1 step closer to North Side land rush
North Branch corridor advances despite transportation, park- space concerns
Chicago aldermen on Monday took the next step to unleash a North Side land rush — opening 760 acres of protected industrial land to residential and commercial use — despite lingering concern about a shortage of park space and infrastructure to accommodate an avalanche of new residents.
Prior to the final vote by the City Council’s Finance and Zoning Committees, Planning and Development Commissioner David Reifman acknowledged that removing the shackles of a planned manufacturing district would create far more residential units than city planners have previously estimated.
“7,500 sounds very light,” Reifman said.
After eliciting that response, North Side Ald. Michele Smith ( 43rd) let loose about the “huge impact” new residents would have on transportation that is already “difficult, if not impossible.”
“The opportunity to develop almost 800 acres of property comes only once in a generation,” Smith said. “That opportunity should not be simply jumped at.”
When North Side residents pressed for details on how developer fees would be spent and what specific infrastructure and park projects would be funded, they were met with “no answers” because “there is no master plan,” Smith said.
“Placing the public’s interest in developers’ hands to decide where and how much park land should be required in an area flanked by park-starved neighborhoods is foolish,” Smith said.
Ald. Tom Tunney ( 44th) was equally concerned about “setting the wheels in motion for a brand new community” without “millions and millions of dollars” worth of infrastructure needed to accommodate those new residents.
Reifman noted that the city’s “framework plan” for the North Branch corridor includes improvements to be made “over five, 10 and 15 years” as well as a “specific funding mechanism” that imposes developer fees.
“Re- construct bridges that CDOT has already begun reconstructing. Provide pedestrian bridges to extend the walk corridor and access to public transportation. . . . All of this is contemplated. I fully agree that it’s something we need to do. But we need to get that process started.”
Two months ago, the Chicago Plan Commission approved final guidelines for the North Branch corridor, an area between the Chicago River and Kennedy Expy., starting at Kinzie Street and stretching north to Wrightwood Avenue.
Monday, the joint committee put some meat on the bone.
Ald. Walter Burnett ( 27th), whose bustling ward includes much of the North Branch corridor, said he is more than willing to share 30 percent of the fees paid by developers.
“I could be selfish and say, ‘ Hell no. Just spend that money in my ward. Forget everybody else.’ . . . But I understand the bigger picture. I believe in trying to help other people,” he said.