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<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong><br />

<strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN<br />

EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT<br />

PREPARED BY<br />

Goodman Williams <strong>Group</strong><br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Lakota</strong> <strong>Group</strong><br />

Gewalt Hamilton Associates<br />

Granacki Historic Consultants<br />

Findzall Community Marketing<br />

May 17, 2012


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Table of contents<br />

INTRODUCTION P. 6<br />

EXISTING CONDITIONS P. 10<br />

Building Inventory and Building Conditions<br />

Business Inventory<br />

Vacancies<br />

Development Pattern and Building Form<br />

Business Signage and Merchandising<br />

Streetscape<br />

Zoning<br />

Socioeconomic Overview<br />

Residential Market Overview<br />

Retail Market Assessment<br />

Grrocery Stores and Pharmacies<br />

Retail Demand Analysis<br />

Shopper Intercept Survey<br />

Parking and Circulation<br />

Addenda p. 54<br />

Addendum #1: Business Inventory for Six Corners<br />

Addendum #2: Shopper Intercept Survey Summary Tables<br />

Addendum #3: History and Historic Designation Opportunities<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN<br />

3


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INTRODUCTION


INTRODUCTION<br />

introduction<br />

Background to the Assignment<br />

Goodman Williams <strong>Group</strong> was retained by the<br />

City of Chicago Department of Housing and<br />

Economic Development to complete an Economic<br />

Development Master Plan for the Six Corners<br />

business district in Portage Park. This plan will<br />

help the City and Six Corners stakeholders to<br />

enhance the vitality of one of Chicago’s oldest and<br />

most important neighborhood shopping districts.<br />

Goodman Williams <strong>Group</strong> leads the team and<br />

will complete the market research upon which the<br />

Plan is based. <strong>The</strong> consulting team includes the<br />

following experts in a variety of related fields:<br />

• Land-use planning and urban design<br />

(<strong>The</strong> <strong>Lakota</strong> <strong>Group</strong>)<br />

• Traffic and parking (Gewalt Hamilton<br />

Associates)<br />

• Historic preservation (Granacki Historic<br />

Consultants)<br />

• Marketing (Findzall Community<br />

Marketing - Cathy Maloney)<br />

Six Corners has a long history as a successful<br />

neighborhood shopping and entertainment<br />

district. With an iconic Sears store, the Portage<br />

<strong>The</strong>ater, and the Marketplace at Six Corners,<br />

it has served residents of Portage Park and<br />

neighboring communities on Chicago’s northwest<br />

side. In recent decades, however, Six Corners has<br />

experienced a loss of retailers along its commercial<br />

corridors and is in need of physical improvements<br />

to both buildings and infrastructure.<br />

Methodology<br />

This planning process is being overseen by a<br />

Steering Committee whose members include<br />

area business and property owners, leadership<br />

from the Portage Park and Old Irving Park<br />

Neighborhood Associations, the Six Corners<br />

Association, and representatives from the 45th<br />

and 38th Aldermanic wards and the Department<br />

of Housing and Economic Development. In<br />

addition to key person interviews, shopper<br />

intercept surveys were conducted in early March.<br />

A public workshop was held on April 11, 2012.<br />

This report presents the results of the first phase<br />

of this assignment, an assessment of existing<br />

conditions in Six Corners. Included are the results<br />

of our demographic and market research, an<br />

assessment of building conditions and uses, and<br />

findings from parking studies.<br />

Going forward, the next phases will involve<br />

community visioning on alternative development<br />

concepts and the preparation of the economic<br />

development plan.<br />

SUmmary of Findings<br />

Six Corners, where Milwaukee Avenue, Irving<br />

Park (4000 N) and Cicero (4800 W) intersect, has<br />

a number of important assets that have enabled<br />

it to remain a competitive shopping district for<br />

decades. Among these assets are:<br />

Klee Plaza at Six Corners building<br />

• An easily accessible location in the heart<br />

of Chicago’s Northwest Side. <strong>The</strong> three<br />

heavily traveled arterials carry 70,000<br />

cars through that intersection on a daily<br />

6<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


INTRODUCTION<br />

basis. <strong>The</strong> intersection is 0.8 miles from<br />

the entrance to the Kennedy Expressway<br />

(I-90/94) at Irving Park.<br />

• Recognizable retail and service anchors,<br />

including such national companies as<br />

Sears, Jewel-Osco, Marshalls, Bank of<br />

America and Chase, and a LA Fitness<br />

Health Club (former Bally Health Club).<br />

In addition, local retailers such as Fantasy<br />

Costumes, Family Fruit Market, and City<br />

Newsstand help establish the district’s<br />

unique identity.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> Portage <strong>The</strong>ater, an iconic 1920s<br />

