master in urban planning and policy project

2 Luis Monterrubio - Spring 2007 MASTER’S PROJECT

Division Place Luis Monterrubio Master’s Project

College of Urban Planning and Policy AffairsUIC

Advisor: Professor Philip Ashton April 6, 2007

3Luis Monterrubio - Spring 2007 MASTER’S PROJECT

To my Mom, Dad, brother and friends for their constant support toward this goal in my life.


CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

HISTORY OF WICKER PARK

PRINCIPLES

THE PROJECT SITE

PROPOSED ACCESSES

PROPOSED PARKING

TRANSPORTATION

ZONING

PROPOSED TOD

HOUSING CONDITIONS

FINANCING

MIXED-INCOME HOUSING

BUILDING TYPE AND USE

MIXED-USE

SSA #33

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

GREEN DEVELOPMENT

PEDESTRIAN STREET

PUBLIC BENEFITS


INTRO Non-active commercial uses consisting

mostly of furniture and wig stores

Poor street Illumination

Lack of affordable housing opportunities

Lack of connectivity based on large park-

ing lots and commercial building configu-

ration

In order to resolve this issues I proposed

“Division Place” which is a project located

at a 3-acre site adjacent to the intersec-

tion shaped by Milwaukee-Division-Ashland

arterials. The proposal will apply new urban-

ism concepts at one of the largest and unde-

rutilized spaces in the neighborhood, these

concepts will be:

A Transit Oriented Development (TOD) that will allow to have a higher

density at the site based on its access to

multiple public transportation alternatives

such as bus and CTA trains.

A Mixed-Income Develpment that

address the continuity of the diversity in

the neighborhood with options for low

and high income residents.

A Mixed-Use Development will

enhance the existing commercial corri-

dors with new storefronts and projects that

re-connect the street line and bring more

people to the area.

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Wicker Park is a neighborhood where I spent

a good amount of my spare time during

weekends and week days. One the areas

that I visit the most is the interesection of

North, Milwaukee and Damen that I consider

interesting based on the following:

The greater amount of people that uses

the area at anytime

The diversity of its population sucha as

artist, singles, newly weds, young profes-

sionals

The easy access to public transportation

The historic character of the based on the

architectural features of the buildings

The friendly pedestrian environment

The entertainment district full with life

music bars and art galleries

The sense of safety

The thriving businesses

The variety of restaurants

However not everything in the neighbor-

hood has the same conditions and therefore

is not as attractive; the southern intersection

of Milwaukee, Ashland and Division that is

characterized by:

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A Green Development that will take

advantage to existing technologies to

reduce the Urban Heat Island effect in the

area created byt the imprevious surfaces,

reduce the storrmwater runoff and to

reduce the cost of living based on the

reduction of energy consumption

A Pedestrian Street and Plaza that

will connect Milwaukee Avenue and Divi-

sion Street. The main benefits for this will

be: a higher pedestrian traffic, a more

enjoyable and healthy community as well

as a greater sense of safety since more

people will be on the streets.

Since the area is constantly changing based

on the busy development trend, the lack of

a plan and design strategy could be lam-

entable. Therefore, the site represents an

excellent opportunity to create a plan that

helps to maximize the use of the space based

on its location and existing transportation

assets like the Blue Line Division train station.

This master’s project will help as a guide

to provide significant economic, social and

environmental benefits to newcomers and

residents of the area and the City of Chicago

if implemented.

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Wicker Park is located in the West Town com-

munity area of the City of Chicago approxi-

mately 20 minutes from the Central Business

District. The neighborhood is bounded by

North Avenue and the Bloomingdale Line to

the north (1600-1800 N), Division Street to

the south (1200 S), Ashland Avenue to the

east (1600 W) and Western Avenue to the

west (2400 W).

The history of the area began in 1870 when

Charles and Joel Wicker purchased 80 acres

(324,000 m²) of land along Milwaukee

Avenue in 1870 and laid out a subdivision

with a mix of lot sizes surrounding a four-acre

(16,000 m²) park. The Great Fire in 1871

became the catalyst for new development

as hundreds of homeless people were inter-

ested in constructing homes. The area then

became popular with German and Swedish

merchants, who built large mansions along

the neighborhood’s choicest streets to be

more specific along Hoyne and Pierce streets

located just southwest of North and Damen

Avenues (at the time it was known as Robey).

Almost at the end of the 19th century, the

area was known as “the ethnic Gold Coast”

and Hoyne was known as “Beer Baron Row,”

as many of Chicago’s wealthiest brewers built

mansions there. Most of these great archi-

tectural samples are today part of the Wicker

Park landmark district designated in 2001.

In the 1890s and 1900s, immigration from

Poland and the completion of the Metropoli-

tan West Side Elevated Lines greatly boosted

the population density of West Town, espe-

cially in areas east of Wicker Park. Today,

at the intersection of Division, Milwaukee

and Ashland there is a little triangular plaza

known as the “Polish Triagle” which was the

first location where hundreds of polish immi-

grants looked for jobs, back in 2000 Mayor

Richard Daley designated the site as the

Nelson Algren Plaza in honor of a notable

poet that lived there and wrote about the life

of Wicker Park.

