by Annie Slezickey
July 18, 2008 – Imagine walking off the CTA platform at State and Lake downtown and seeing vacant lots instead of Potbelly’s and the Chicago Theatre. For Green Line passengers at the 43rd Street stop in Bronzeville, empty lots are a harsh reality. But that could change in the future.
Development plans for 43rd Street between King Drive and Prairie would transform city-owned, abandoned buildings and vacant lots into a mix of new business and residential units.
The development has already gained the approval of the city’s Department of Planning and Development, said Ald. Patricia Dowell (3rd). But the proposal has a long road ahead.
Dowell said the plan is a new concept for her South Side community. “The plan will identify what the area should be,” Dowell said.
The city’s Committee on Zoning cleared the way for a mix-use development at its June 26 meeting by passing Dowell’s proposed zoning change.
For residents, it’s a badly needed change and overdue.
The wind blows an empty plastic bag down the block toward King Drive. There are no garbage cans in sight, and no one seems to notice the bag or the empty bottles scattered around.
“It’s a ghost town,” said Bronzeville resident Sharon Morgan about the area surrounding the 43rd Street stop. “I want to be able to do simple things within walking distance.”
Morgan grew up on 48th Street and King Drive and said she saw it transform from a thriving, active community to a neighborhood where residents only come to sleep.
Morgan said she wants any new development to include restaurants, service businesses and shops like a dry cleaners, a nail salon and other retailers.
Dowell said an advisory council has been created with members from the CTA, the Department of
Planning and Development. and about 20 local residents. Their first meeting will be July 28 at a location yet to be announced. “We want people to have options that are accessible,” Dowell said.
Morgan said residents near Bronzeville’s 43rd Street CTA stop are accustomed to traveling elsewhere to shop. With gas prices soaring, Dowell said residents have an incentive to use public transportation and the development’s location would lessen their dependency on cars.
Bennet Haller of the city’s Department of Planning and Development is leading the city-wide Transit Oriented Development initiative, which also includes projects at the Red Line’s Berwyn and Lawrence stops and the Green Line stop at Cermack and 18th Street.
The focus in Bronzeville, Haller said, is retail, housing and park space. A decision on retail tenants will be made later.
“We still need to develop a general understanding of the community’s needs,” Haller said.
It’s too early to know the project’s total cost, but the Regional Transportation Authority and the City of Chicago will provide matching funds initially, Haller said.
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