movie theater that serves as a major draw<br />

to the neighborhood.<br />

• A diverse housing stock in the adjacent<br />

neighborhoods that includes a range of<br />

single family homes and multifamily<br />

units at various price points.<br />

• Bus routes along Milwaukee Avenue and<br />

Irving Park Road that bring shoppers<br />

to the intersection. <strong>The</strong> Mayfair and<br />

Grayland Stations on the Milwaukee<br />

District North line and the Irving Park<br />

Station on the Union Pacific Northwest<br />

line are close by.<br />

• New streetscape improvements that<br />

enhance the physical environment and<br />

demonstrate investment in the area and<br />

an interest in its revival.<br />

Yet Six Corners has not yet seen the resurgence<br />

that many in the community have been working<br />

toward. <strong>The</strong> following are among the issues that<br />

have been identified by residents, business owners,<br />

and the consulting team:<br />

• Numerous vacant storefronts and<br />

buildings in need of renovation,<br />

particularly in the block of Milwaukee<br />

Portage <strong>The</strong>ater<br />

Avenue north of the intersection and<br />

along Irving Park west of the intersection.<br />

• A difficult pedestrian environment, where<br />

crossing the major streets to visit multiple<br />

destinations feels unsafe.<br />

• An abundance of off-street parking, but<br />

not in locations that encourage multiple<br />

visits per trip.<br />

• A limited mix of stores and restaurants.<br />

While the value-oriented national<br />

anchors are in place, additional local<br />

establishments will bring more shoppers<br />

and diners to Six Corners.<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN<br />

7


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EXISTING CONDITIONS


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

existing conditions<br />

BUILDING INVENTORY AND BUILDING<br />

CONDITIONS<br />

Six Corners can be characterized as a traditional<br />

neighborhood commercial district, largely<br />

developed between the 1920s and 1950s. For<br />

several decades, Six Corners was one of Chicago’s<br />

most vibrant commercial districts outside the<br />

Loop. It was home to a diverse mix of businesses,<br />

including brand name stores and independent<br />

retailers, banks and corporate offices, service<br />

businesses, and restaurants and entertainment<br />

venues such as the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater. A complete<br />

history of Six Corners can be found in the<br />

Addenda.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Study Area for this Economic Development<br />