During World War I the exiled government of

Poland met in this area, after World War II, a

HISTORY


significant number of Polish residents moved

to newer, less crowded housing further north-

west, and Wicker Park became more ethni-

cally diverse with the arrival of Puerto Rican

immigrants. Some urban renewal projects

were undertaken to combat “urban blight” in

some parts of the neighborhood, but disin-

vestment continued at a fast pace.

Chicago and Wicker Park reached depths of

despair in the 1970s, a decade when the city

overall lost 11% of its population and many

small factories were closed or relocated.

During this time the area was target of arson-

ist for the purpose of illegally attempting to

collect insurance money. Because of this,

the area had sites that have been neglected

for several years increasing the decadence

of some portions of its Milwaukee, Division,

Ashland, North and Western commercial cor-

ridors.

During the 1980’s there were several efforts

made by community development groups to

stabilize the community through new afford-

able-housing construction. This coincided

with the arrival of artists attracted by the

neighborhood’s easy access to the Loop,

cheap loft space in the abandoned factories,

and distinctive urban feel. The West Town

community and specially Wicker park experi-

mented several changes in the last decades

characterized by a large change of its de-

mographics as shown in these community

settlement maps. housing further northwest,

and Wicker Park became more ethnically

diverse with the arrival of Puerto Rican im-

migrants. Some urban renewal projects were

undertaken to combat “urban blight” in some

parts of the neighborhood, but disinvestment

continued at a fast pace.cheap loft space

in the abandoned factories, and distinctive

urban feel.


DIVISION PLACE

The proposal is based on the following prin-ciples will shape the design and configuration of Division Place:

“A Transit Oriented Development “- Based on the high ridership numbers existing at the converging buses routes and Blue Line Division station, if a TOD is implemented the City can benefit from a reduction of the park-ing ratio based on its proximity to the major transportation hub as well by a generation of revenue collection that supports the creation, management and maintenance of public transportation. The proposal will also trig-ger the usage of bicycle transportation since a more bike friendly environment with no cars and bike racks will be provided as well as to reduce significantly the cost of work commute that could benefit lower income families.

Principles

“A Mixed-use Development” – Due to the existing non-active commercial uses, the project’s response will be to incorporate ad-ditional commercial square footage where several new active-uses will attract pedestri-ans to the area either in the morning or at night. This idea represents a great opportu-nity to create a high density development but also to create jobs in the community.

“A Mixed-income community” – Since the community area is continuously increas-ing its housing cost, lower income residents are feeling treat to be relocated due to the lack of affordable housing markets besides rental in the area. The goal is to maintain the diversity of the Wicker Park neighborhood residents characterized by people from differ-ent socio-economic status by creating home ownership opportunities and to contribute to eliminate the vicious statement of lack of af-fordable housing. The proposed units will be part of the newly created Chicago Commu-nity Land Trust that ensures the affordability of the unit if perpetuity.


“A Pedestrian street” – In order to make a healthier, safer and more communicated neighborhood, the proposal will take advan-tage of the existing lot’s openness including pedestrian connectivity between Division and Milwaukee arterials. This part of the project will benefit the area’s businesses and safety by having more people on the street from many places at the same time.

“A Green development” – The existing 3-acre site of urban desert will be redeveloped with technologies that include the reduction of urban heat island effect in the area as well stormwater runoff. Specifically, the project will include a significant number of green ele-ments that pursue a more sustainable com-munity as well as an affordable development based on the reduction of energy consump-tion.Based on the previous analyses the fol-lowing is a summary of key elements in the area and principles that will shape the design and configuration of my proposal.

DIVISION PLACEPrinciples

Each of these principles will be preceed by a brief analysis of the existing conditions in the area;


THE PROJECT SITE The project site consists of a group of 13 ir-

regularly shaped parcels used mostly as

parking for customers and employees of the

adjacent businesses.

Currently, there are three entities involved

with the ownership of the area as shown on

the adjacent table.

On side, this is a barrier because :

Each owner has the opportunity to do with

their property what they consider the best

The proposed plan could provide a higher

benefit to one owner versus the other

Future development will be made on a lot

by lot basis without integrating itself to the

overall context as well as future projects

The result of new development could lack

of connectivity and typology of new con-

struction

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PIN Address Owner Size SF Comments 1706235069 1642 W. Division St. WEST TOWN

CENTER FREED 2,700 West Town

parking lot1706235070 1648 W. Division St. WEST TOWN


parking lot 1706235068 1640 W. Division St. WEST TOWN


parking lot 1706235092 1238 N. Milwaukee Ave. Manufacturers

Bank19,670 Bank’s Parking lot

1706501003 1255-1255 N. Paulina WEST TOWN CENTER FREED

5,750 West Town parking lot

1706235115 1238 N Mautene Ct. WEST TOWN CENTER FREED

58521 West Town parking lot

1706235095 1266 N. Milwaukee Ct. WEST TOWN CENTER FREED Corporation

4,800 Currently vacant

1706235036 1256-58 N. Milwaukee WEST TOWN CENTER FREED

4,200 Currently vacant

Subtotal 100,018 1706235058 1614 W. Division St. Paula Levy 2,500 Triangular shaped

vacant parcel 1706235090 1622 W. Division St. Manufacturers


1706235093 1628 W. Division St. 2,700 1706235092 1238 N. Milwaukee Manufacturers


1706235077 1622 W. Division Manufacturers Bank

5,000 Bank’s Parking lot

1706235116 1239 N. Mautene Ct. Manufacturers Bank

13,984 Bank’s Parking lot

Subtotal 46,554 Total 1146,572 +- 3.36 acres


The project site can be observed either through

Mautene Court located approximately at

1260 N. Milwaukee which represents the last

open space around this intersection; as well

as through the two large parking lot entrances

located on Division Street.

