Uptown Community Guide 2007 - Pioneer Press Communities Online

Uptown Special Service Area
History
Uptown, Community Area #3, is one of the
oldest and most historic neighborhoods on
Chicago’s north side. It was, during the 1920’s
and 1930’s, the most popular shopping area
after the Loop. It also contains the largest convergence
of historically significant buildings in
the United States.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, ideas on
housing and shopping changed. People left the
large, extravagant flats and houses in Uptown
and moved to the suburbs, making their purchases
at suburban shopping malls. The retail
districts in Chicago, and especially in Uptown,
languished as money left the city.
Because of its proximity to Lake Michigan,
the availability of public transportation and the
beauty of its Historic Districts, Uptown has
become popular again. The residential markets
have improved significantly and are attracting
local customers as well as other Chicagoans
and suburbanites.
Uptown United (formerly Uptown
Community Development Corporation) and
Business Partners, the Chamber for Uptown
(formerly Uptown Chamber of Commerce), recognized
the opportunity to use the Special
Service Area program to bring additional services
to the commercial district that would not
be possible without the added revenue.
Uptown United began conversations to initiate
the creation of the Special Service Area eighteen
months ago, public process ensued, and
the Sole Service Provider Agreement, ordinance
and accompanying documentation was
entered into at the end of 2005.
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SSA Today
Uptown SSA #34, established in December,
2005, covers the major commercial corridors
including Broadway from Foster to Irving Park,
Sheridan Road from Foster to Montrose, the
commercial areas just north of Irving Park, as
well as the commercial areas on Argyle,
Lawrence, Leland, Wilson, and Montrose.
The largest portions of the SSA budget
address cleanliness, including sidewalk snow
removal, additional street and sidewalk cleaning
and power washing of sidewalks. The SSA is
partnering with Cleanslate, a project of The
Cara Program. The concept for Cleanslate was
created by a senior Goldman Sachs executive
who spent a sabbatical with The Cara Program.
He recognized the importance of work to the
well-being of the individual and created the
program to give people with barriers to
employment the necessary job and communication
skills to stay employed and provide for
themselves. In Uptown, Cleanslate performs
handsweeping and litter removal, snow
removal and light landscaping tasks. Cleanslate
recruits from local Uptown agencies to give
people in Uptown the first chance to participate
in the program. The SSA chose to partner
with Cleanslate not only for their superior
beautification skill but also because Cleanslate
provides a real opportunity for individuals in
Uptown to learn and apply new skills, improve
their long-term job prospects, and make a real
difference in the community.
The SSA will also be working on area marketing,
including a new banner program for
Uptown. The goal is to get the maximum benefit
from the program while keeping the additional
tax rate as low as possible.
“Laskavo prosimo”
Uptown speaks your language
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