Master Plan is shown in Figure 1. <strong>The</strong> boundaries<br />

are coterminous with those of the Six Corners<br />

Special Service Area, SSA #28.<br />

Retail Anchors<br />

Today, approximately 130 retail and service<br />

businesses operate in Six Corners, situated<br />

along the commercially zoned frontages of W<br />

Milwaukee Avenue, N Cicero Avenue and W<br />

Irving Park Road. <strong>The</strong>se establishments include<br />

national retailers located in one of several<br />

shopping centers, as well as locally-owned stores<br />

and businesses that operate in small storefronts.<br />

Among the value-oriented retail anchors in Six<br />

Corners are the following:<br />

• Sears. This iconic Sears Store first<br />

opened in 1938. <strong>The</strong> five-story structure<br />

contains a range of departments including<br />

apparel, housewares, electronics,<br />

automotive, dental and optical.<br />

FIGURE 1: STUDY AREA MAP WITH ANCHORS<br />

10<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

• Marketplace at Six Corners. <strong>The</strong> 116,975<br />

square foot shopping center is located<br />

east of the Sears store with access off<br />

Irving Park Road and Cicero Avenue. It<br />

was developed by Tucker Development<br />

in 1997 with assistance from the City<br />

of Chicago. <strong>The</strong> shopping center is<br />

currently owned by Inland Real Estate.<br />

Tenants include Jewel-Osco, Marshalls,<br />

Famous Footwear, and Life Source. A<br />

6,000 square foot Blockbuster space will<br />

be coming on the market.<br />

• Six Corners Plaza. Also owned and<br />

managed by Inland Real Estate<br />

Corporation, this 80,596-square-foot<br />

center is located south of Irving Park<br />

between Milwaukee and Cicero. LA<br />

Fitness is located on the lower level.<br />

Ground floor tenants include Game Stop<br />

on the corner location, Chicago Eye<br />

Institute and L.A. Tan on the Milwaukee<br />

frontage, and CW Price, a discount<br />

clothing retailer that opened this location<br />

in August 2011.<br />

• Independently owned stores. City<br />

Newsstand, located at 4018 N Cicero<br />

Avenue, Fantasy Costumes, 4068 N<br />

Milwaukee Avenue, and Family Fruit<br />

Market at 4118 N Cicero N Cicero<br />

are among a number of locally-owned<br />

businesses in Six Corners.<br />

• Klee Plaza occupies the prominent<br />

location where Milwaukee and Cicero<br />

converge. <strong>The</strong> five-story art deco<br />

building has been redeveloped with<br />

20,000 square feet of ground floor<br />

commercial space and 64 loft-style<br />

residential units on the upper floors.<br />

Marketplace at Six Corners (above); Six Corners Plaza<br />

(below)<br />

City Newsstand (above) and Family Fruit Market (below),<br />

both along Cicero Avenue.<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 11


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Portage <strong>The</strong>ater<br />

<strong>The</strong> Portage <strong>The</strong>ater is another important anchor<br />

in Six Corners. This iconic movie house opened<br />

in 1920 and has a seating capacity of 1,321.<br />

<strong>The</strong> theater is part of a mixed-use structure that<br />

includes 34 apartments on the second and third<br />

floors and eight storefronts from 4042 to 4060<br />

Milwaukee Avenue. Six of those storefronts are<br />

currently occupied.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Portage <strong>The</strong>ater is operated as a movie house<br />

that shows classic and independent films and<br />

hosts other cultural events. According to theater<br />

management, the Portage is typically booked at<br />

least three nights per week, or about 150 nights<br />

annually. <strong>The</strong> following are among the groups<br />

leasing the Portage:<br />

• <strong>The</strong> Northwest Chicago Film Society.<br />

Every Wednesday night, this group<br />

presents its Classic Film Series.<br />

Admission is $5.00.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> Silent Film Society of Chicago. <strong>The</strong><br />

Silent Summer Film Festival is held on six<br />

Friday evenings during the summer. <strong>The</strong><br />

event has attracted approximately 5,000<br />

silent movie buffs from Chicago and the<br />

suburbs.<br />

• Independent movie screenings and<br />

musical performances. <strong>The</strong> Portage has<br />

become a focal point for independent<br />

filmmakers to screen their films.<br />

Specialty events such as the Indie Horror<br />

Film Fest are held at the Portage. Musical<br />

acts also book the theater.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Portage <strong>The</strong>ater is currently listed for sale by<br />