These parcels comprise approximately 3-

acres of land used for 385-parking spaces

that have a vehicular ingress and egress on

Paulina Street for the West Town Center and

along Division Street for the MB Bank build-

ing.

Due to the diagonal configuration of Milwau-

kee Avenue there is an additional triangular

parcel (green on the map) that functions as

an illegal but needed parking for the area.

In the following page shows recommenda-

tions to the enhance the functionality of the

site based on accesses that will be kept or

eliminated.

DIVISION

Existing Condition plan


By looking closely at the existing structure base

maps I found tha some of the alleys are dead-

end’s. Therefore the project also incorporates

a process called alley vacation and alley des-

ignation. By doing this, there will be a more

functional space for emergency vehicles, off-

street parking and City services that will serve

the new development.

In terms of the alley vacation process the De-

partment of Transportation does an under-

ground survey of the target area to find any

electricy lines or infrastructure pipes that will

need to be relocated. These costs are absor-

ved by the developer who eventually owns the

site.

In terms of the alley designation, this can be

used to negotiate the vacation process with

the City in the form of a land swap and prob-

ably reduce the cost for the developer.

Alley vacation

PROPOSED ACCESSES

Proposed Circulation

ExistingBuildings

Proposed Alley Designation

DIVISION ST.

MILWAUKEE AVE.

ASHLAN

D AVE.

PAULIN

A ST

.


Since the project will eliminate the existing

surface parking, the proposal will include off-

street and underground parking.

At grade Underground

The parking proposal will consist of 103 off-

street parking spaces that will be accessed

through the alleys along Paulina and Division

Streets as shown in the map below.

PROPOSED PARKINGAdditionally, the project includes 246 under-

ground parking spaces that will be shared by

the commercial area as well as the residential

area.


When I want to visit Wicker Park I found sever-

al ways to do it via public transportation such

as two of the Blue Line train stations located at

the intersections of Milwaukee-Damen-North

and Milwaukee-Division-Ashland. At these lo-

cations there are also several bus routes which

are the following:

Ashland #9 and #X9

Milwaukee #56 and #56A

Division #70

Damen #50 and

North #72

Bikers are common in the area this is based

on one side to the creation of bike paths and

also because of the availability of bike parking

throughtout the area.

In terms of the project site, its accessibility is one of the most attractive conditions. Un-

fortunately, the site has not been developed to

take advantage of 500 FT of proximity to the

CTA Division Blue Line station.

Just to provide an idea of the public transpor-

tation usage, the table above displays the ex-

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Bus number Average weekdays boarding info

Rank of the route in CTA bus system

(Based on entire route of 149)

#9 Ashland 23,680 3 #X9 Ashland

Express6,161 56

#56 Milwaukee 12,871 22 #70 Division 10,154 38

An average of 1,276 weekday transfers are made from the above bus routes to the Division/Blue Line station.

CTA Division Station

Rank of the route in CTA rail system (Based on entire

Route out of 144) Division/Blue Line 4,530 36

(Above) - Commuters enter and exit the Divi-sion CTA Blue Line station. (Next Page) The map shows the surrounding neghborhoods, main vehicular arterials in the area and available public transportation.

TRANSPORTATION Existing Conditions

isting ridership info of the bus and train routes

in the area. In contrast, the people that drives

to work daily experiences some of the follow-

ing inconveniences:

Travel for 45 minutes or more each way, or

longer depending on travel conditions

Spend more than $100 a week on gas

and parking fees

Feel stress and pressure from auto acci-

dents and high insurance premiums

Experience delays due to bottleneck traffic

or stalled vehicles

Have extra expenses for vehicle mainte-

nance due to increasing wear and tear

Feel fatigued or frustrated sitting behind

the wheel

leave home early, and arrive back home

late

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Based on this information creating a Transit

Oriented Development at this location will

also have a positive impact in terms of health

and economy of the neighborhood.


Wicker Park, Logan Square via Milwaukee AvenueCTA Bus # 56 and 56A

Bucktown, Logan Square via Ashland AvenueCTA Bus #9 and X9

Kinzie Industrial Corridor, CBDCTA Bus # 56

Wicker Park, Ukranian village and Humboldt Park via Division StreetCTA Bus# 70

Nobel Square and River West via Division St.CTA Bus # 70

Primary vehicular arterials CTA Bus# 9

and X9

Existing Transportation plan

Proposed Project Site

MM

Division Blue Line Tran Station accesses

500 FT of distance from train satation


Part of the analysis also consist of looking at

the existing regulations of what can be built

here.As seen in the zoning map the area has

two main underlying zoning classifications;

B2-3 and the Business Planned Development

300 (PD # 300).

