Reconnecting Neighborhoods Blog

12.18.2008
RN Issues Final Recommendations Report

Check out the final recommendations made by community members. Email info@reconnectingneighborhoods.org to find out how you can help make them a reality.

10.27.2008
Final Public Meetings in November

Reconnecting Neighborhoods will hold its final community meetings in November. At these meetings, Reconnecting Neighborhoods will discuss final recommendations for neighborhood retail and transportation improvements with the community.

The meetings for the Mid-South and Near North study areas have been scheduled. The meeting on the Near West Side is to be scheduled. Details follow. Please help spread the word by inviting friends and neighbors to join you at the meeting in your neighborhood, where you'll learn how you can help make top recommendations a reality.

Mid-South Meeting
In 2008, the Reconnecting Neighborhoods community planning project talked to many Mid-South Side residents who said improvements like express service along Cottage Grove to the Loop, safer pedestrian crossings on Martin Luther King Drive, and weekend service on the #39 bus route would make the Mid-South neighborhood a better place. Come to the final meeting to learn how you can help turn top recommendations into reality.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
King Center, 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.

Near North Meeting
In 2008, the Reconnecting Neighborhoods community planning project talked to many Near North Side residents who said improvements like a new CTA Brown Line station at Division and Orleans, the return of the Clybourn bus, and better pedestrian and bicycle routes on Halsted, Chicago, and Division would make the Near North neighborhood a better place. Come to the final meeting to learn how you can help turn top recommendations into reality.

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Near North Public Library, 310 W. Division Street
Parking is limited; walking and public transit is encouraged

To learn more about the meetings, please contact info@reconnectingneighborhoods.org or call 312-922-5616.

08.19.2008
What's Your Neighborhood's Walk Score?

The Walk Score Web site allows users to rate the “walkability” of a specific place, on a scale from 1 to 100, by simply entering in a local address. According to its creators, the Walk Score Web site is being used by everyone from real estate agents to would-be business owners to determine just how walkable a particular community is.

Take a moment to plug in your home address and find out how your neighborhood fares.

Surprised by its score? Across Chicago, Walk Scores for different neighborhoods range from fabulous to dismal.

With gas prices climbing and people spending more time than ever stuck in traffic – as evidenced by a recent report from the Metropolitan Planning Council – the timing is right for communities to plan for easier access for pedestrians and transit users. Reconnecting Neighborhoods is working in three communities to help improve retail, transit, and, yes, walkability -- which ultimately will also improve local Walk Scores.

07.08.2008
West Haven Looks to Increase Retail

After residential comeback, West Haven looks to increase its retail

http://www.nearwestgazette.com/Archive/2008/0708/News0708i.htm
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 http://www.nearwestsidecdc.org/ or call (312) 738-2280.

05.30.2008
Do You Feel Safe on the CTA?

This Wednesday's Green Line derailment left some El riders' confidence shaken. Yet the truth is, people who travel by train are 40 times safer than people riding in cars, and those taking buses are 79 times safer, according to the National Safety Council.

That doesn't mean improvements can't be made to prevent future accidents and improve overall safety on the CTA.

Reconnecting Neighborhoods is interested in hearing from people living in and traveling to the three study areas - Near North, Mid-South and Near West - to find out what they'd like to see improved to make their rides, and their waits at local bus stops and train stations, even safer. Leave a comment, or give us a ring! We'd love to hear from you.