its owners. Two offers to purchase the Portage<br />

have been submitted, one from the managing<br />

partners of the theater operators and one from the<br />

Chicago Tabernacle Church. An agreement on<br />

the sale of the property has not been reached.<br />

Portage <strong>The</strong>ater<br />

Business Inventory<br />

On February 2012, an inventory was taken of<br />

all ground floor business in Six Corners. Figure<br />

2 A,B and C on succeeding pages shows these<br />

businesses grouped into various categories and<br />

locations. A complete inventory of the businesses<br />

is included in the Addenda to this report. A few<br />

general observations on this inventory follow:<br />

• Retail stores (including food and liquor<br />

stores) comprise 28.5% of all the<br />

businesses in Six Corners. Sears, Jewel-<br />

Osco, Marshalls, <strong>The</strong> Vitamin Shoppe,<br />

and Dollar Tree are examples of the chain<br />

retail anchors. <strong>The</strong> district also features a<br />

handful of smaller, locally owned stores,<br />

such as Rasenick’s and City Newsstand.<br />

• Medical and other service businesses<br />

are an important component of the<br />

inventory. 41 businesses identified<br />

accounted for 39.2% of the total<br />

inventory.<br />

• 12 bars and restaurants were identified in<br />

the inventory. As shown in the list below,<br />

eating and drinking establishments in Six<br />

Corners include limited and quick service<br />

establishments and a few independent<br />

restaurants:<br />

12<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

<br />

Burger King<br />

<br />

Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins<br />

<br />

Family Pasta<br />

<br />

Hong Kong Restaurant<br />

<br />

Jeff`s Red Hots<br />

<br />

Las Tablas<br />

<br />

Lomas Verdes<br />

<br />

MCM Pub & Eatery<br />

<br />

Mr. Submarine<br />

<br />

Playa Escondida<br />

<br />

Subway<br />

<br />

Ysbael’s Grill<br />

<br />

Nite Cap<br />

Six Corners is home to a large number of<br />

personal and professional service firms. <strong>The</strong><br />

inventory identified 65 businesses in the<br />

following categories:<br />

<br />

Professional/Financial services (25);<br />

<br />

Medical and dental offices (26);<br />

<br />

Personal/Household services (12);<br />

and<br />

<br />

Social and educational services (5).<br />

Figure 2(a). Six Corners BUSINESS INVENTORY BY PERCENT OF ESTABLISHMENTS<br />

Six Corners Building Inventory<br />

Category<br />

Percent of<br />

Establishments<br />

Retail 32 24.6%<br />

Health & Medical 26 20.0%<br />

Professional/Financial Services 25 19.2%<br />

Bars & Restaurant 12 9.2%<br />

Personal/Household Services 12 9.2%<br />

Food & Liquor Stores 5 3.8%<br />

Service 5 3.8%<br />

Cultural 5 3.8%<br />

Recreation 4 3.1%<br />

Automotive 3 2.3%<br />

Residential 1 0.8%<br />

TOTAL 130 100.0%<br />

Source: Six Corners Association<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 13


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 2(B): <strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> BUSINESS INVENTORY BY CATEGORY<br />

FIGURE 2(c): <strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> BUSINESS INVENTORY BY LOCATION<br />

14<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Vacancies<br />

Figure 3 identifies the vacant storefronts in the<br />

Six Corners Study Area. Currently there are 17<br />

buildings and storefront vacancies along Irving<br />

Park Road from Milwaukee to Lavergne Avenues.<br />

<strong>The</strong> largest is the former Bank of America property<br />

at 4901 West Irving Park, which is for sale. <strong>The</strong><br />

63,502-square-foot complex occupies nearly<br />

a half-city block between North Lamon and<br />

Lavergne Avenues and includes a total of 280 offstreet<br />

parking spaces in two lots along West Dakin<br />

Street. Interest in the property has been expressed<br />

by Aldi, which would rehab a portion of the<br />

building for a 15,000 square foot grocery store.<br />

<strong>The</strong> upper floor of the two-story structure includes<br />

a 300-seat auditorium-style theater which is being<br />

marketed to several cultural organizations.<br />

Other significant vacancies along Irving Park Road<br />

include the former Hancock Fabrics Store (4848<br />

West Irving Park Road) and Integrity Physical<br />

<strong>The</strong>rapy building (4864 West Irving Park), both<br />

of which are west of the intersection. <strong>The</strong> stretch<br />

of Irving Park Road east of the intersection<br />

has four identifiable vacancies. Two storefront<br />

vacancies are currently located next to Sears. A<br />

portion of the Bank of America building located<br />

on the southeast corner of the intersection, is<br />

vacant, as is a 12,000 square foot building along N<br />

Kilpatrick and W Irving Park Road. Milwaukee<br />

Avenue north of the intersection is the other part<br />

of the Study Area with a number of prominent<br />

vacancies. As shown in Figure 3, there are 16<br />

vacant buildings and storefronts along Milwaukee<br />

Avenue between Belle Plaine Avenue on the north<br />

and Irving Park Road to the south. Only two<br />

vacancies were identified south of the intersection.<br />

One vacancy is a storefront in Six Corners Plaza<br />

and the other a storefront in an apartment<br />

building situated near the northwest corner of N<br />

Milwaukee and N Kilpatrick Avenues.<br />

Cicero Avenue south of the intersection has seven<br />

storefront vacancies. Occupying a prominent site<br />

at the intersection is 4801 West Irving Park Road<br />

(at Cicero). This 3,700 square foot building once<br />

housed a tavern and more recently the Borovik<br />

Drug Store and a branch of Washington Mutual.<br />

Scattered along this stretch of Cicero Avenue<br />

south of the intersection are three other storefront<br />

vacancies. A vacancy can be found in the Six<br />

Corners Plaza as well as in a small strip center<br />

south of the Plaza.<br />

FIGURE 3: STOREFRONT VACANCIES<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 15