Existing PD 300 Bulk TableSubarea Net Site

AreaGeneral description of land use

Max.F.A.R

Max.LandCoverage

A 380,179 General Merchandise,retail food and drug stores, service type business uses, related uses, offices and offstreet parking

1.05 57%

B 80,039 Off Street Parking Uses

0 0

Total 460,218

The PD is one of reasons that in my opinion

caused the lack of development at this loca-

tion. Back in 1983 when the PD was created,

it called for the creation of a parking lot that

supported a major retail and office develop-

ment at the north side of Milwaukee Avenue.

This site is known as Subarea B that is charac-

ZONINGterized with a “0” Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The

FAR is the factor that regulates the density of

what can be built in terms of lot size and pos-

sible number of stories. - the portion of the

project is known as Subarea B of the existing is

shown on the Business Planned Development

# 300 Land Use Plan.

The way Subarea B is treated probably made

sense back in 1983 – in that year the north

side of Milwaukee Avenue (Subarea A) was

designated a redevelopment area. This ex-

plains that based on community needs; City

officials focused on creating a larger retail

development rather than the future of Divi-

sion Street. Nevertheless, the area changed

dramatically with the proliferation of small

businesses (storefronts) and a more walkable

community that requires: connectivity with the

train station, a more active type of businesses

and mixed-use developments instead of large

parking lots.

The following table shows is the existing Busi-

ness PD #300 bulk table:


DIVISION ST

.

MILWAUKEE AVE. ASHLAND AVE.

PAU

LIN

A ST

.

PD #300 Amendment mapPROPOSED TODThere are certainly problems associated with

high density developments however; making

a project like “Division Place” makes sense

based on the following factors:

The availability of land and close proximity

of the Division Blue Line CTA station.

CTA requires funds to maintain and im-

prove the existing infrastructure. This year

CTA faces $100-million shortfall in oper-

ating costs that if not met could lead to

services cuts and fare increases; other pos-

sible funds sources like Federal and State

are not reliable anymore. Hence, CTA

has to rely mostly on the fare provided by

its ridership, having an opportunity to in-

crease it would help to augment revenue

for CTA

In order to make this possible, is necessary to

amend the existing zoning classification to in-

crease the density in the area and defining the

type of future development that will take place.

Therefore, the proposed PD amendment con-

tains the following statements:

1) Extension of the PD #300 boundaries to

include 32,302 SF of land currently owned by

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the MB Bank facing Division Street well as two

adjacent lots located on either side of Mau-

tene Court along Milwaukee Avenue.

2) Subdivision of Subarea B into 4 new Sub-

areas:

•Subarea B to include a 11-story mixed-use

building (proposed underlying zoning RM-6)

•Subarea C- to includes a 6-story mixed-use

building (proposed underlying zoning B2-3)

•Subarea D - to includes the designation of a

25,994 SF as shown in the map as a Pedes-

trian Street District with access restrictions to

motor vehicles except emergency vehicles and

to allow the construction of 4-story mixed-use

developments to serve as the entrance for the

pedestrian district

•Subarea E - to include a mixed-use building

(proposed underlying zoning B2-3)


As mentioned on the PD statements my pro-

posal wil include an affordable component.

The following information will help to explain

the existing situation of housing in the area.

Today the housing value in the West Town

area continuously increases as shown on the

Chicago Tribune Map; in contrast with most of

the City’s communities. This trend is also re-

flected on a wave of gentrification that started

in the 1990’s where most low income popu-

lation began to be relocate to other areas in

Chicago like Humboldt Park.

The following census data is a fifty-year pe-

riod in which the West Town Community

Area lost approximately 46% of its popula-

tion and 20% of its housing units. In the last

decade, the loss of population and housing

units has nearly collapsed. When examined

separately though, the difference of housing

units between 1990 and 2000 is not negative

but substantially positive. For instance there

is a 14% increase in the creation of housing

units between 1990 and 2000 compared to

the only 7% and 15% constructed in previous

years. This trend not only created 4,883 hous-

ing units, but it nearly reversed the population

and housing lost in previous 50 years.

The next table represents the number of hous-

ing units built during the year they were con-

structed in 2000. This information shows a

strong indicator of the investment made in the

real estate market for the Community Area.

From the number of units constructed in the

area a very small percentage was designated

for affordable housing either for sale or for

rental affecting the opportunities for people

with lower income levels to find housing.

HOUSING CONDITIONS


For the purpose of using information that is

immediately adjacent to the site I analyzed the

following 2000 Census Tracts: 2414 (project

site location) 2413, 2415, 2422, 2420, 2416

and 2423 for the surrounding blocks.

The blocks surrounding the project site con-

tain 14,002 housing units from which 12,490

are occupied and 1,512 are vacant. This last

digit represents 11 percent of vacancy - this

can also be misrepresented if units located on

the upper floors of the buildings along Mil-

waukee are considered. Some of these units

seem to be vacant but actually are being use

for a different purpose rather than residential

like storage for some of the existing furniture

stores.

