— CTA Red and Purple Line Modernization Transit-Oriented Development Plan
Navy Pier Centennial Vision Design Competition LO CAT I O N
Chicago, IL
Design for a changing world. Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm with a thoughtful design vision and a dynamic national imprint. Since 1931, SCB has made a lasting visual impact on skylines, campuses, and neighborhoods nationwide. From offices in Chicago and San Francisco, we offer our expertise to clients across the country, helping them achieve their goals, serve their constituents, and create unique built environments. Our approach is to ask questions, listen, and develop the best design solution for each individual project. We are future-oriented, continually challenging ourselves to design to a higher standard, innovate at every level, and give our clients more as we achieve design excellence.
Preparing for the Future The Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red and Purple Line Modernization (RPM) Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Plan encompasses roughly 200 acres of existing urban fabric across three Chicago north side neighborhoods. The TOD plan focuses on parcels acquired to support the Phase One track construction efforts and facilitation of subsequent disposition of the parcels after the project is complete. The TOD Plan provides the CTA with a series of tools to expedite redevelopment of these properties and to facilitate coordination with invested government agencies, residents, and other stakeholders. Key plan outcomes include: — Detailed market analysis and real estate pro forma to ensure a balanced and realistic development approach. — Zoning analysis and recommendations to support development concepts. — Historic preservation review and recommendations. — Community and market supported redevelopment concepts for nine CTA-owned parcels. — Urban design recommendations for an improved pedestrian experience and access to transit. — Draft developer requests for proposals.
Belmont
Lawrence Argyle
Berwyn
Bryn Mawr
A Community-Led Vision, Reinforced by Market Realities Community outreach and engagement was a critical component of the planning process for the TOD Plan. The SCB team worked with CTA to organize a variety of engagement sessions including small group meetings, public town halls, and interactive workshops with residents, community groups, business owners, Aldermen, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and the Chicago Department of Transportation. These sessions sought to identify neighborhood preferences, needs, and goals, to help inform the redevelopment concepts for the sites. Several community priorities emerged from the sessions including the importance of preserving neighborhood character, and a desire for developments to be quickly implemented after the completion of the track construction. The design team balanced the community’s goals with market trends identified through a detailed real estate market analysis that provided demographic, economic, and development context to the study sites. A detailed real estate proforma was also developed by the team to test the design concept’s financial feasibility and alignment with the City of Chicago’s regulatory requirements. Together, this process provided both the community and the CTA with an understanding of neighborhood residential and commercial development potential.
Big Picture By studying the physical, social, and economic context of the neighborhoods, the team outlined a holistic and realistic vision for future development. A set of guiding principles informed by the existing conditions analysis, market analysis, public meetings, and surveys provided a broad framework for the site development concepts. Overview of TOD Plan Principles: 1. Encourage cultural, generational, economic, and family composition diversity. 2.
Seek commercial, retail, and civic uses that will increase district vitality.
3.
Focus on quality and appropriate scale of future neighborhood development.
4.
Pursue environmentally sustainable and economically viable development opportunities.
5.
Improve the public realm to encourage walking, biking and increase safety.
6.
Incorporate a mix of housing choices, including more affordable housing options.
, !
BROADWAY
ARDMORE
TRANSITION FROM AUTO-ORIENTED BUSINESS TO HIGH DENSITY MIXED-USE
HOLLYWOOD
RID
BUILDING GROUND FLOOR USE
G
E
, !
BRYN MAWR
CATALPA KENMORE
BUILD UPON NEIGHBORHOOD SERVING RETAIL AND SERVICES
MAGNOLIA
BALMORAL
OPPORTUNITY FOR LARGER SCALE RETAIL WITH ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR BERWYN USES ADJACENT TO SIDEWALK
WINTHROP
SHERIDAN
, !
CARMEN
, !
WINNEMAC
FOSTER
CONTINUE TO INCORPORATE LOCAL RETAIL
WINONA
ARGYLE
WINTHROP
ARGYLE
Retail + Commercial
Commercial-Office Commercial-Auto-Oriented Business Commercial-Storage
LAWRENCE
CTA Redevelopment Site
! i
LELAND
Entertainment + Dining
Commercial-Service
INCORPORATE OFFICE FOR ACTIVE DAYTIME USE
RACINE
, !
Retail
AINSLIE
0
Source: SCB, 2016
375
750
Residential
1,500 Feet
Date: 10/13/2017 10/16/2017
Preserve and Enhance The study area encompasses four local historic districts, one National Historic Landmark District, and one building listed as a local historic property. Where possible, the CTA and the community sought to protect historic structures and incorporated the buildings into future redevelopment plans. The SCB team prepared Historic Preservation Plans for three of the historic districts and ensured that the proposed development concepts responded to the existing scale and character of the neighborhood.
RPB-0102
W. NEWPORT
NEWPORT AVE
NEW ACCESS
SETBACK
COMMERCIAL
13’
RK
CLA ST
SHEFFIELD AVE
LOADING SUPPORT
ROSCOE ST
0'
25'
50'
ALLEY
RESIDENTIAL (Vautravers)
Before, During, and After The early stages of the planning process included a detailed review of preliminary track engineering plans to help the CTA coordinate track design with future land uses, in order to maximize redevelopment opportunities for each site. The SCB team developed guidelines to inform the design of the track structure so that key structural elements wouldn’t hinder the sites from being developed or unintentionally impact the public realm in a negative way. These guidelines included delineation of interim site access locations, requirements for site preparation, the preferred locations of structural elements within the public way, preservation of key access and loading locations, and requirements for under-track alley connections.
Today
Interim
Future
Redevelop and Thrive Each individual site concept brings together the community’s vision, technical constraints of the track expansion project, and the financial analysis. Each concept relates to its immediate context, resulting in nine unique and diverse solutions that address the scale of the neighborhood and provide for adequate density to attract investment by private developers. The mixed use and residential building concepts offer a wide variety of housing choices and price points to meet the communities goals. The TOD plan puts forth a vision that encourages implementation as soon as sites become available, and minimizes the time properties will sit vacant in these prime neighborhood locations. A TOD Planning Grant award by the Federal Transit Administration to the CTA funded the planning study.
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