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Development Pattern and Building Forms<br />

<strong>The</strong> district retains a largely intact building<br />

fabric along Milwaukee Avenue north of Irving<br />

Park Road and Irving Park Road west of Cicero<br />

Avenue. On these blocks, first- and secondgeneration<br />

commercial buildings were constructed<br />

to the sidewalk and aligned next to each other<br />

with adjoining storefronts. East of Cicero Avenue<br />

along Irving Park Road, the development pattern<br />

changes significantly and is more automobileoriented.<br />

Jewel-Osco and Marshalls, the major<br />

tenants at <strong>The</strong> Marketplace at Six Corners, are set<br />

back from the sidewalk and separated from each<br />

other in different buildings by large parking lots.<br />

As shown in Figure 1on page 10, parking lots and<br />

strip centers along Milwaukee and Cicero Avenues<br />

south of Irving Park also break up Six Corners<br />

pedestrian character and connections to the<br />

surrounding residential neighborhoods.<br />

Building Conditions<br />

Figure 4 on following page classifies the building<br />

conditions of all properties in Six Corners.<br />

<strong>The</strong> majority of buildings in Six Corners are in<br />

relatively good (sound) condition with many<br />

retaining their original facades and storefront<br />

configurations and materials. <strong>The</strong> Peoples Gas<br />

and Coke Light Building at 4839 West Irving<br />

Park Road, the only fully designated Chicago City<br />

Landmark in Six Corners, is in sound condition.<br />

• On the east side of Milwaukee Avenue is<br />

4029 N Milwaukee Avenue, a single story<br />

building immediately north of Klee Plaza.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Pomo Dolce restaurant is expected<br />

to rehab and occupy this deteriorated<br />

property.<br />

• 4033-4039 N Milwaukee Avenue is a<br />

vacant two-story commercial structure.<br />

• 4047-49 N Milwaukee Avenue is a<br />

vacant, single story commercial building.<br />

• 4051-4055 is a single-story commercial<br />

building occupied by PC Here.<br />

<strong>The</strong> properties in deteriorated condition have<br />

building material maintenance and repair issues<br />

and some are missing complete storefronts. Most<br />

have been vacant for several years and recently<br />

had metal coverings and other materials removed<br />

from their front facades, exposing the deteriorated<br />

façade materials and missing storefront elements.<br />

Five key properties in the study area are identified<br />

as deteriorated, all of which are located on<br />

Milwaukee Avenue north of the intersection,<br />

between the Klee Building on the south and the<br />

Cuyler Avenue intersection on the north.<br />

• 4022 N Milwaukee Avenue is a twostory<br />

mixed-used building, located on<br />

the same block as the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater.<br />

<strong>The</strong> commercial storefront is currently<br />

occupied by Six Corners Bakery,<br />

primarily a wholesale operation.<br />

Six Corners Bakey (above); vacant commercial buildings<br />

with removed slipcovers along Milwaukee Avenue.<br />

16<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 4 BUILDING CONDITIONS<br />

Business Signage and Merchandising<br />

Business signage varies in design quality,<br />

placement and materials throughout Six Corners,<br />

and in some areas, sign clutter detracts from the<br />

commercial district’s visual appearance. A number<br />

of business signs are large, out-of-scale back-lit<br />

plastic signs, often attached to a building’s upper<br />

façade or suspended from an A-frame at the roof<br />

line. <strong>The</strong> majority of business signage, however,<br />

takes the form of channel letters placed above the<br />

storefront or in the area where storefront transom<br />

windows once existed. In most cases, channel<br />

letter signs are designed with an appropriate scale,<br />

style and color set compatible with a building’s<br />

overall architecture and design. In others, larger<br />

channel letter signs creep beyond the storefront<br />

area to the upper façade level. Traditional-styled<br />

storefront awnings have been installed on some<br />

buildings in the 4800 block of West Irving Park in<br />

recent years.<br />

Channel lettering and backlit signs along Irving Park Road<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 17