In terms of the 12,490 occupied housing

units; 25% or 3,145 are owner occupied and

75% or 9,345 are renter occupied – in addi-

tion to this, the City’s housing prices report

made by the Chicago Tribune in January of

2007 shows that the median price of the total

units sold from July to September 2005 com-

pared to July to September of 2007 Increased

approximately $13,000.

This change on the existing and new housing

market will affect low income population by

increasing the number of for sale units at mar-

ket rate price as well as increasing the avail-

able rents in the area which undermines the

possibility of finding an affordable place to

live or to own in the community.

FINANCING

In this project I am assuming that the market

rate component proposed, will carry its own

costs in terms of the financing. However, what

matters now is how to fi nance the aff ordable

housing component? To respond to this, I ot-

lined some of the available programs that ex-

ist in the City of Chicago that can make this

project feasible, these programs are mostly

administered by the Department of Housing

(DOH) as well as highly demanded:

CPAN - Chicago Partnership for Affordable

Neighborhoods (CPAN); this is a partnership

between the City of Chicago and developers

to ensure opportunities for affordable condo-

miniums in market rate developments, partic-

ularly in appreciating neighborhoods, through

two steps: developer write-down in the case

that the City owns the land and purchase price

assistance to homebuyers.

Eligible homebuyers are first-time buyers (have

not owned a home within the last three years)

with incomes up to 100% of median (see table

for maximum household incomes by family

size). Purchase price assistance may be avail-

able for households with incomes up to 80%

of median, who demonstrate a gap between

the amount of the first mortgage they can se-

cure, and the affordable sales price.

CCLT – Chicago Community Land Trust; This

is a program that helps to permanently main-

tain the aff ordable housing units in the market

at an affordable price. Currently, CPAN ap-

plies only to for sale units (not rental). Once

the unit is constructed, it will have 99-year re-

strictive covenants that set a maximum resale

price. The maximum resale price will be the

original purchase price plus a percentage of

the market appreciation, and in most cases

will be a below market price.

Homes must be sold to the CCLT or to an in-

come-qualified buyer. Units that are included

in the CCLT are eligible for a property tax re-

duction, based on the restricted resale price.

One more attractive options of this program

FINANCING


is that it helps to market the affordable units

so they will not remain unoccupied for longer

periods of time.

NHFC - New Homes for Chicago

This program uses financial incentives to re-

duce development costs in the form of Tax

Credits and also as a way to encourage de-

velopers to construct high quality homes for

purchase by moderate-income working indi-

viduals and families. The program consists

on having single family and in the case of my

project condos’ prices capped at $195,000

and $265,000 for two-flat buildings. Also in

this program, buyers of affordable units are

required to have a household income of no

more than 120% of the area median income.

TIF – Tax Increment Financing

TIF is a State legislated statue that helps to

attract developers/companies to stimulate job

creation and retention and to invest in the re-

development of “blighted areas” or “conser-

vation areas”. The improved conditions of the

area qualify for the creation of a “Conserva-

tion TIF that consists of the next major steps:

1- Designation of the status of conservation

area based on some of the following condi-

tions that need to be present: dilapidation,

obsolescence, deterioration, illegal use of in-

dividual structures, structures below minimum

code standards, excessive vacancies, exces-

sive land coverage, overcrowding of structures

and community facilities, lack of ventilation,

light or sanitary facilities, inadequate utilities,

deleterious land-use or layout or lack of com-

munity planning, incurred costs of environ-

mental clean-up (if recommended), a decline

in the equalized assessed valuation for 3 of

the last 5 calendars years and an improved

area where 50% of the existing structures are

at least 35 years or older.

2. A consultant is hired by the City Depart-

ment of Planning with the objective to do an

Eligibility Study on the proposed site identifying

vacancy rates of buildings/lots, physical con-

dition of existing buildings, etc. in other words

to find the eligibility conditions that meet blight

or conservation areas standards. At the same

time the consultant will prepare a Redevelop-

ment Plan and Project that addresses strate-

gies, goals and objectives to create improved

conditions in the area. In addition if the Plan

contemplates displacement of existing resi-

dents from 10 or more structures a Housing

Impact Study is required.

3. Once the consultant work is done the De-

partment of Planning will seek approval of a

resolution authorizing the creation of a TIF

district before the Community Development

Commission.

4. If the resolution is approved the next step

constitutes the submission to the Committee

on Finance of the City Council an ordinance

approving the creation of the proposed TIF

Redevelopment Project Area Plan and then re-

considered by the full City Council.

On a different note, once the TIF is created

the way that the City provides the TIF funds is

usually through the following alternatives:

Pay as you go – Here the developer pays

entirely for all the costs involved with the

project and the City reimburses annually

as it receives incremental property taxes;

Developer notes – Where the City normal-

ly reimburse the developer for the costs in-

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FINANCING


volved once the City issues a certificate of

completion for the project

The process once again involves the participa-

tion and approval of several entities including

elected officials (Aldermen), developers, at-

torneys, community organizations and city de-

partments such as Housing and Planning. All

the involved entities will get into an agreement

prior to request approval from the Community

Development Commission (CDC) and City

Council. It is important to mention that the

only parties entitled to the terms of the Rede-

velopment Agreement are the developer and

the City.

