make them unique spaces to activate and diversify, including through lighting and landscaping interventions.

Before After

Before

The conitnual community-led public art installed along alleyways will ensure the regenerative use of these spaces.

Accessory Dwelling Units can add additional vitality to Ridgeland’s alleyways by encouraging doors that face them, enhancing existing practices. This helps create more affordable housing and intentionally-designed public spaces to accommodate a growing population.

Alleyways can also function as stormwater management with appropriate landscaping and water detention.

After