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Six Corners has a number of “functional”<br />

storefronts - ones occupied by non-retail<br />

businesses. During the evening hours especially,<br />

such storefronts often lack proper lighting or<br />

attractive displays to engage pedestrians or to<br />

promote the products and services a business may<br />

offer. While ground-floor service businesses and<br />

office users may not need to merchandise their<br />

storefronts to the same level and need as retailers<br />

do, attractive and well-maintained storefronts<br />

contribute to the overall appearance of the streetlevel<br />

environment.<br />

banners, information kiosks, and gateway features<br />

along Irving Park Road and Milwaukee and<br />

Cicero Avenues. <strong>The</strong> project has significantly<br />

improved Six Corners’ physical appearance;<br />

the trees and planter beds in particular adding<br />

new color and visual appeal to the streetscape<br />

environment.<br />

<strong>The</strong> streetscape project did not include a<br />

wayfinding signage program or enhancements to<br />

some side streets that serve as part of Six Corners’<br />

transportation, parking, and pedestrian circulation<br />

system. Belle Plaine Avenue, for instance, serves<br />

as an important pathway connecting Milwaukee<br />

Avenue and the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater to the Laporte<br />

Street parking lot. Sidewalk conditions are<br />

poor along this segment and it lacks appropriate<br />

lighting.<br />

New gateway and kiosk elements along Irving Park Road<br />

Traditional storefront with fabric awning (aove); vacant<br />

storefront are opportunities to improve their merchandising<br />

(below)<br />

Streetscape<br />

In 2009 and 2010, the Six Corners Study Area<br />

underwent a major streetscape enhancement<br />

project funded by the City of Chicago<br />

Department of Transportation (CDOT). This<br />

effort included the installation of new trees,<br />

planter beds, street lights, pedestrian crosswalks,<br />

Belle Plaine Avenue- additional streetscape improvements<br />

can help to improve the pedestrian environment.<br />

18<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Zoning<br />

Properties within the Six Corners Study Area are<br />

subject to a number of City of Chicago zoning<br />

district classifications, each of which is discussed<br />

below. <strong>The</strong> locations of these designations are<br />

shown on Figure 5.<br />

• Neighborhood Shopping District (B1)<br />

• Community Shopping District (B3)<br />

• Neighborhood Commercial District (C1)<br />

• Residential Single Unit (RS)<br />

• Residential Two-Flat (RT)<br />

• Planned Development (PD)<br />

B1 Neighborhood Shopping District<br />

<strong>The</strong> B1 Neighborhood Shopping District allows<br />

for a range of small-scale retail and service uses<br />

intended for more traditional, pedestrian-oriented<br />

shopping areas where commercial buildings<br />

and their storefronts are built primarily to the<br />

sidewalk. Upper-story dwelling units above firstfloor<br />

storefront level are also allowed. This zoning<br />

classification is typically applied to commercial<br />

nodes located at the intersection of two major<br />

arterial streets or narrow neighborhood streets<br />

with low traffic volumes.<br />

<strong>The</strong> B1 zones in Six Corners are located along<br />

Milwaukee Avenue between Irving Park Road and<br />

Belle Plaine Avenue, and the south side of Irving<br />

Park Road between Cicero Avenue and former<br />

Bank of America property at 4901 West Irving<br />

Park Road. <strong>The</strong> B1 zones are further subdivided<br />

into sub-districts, which are differentiated on<br />

permitted building heights. Sub-district B1-2,<br />

located primarily along the Irving Park Road<br />

segment, allows a maximum building height of<br />

50 feet while the Milwaukee Avenue section is<br />

classified as sub-district B1-3, which permits a 65<br />

feet building height. Building setbacks are not<br />

allowed within these sub-zones and no parking is<br />

FIGURE 5 EXISTING ZONING<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 19