This process can take up to one year depending

on the complexity of the project, specifically in

the case of the creation of affordable housing

TIF funds constitute one of several financial

sources necessary to build the project (finan-

cial lasagna). Among these are: Tax Credits,

CDBG funds, Federal Loan Home Bank FHLB

funds, Low interest loans from lenders such as

Fannie Mae, etc.

The following is a flow chart that summarizes

the overall process:

Designation of Conservation/Blighted

Area

Creation of Elegibility Study*

Creation of Redevelopment Project

Area Plan

Creation of HousingImpact Study

Community Development Commision CDCPublic Hearing

City Council Finance Committee

FullCity Council

Entities involved Process Required approvals

*If it includes displacement of exist. residents in more than 10 structures**approvals require support from elected officials

Approval of resolutionprepared by DPD**

Approval of ordinanceprepared by DPD**

Consultant hired by the City

This is an advisory joint review board where the public can also express its opinion in regards to the TIF

1

2

3

4

FINANCING


3 to 5 -story -mixed-use building:18 affordable residential units , 8 commercial spaces

11-story mixed-use building:122 market rate residentialunits and approx. 18,500 SF of commercial space @ ground level

4-story -mixed-use building:12 market rate residential units total,

6-story mixed-use building20 market rate residential units , approx. 3,300 SF of commercial space

6-story mixed-use building25 affordable residential units , approx. 5,000 SF of commercial space

5-story mixed-use building20 affordable residential units and approx. 8,700 SF of commercial space

Affordable units: 63Market Rate units 154Total number of units: 217

MIXED-INCOME HOUSINGDivision Place will provide housing own-

ership opportunities at affordable prices as

well as market rate value housing units.

The total number of units proposed is 217

from which 63 will be affordable and 154

will be market rate. The units size and con-

figuration is the following:

Subarea B- Includes 122 units that range

from 825 SF to 2000 SF in size consisting

mostly of 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and Den.

Subarea C- Includes 65 units that range

from 1,480 SF to 2,200 SF in size consisting

mostly of 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and Den.

Subarea D - Includes 12 units that are 1,976

SF in size consisting mostly of 3 bedrooms, 2

bathrooms and Den.

Subarea E - Includes 18 units that are 1,618

SF in size consisting of 2 bedrooms and 2

bathrooms.

23Luis Monterrubio - Spring 2007 MASTER’S PROJECT There will not be curb cuts along this portion of the

Proposed 5-story mixed-use buildingincluding a reflective roof system

Proposed 4-story mixed-use buildingwith accessible roof top garden

The new project has a differheight which purpose is to ingrate with existing structures

Additional parkway trees will be

New Development on Division


By walking around the area I made a survey

and took pictures of each building to create

an existing land use plan that could help me

define the type and use of the buildings in my

proposal. The main characteristics per street

surrounding “Division Place” are as follow:

Milwaukee Avenue:

Consists mostly of Mixed-use buildings

with different heights that varies from 2 up

to 8 stories; the common denominator is

ground level commercial uses with upper

floors that seems either vacant or used for

storage.

There buildings range between 10 to 40

years or more (landmark district designa-

tion is underway in order to protect historic

type and identity)

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Division Street:

There are few scattered buildings sur-

rounding the MB Bank building and West

Town Centert parking lots.

Street façade line is disrupted with the

parking lots, curb cuts, alleys and approx.

115 Ft long MB bank blind façade

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BUILDING TYPE/USE

Ashland Avenue:

There are actually two main buildings, the MB Bank which is approxi-

mately 8-story high and a 2-story commercial building that wraps the

corner of Milwaukee and Ashland where another bank is located

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Paulina Street:

Is a low densed residential area that con-

sists of single family homes and three-story

residential buildings

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25Luis Monterrubio - Spring 2007 MASTER’S PROJECT Existing Land Use plan

Mixed-use Residential Institutional Commercial Connection Train Bike route Milwaukee Division

M


MIXED-USEThe idea of creating a Mixed-use Develop-

ment for Division Place is to construct resi-

dential and commercial developments in the

same building for the following purposes:

Continuity of existing landuses along Divi-

sion and Miwlaukee Avenues but now in-

cluding with more active uses i.e. outdoor

cafes, restaurants, gyms,etc. that remain

open after 5pm and during the weekends

Having more eyes on the streets by bring-

ing people to the area attracted by the

multiplicity of activities that will favor a

sense of safety

Creating job opportunities based on the

new retail uses - so the people from the

community stays and invest in the com-

munity

Increase revenue for the area that will

help support existing programs in the

City such as the Special Service Area that

provides additional funding to mantain a

commercial corridor competitive with the

rest of the City

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The project will include mixed-use buildings

throughtout the development. There will ve

25 commercial spaces with sizes ranging

from 1,200 SF to 6,000 SF. All the commer-

cial component will have access to parking

at grade level located in along the alleys as

weel as underground parking. The map be-

low shows the location of all the commercial

spaces in relation to the Subareas outlined in

the proposed PD amendment.