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

required for uses under 4,000 square feet of gross<br />

building floor area. <strong>The</strong> maximum allowable<br />

developable lot in the B1 zone is 25,000 square<br />

feet. <strong>The</strong> allowable use, parking and height<br />

requirements of the B1 zoning designation are<br />

appropriate to these segments of Six Corners,<br />

allowing the types of uses and building forms<br />

that are conducive to supporting a traditional,<br />

pedestrian-oriented shopping district.<br />

B3 Community Shopping District<br />

<strong>The</strong> B3 Community Shopping District is found<br />

in all other areas of the Six Corners commercial<br />

district not zoned BI, including the north side<br />

of Irving Park Road from Cicero to Lavergne<br />

Avenues, Cicero Avenue north and south of<br />

Irving Park, and the Six Corners Plaza and Bank<br />

of America sites. <strong>The</strong> purpose of B3 zoning is to<br />

permit and accommodate a wider range of retail<br />

and service uses than in the B1 zones. Larger<br />

buildings up to 75,000 square of gross building<br />

area are also permitted. <strong>The</strong> B3 zoning is intended<br />

for larger sites with direct access to major streets<br />

and for uses that are typically destination-oriented<br />

and serving customers traveling primarily by car.<br />

As with the B1 zoning classification, no building<br />

setbacks are allowed and residential units above<br />

the storefront level are permitted. <strong>The</strong>re are also<br />

three B3 zoning sub-districts that specify different<br />

building height and width requirements. <strong>The</strong><br />

B3-1 sub-district, located mostly along Cicero<br />

Avenue between the Walgreens store and Warner<br />

Avenue, permits a maximum of 38 feet in building<br />

height. <strong>The</strong> B3-2 district, found along the north<br />

and south sides of Irving Park Road west of Cicero<br />

Avenue, the commercial buildings on Milwaukee<br />

Avenue north of Belle Plaine, and the Bank of<br />

America and Six Corners Plaza properties, have a<br />

maximum building height of 50 feet. <strong>The</strong> B3-3<br />

sub-district, which includes only a handful of<br />

parcels along Milwaukee Avenue near and adjacent<br />

to the Klee Plaza, allows 65 feet in building<br />

height.<br />

In B3 Districts, parking is not required for uses<br />

under 4,000 square feet of gross building floor<br />

area. General retail uses and drinking and eating<br />

establishments with up to 10,000 square feet<br />

in gross floor area are exempted from parking<br />

requirements. Any floor area over and above this<br />

threshold is required to provide parking at 2.5<br />

parking spaces per additional 1,000 square feet of<br />

gross floor area.<br />

<strong>The</strong> B3 zoning designation fits well within the<br />

Six Corners Study Area with building height and<br />

setback requirements that complement those<br />

found within the B1 District.<br />

C1 Neighborhood Commercial District<br />

Unlike the B1 and B3 zoning districts, where<br />

small scale retail and service businesses are<br />

encouraged, the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial<br />

District permits more intensive, auto-oriented<br />

commercial uses generally found along major<br />

arterial streets. Commercial developments in C1<br />

zones are not subject to any size limits unless it<br />

is has a gross floor area of 75,000 square feet or<br />

more, in which case, it is subject to the City’s<br />

Planned Development review process. No<br />

building setbacks are allowed and the building<br />

height limit is 38 feet. This zoning designation<br />

includes only one parcel in the Six Corners Study<br />

Area, a parcel located at the northwest corner of<br />

Belle Plaine and Milwaukee Avenues.<br />

RS Residential Single-Unit (Detached House) Districts<br />

<strong>The</strong> Residential Single Use District allows for the<br />

development of detached houses on individual lots<br />

and is intended for areas where the land-use<br />

pattern is predominately single family residential<br />

or where such a land use pattern is desired in the<br />

future. <strong>The</strong> only areas designated as RS (RS-3) in<br />

the Study Area are the People’s Gas servicing and<br />

storage facility at the southeast corner of Irving<br />

Park Road and Kilpatrick Street, and the Dakin<br />

Street parking lot that once served the Bank of<br />

America property at 4901 West Irving Park Road.<br />

20<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

RT, Residential Two-Flat, Townhouse and Multi-Unit<br />

Districts<br />

<strong>The</strong> Residential Two-Flat, Townhouse and<br />

Multi-Unit District permits detached houses, two<br />

flats and other low density multi-unit residential<br />

buildings compatible in density and scale to<br />

adjacent single family residential neighborhoods.<br />

<strong>The</strong> RT-4 zoning classification is found along<br />

Belle Plaine and Laporte Avenues, where a<br />

concentration of two- and three-flats and garden<br />

apartment complexes are located.<br />