27Luis Monterrubio - Spring 2007 MASTER’S PROJECT Entrance to Division Place Proposed Project


The creation of a mixed development will take advantage of the goals and objectives put-lined in the newly created Special Service Area #33 (SSA). As shown in the map the project site is includede within this District. But what is an SSA? An SSA is an area where the City creates an economic development tool based on a public-private partnership; here the City extends its power of taxing to provide sustain-able funding for commercial areas covering tasks that create attractive, clean and compet-itive areas beyond basic city services.

Among the scope of activities that are eligible under the SSA district are: Advertising and pro-motion, public art and aesthetics, streetscape maintenance, holiday decorations, banners, sidewalk cleaning, snow plowing, power wash-ing, and graffiti removal among many others.

In the US there are over 800 SSAs. This tool definitely represents an opportunity of the neighborhood’s intention to revitalize its exist-ing commercial corridors as well to provide upcoming commercial development like Div-sion Place with tools that could help them to succeed and adapt to the existing neighbor-hood commercial arena.

SSA # 33

Project Site “Division Place”


MB Bank building - proposed landmark

Mixed-use buildings

Two flat residential building

Adjacent residentialbuildings

Public alleyPublic alley connecting Paulina Street and Ashland Avenue

MB Bank building parking lot

West Town Center parking lot

ENVIRONMENTAL The existing physical conditions of the project

site affect the health and economy of the exist-

ing residents. To be specific, since the site is

covered entirely with pavement and concrete

it increases the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI)

in the area.

The UHI is generated by the amount of solar

incidence that is not absorbed but reflected

from the ground (Albedo) the following are

some of the problems associated with it:

Acceleration of the creation of ground level

pollutants (i.e. the higher the temperature

the faster the creation of Ozone)

Deterioration of air quality and creation of

heat waves

Increase of health problems specially lung

related diseases for Children and Seniors.

Transmition of higher temperatures to

people and buildings (Energy is wasted up

to 32% more on buildings adjacent to the

site since is costs more energy in terms of

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Existing curb cuts of the MB parking lot that breaks connectivity of street facade line

Special Events auditorium remains closed most of the day New three-story

mixed-use building

Public alley

MB Bank - existing parking

Due to the configuration of Milwaukee Avenue, dead areas like this one are created

This picture was taken on a Saturday morning - the neighborhood has to cope with an urban desert that breaks the connectiviy of Wicker Park with the rest of the communtiy

HVAC systems and therefore a less afford-

able neighborhood)

Stormwater Run-off

Some of these issues could have been reduced

by complying with the Chicago landscape Or-

dinance - this regulation pursues a greener

City, a reduction of noise, and a reduction of

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stormwater runoff.

For my proposal I will incorporate the next de-

sign strategies and techonoligies that could

positively impact the environment in the area

are: parkway planting, internal planting, per-

meable pavers, and stormwater management

strategies such as rain barrels, filter strip, rain

gardens, drainage swales and screening veg-

etated area among many others.


GREEN DEVELOPMENTOne of the steps that are necessary in order

to create a project like this is to comply with

the additional requirements outlined in the

Department of Planing and Development

Greeen Matrix, this document specifies the

either a green roof or reflective roof elements

that need to be included if a mayor zoning

Department of Planning and DevelopmentBuilding Green/Green Roof Matrix

Department of Planning and Development Public Assistance No Public AssistanceDenise M. Casalino, Commissioner (RFP/Negotiated Sale w/Land Write Down) (Empowerment Zone Grants) (Industrial Dev. Rev. Bonds) (Enterprise Zone Fac. Bonds) (Planned Developments)

(TIF) (DOH) (Bank Participation Loans) (Class L) (SBIF) (Class 6b) (Lakefront Protection Ordinance Developments)

Project Type

Residential

Market Rate SF, TH, Multi-units (< 4 units) Energy Star Certification or LEED Certified Building

Market Rate (=> 4 units) 50% Green Roof and Energy Star Certification or LEED Certified Building* 50% Green Roof and Energy Star Certification* 25% Green Roof*

> 20% Affordable Units or CPAN DOH Green Criteria

Institutional

Hospitals 50% Green Roof or 25% Green Roof and LEED Certified Building* 25% Green Roof or 10% Green Roof and LEED Certified Building* 25% Green Roof or 10% Green Roof and LEED Certified Building*

Community Centers and Schools** 25% Green Roof or 10% Green Roof and LEED Certified Building*

Industrial 10% Green Roof or Energy Star Roof and LEED Certified Building* 10% Green Roof or Energy Star Roof*

Commercial

Retail over 10,000 square feet (footprint)*** 75% Green Roof or 50% Green Roof and LEED Certified Building* 50% Green Roof or 25% Green Roof and LEED Certified Building* 50% Green Roof*

Retail under 10,000 square feet (footprint) 25% Green Roof or LEED Certified Building* Energy Star Roof Energy Star Roof

Office over 80 feet 100% Green Roof 75% Green Roof* 50% Green Roof*

Office under 80 feet 50% Green Roof or Energy Star Roof and LEED Certified Building* Energy Star Roof

NOTE: All projects being reviewed by the Department of Planning and Development are encouraged to use storm water best management practices, LEED and Energy Star building standards and residential green building standards where applicable.

A 50% green roof and LEED certification will be required for all public projects except Community Centers and Schools.LEED certification plus a 10% green roof or a 25% green roof will be required for Public Community Centers and Schools.Community Centers and Schools will also focus on indoor air quality and daylighting.

* Remainder of roof must meet Energy Star level for reflectivity.** Church buildings serving multiple purposes will be considered a community center.*** Run-off coefficient value reduction will be required for big-box retail projects over 100,000 square feet.

Legend:SF = Single FamilyTH = TownhousesRFP = Request for ProposalsTIF = Tax Increment FinancingSBIF = Small Business Improvement FundDOH = Department of HousingCPAN = Chicago Partnership for Affordable Neighborhoods

to be included if a mayor zoning change is

required.

The square footage of the total roof to be

created is 79, 357 SF. This is divided as

follow : : 32,944 SF at Subarea B, 23,767

SF at Subarea C and 20,646 at Subareas D

and E.

According to the matrix the required 50% of

green roof at the commercial and residen-

tial areas will be 39,678 SF plus the project

will also add an Energy Start reflective roof

on the remaining areas.


In addition to the green roof requirements

the proposal will include the following best

management stormwater practices at the

proposed lanscape improvements located at

along the sidewalks and Pedestrian Street:

Rain Barrels

Permeable Pavers

Filter Strips

Rain Gardens

Bioinfiltration

Drainage Swale

The adjacent table shows the benefits of in-

cluding these practices and below is a detail

of how they look like.

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The purpose of creating a P-Street is to benefit

existing and new businesses by attracting new

pedestrian traffic to the area who will also cre-

ate a better sense of safety by adding more

“eyes on the street” as Janet Jacob mentioned

through the existence of a multiplicity of uses.

The Pedestrian Street will connect Divi-

sion and Milwaukee arterials through an open

plaza. Here people will come and sit at the

restaurants or outdoor cafes to enjoy their sur-

roudings without being exposed to anoying

traffic like most outdoor cafes and restaurants

in the City.

The plaza will include a program with activities

year-round such as: performing arts, choirs,

art festivals and a farmers markets that will sale

some of the food and handcrafts produced in

the community.

The proposed street will be like no other one

in the City - since it will be treated with perme-

able pavers and landscaped areas that invite

pedestrians to relax while they visit the stores

or eat.

In order to keep cars outside or aware of the

pedestrian traffic, there will be sufficient signs

and elements like the one shown on the pic-

The last part of my proposal is the creation of

a Pedestrian Street that will be characterized

basically by two main elements:

A pedestrian friendly environment

Limited access to motor vehicles with the

exception of emergency vehicles

While there are different interpretations of what

Pedestrian Street depending on the City and

Country; in Chicago there is a set of guidelines

and requirements that need to be met before

this type of designation takes place like:

•Have a high concentration of existing stores

and restaurants;

•Abut a street with a right-of-way of 80 feet

or less;

•Have a continuous or mostly continuous pat-

tern of buildings that are built abutting or very

close to the sidewalk;

•Have doors and entrances abutting the side-

walk;

•Have many storefront windows abutting the

sidewalk; and

•Have very few vacant stores

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PEDESTRIAN ST.

Today, this requirements are met at some por-

tions of Milwaukee and Division that currently

designated as P-Streets under the Chicago

Zoning Ordinance (shown on the adjacent

map) However, due to the lack of active uses,

the large parking lots and lack of contunuity

with the street line the existing classfication

stops right before the intersection of Milwau-

kee-Divsion-Ashland.


ture below - that uses pneumatic poles or any

other element to obstruct the ingress to motor

vehicles to the area and to allow pedestrians

to the area.

Piaza Navona - Italy

Artist, Florence - Italy

(Above) Existing picture of Mautene Court and adjacent properties. (Below) Rendering of proposed access point to the Pedestrian Street located from Milwaukee Avenue

Milwaukee Access


PUBLIC BENEFITSThe following are the benefits of creating “Division Place” for the City of Chicago:

Economic

•Creation of approximately 270 temporary construc-tion jobs and 40 permanent jobs (based on proposed commercial space)•Creation of more active uses in the Wicker Park Area that will increase the generation of revenue for the are and for the City•Use of existing programs such as the SSA to improve the businesses quality and conditions in the area•Significant increase of ridership rates for Division CTA Blue Line Station

Social

•Creation of 156 home ownership opportunities•Creation of new and attractive affordable housing development •Reduction of crime rates associated with dark and empty areas in the neighborhood

Environmental

•Reduction of Urban Heat Island effect on surround-ing buildings •Reduction of stormwater runoffs •Reduction of car usage based on TOD development criteria•Encouragement for pedestrian and outdoor activi-ties in the area

master in urban planning and policy project

Documents

masters project intro

project siteproposed

street line

milwaukee avenue

mixedincome develpment

income housing building

active commercial uses

new urbanism concepts