Pedestrian Streets Designation<br />

Much of the Six Corners Study Area is designated<br />

by the City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance as a<br />

“Pedestrian Street”, which authorizes an additional<br />

set of design standards for new development. <strong>The</strong><br />

purpose of the “Pedestrian Street” designation is to<br />

maintain and enhance the traditional, pedestrianoriented<br />

character of the Six Corners shopping<br />

district by promoting high quality new building<br />

design and pedestrian safety and comfort. Design<br />

standards focus on ensuring that new commercial<br />

storefronts are built to the sidewalk with recessed<br />

entranceways and transparent glass and that offstreet<br />

parking is located in the rear of the building.<br />

Strip centers, gas stations, drive-through facilities<br />

and car washes are prohibited uses in designated<br />

Pedestrian Streets.<br />

This designation does not cover the Marketplace at<br />

Six Corners and other shopping centers located in<br />

the District.<br />

Planned Developments<br />

A planned development (PD) review is conducted<br />

by the City’s Department of Housing and<br />

Economic Development in certain instances to<br />

allow flexibility in the application of underlying<br />

zoning requirements and development standards<br />

and to promote higher quality building design<br />

and development. For example, new commercial<br />

developments in B1 zones with more than 75,000<br />

square feet in gross floor area or containing<br />

more than 30 residential units in a mixed- use<br />

development are subject to the PD review<br />

process. It is also meant to ensure the proposed<br />

development is compatible with the character<br />

of the surrounding commercial district and<br />

neighborhood. <strong>The</strong> Marketplace at Six Corners<br />

Shopping Center, which includes the Sears,<br />

Jewel and Marshall stores, and the Klee Plaza<br />

development are the only two PDs in the Six<br />

Corners Study Area.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Pedestrian Streets designation seeks to maintain Six<br />

Corners street wall and pedestrian orientation.<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 21


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 6: COMMUNITY AREAS LOCATION MAP<br />

22<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

SOCIO<strong>ECONOMIC</strong> OVERVIEW<br />

Six Corners is located in the Portage Park<br />

Community Area, one of 77 community areas<br />

designated by the City of Chicago. <strong>The</strong> Irving<br />

Park Community Area lies immediately to the east<br />

of Six Corners, crossing the Kennedy Expressway<br />

and extending east to the Chicago River (see<br />

Figure 6). Within these official community areas<br />

are a number of established neighborhoods. For<br />

example, the Old Irving Park neighborhood is a<br />

portion of the Irving Park Community Area.<br />

Community Areas, comprising a combined<br />

41.9% of residents.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> median age of residents in both<br />

Community Areas has increased since the<br />

2000 Census. <strong>The</strong> median in Portage Park<br />

is now 36.5 years and Irving Park is 34.1<br />

years. <strong>The</strong>se figures are slightly older than the<br />

median age for the City of Chicago, which is<br />

33.1 years.<br />

Population Trends<br />

More than 117,000 people reside in the Portage<br />

Park and Irving Park Community Areas. <strong>The</strong><br />

populations in both Community Areas have<br />

declined slightly during the past decade.<br />

According to the 2010 Census, Portage Park’s<br />

population now stands at 64,124, down from<br />

65,340 in 2000; Irving Park has a 2010 total of<br />

53,359 residents, which is also down from 2000<br />

total of 58,643.<br />

Figure 7 (see following page) presents 2010<br />

Census data and estimates of selected demographic<br />

characteristics for the Portage Park and Irving<br />

Park community areas. A few of the key points<br />

are highlighted below:<br />

• Portage Park and Irving Park are<br />

predominantly family-oriented, with<br />

67.9% and 59.8% of all households,<br />

respectively, identified as families.<br />

Approximately one-third of all<br />

households in the combined area have<br />

children under the age of 18 living at<br />

home.<br />

• Of the total combined population of<br />

117,483, more than two-thirds identified<br />

their race as White alone. People of<br />

Polish and other eastern European<br />

ancestries are well represented in this<br />

population. Hispanics represent the<br />

largest minority group in these two<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 23


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 7: SELECTED DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS<br />

Figure 7. Selected Demographic Characteristics<br />

2010 Demographic Profile<br />

Irving Park and Portage Park Community Areas<br />

Irving Park Portage Park Combined<br />

Count Percent Count Percent Count Percent<br />

Population 53,359 64,124 117,483<br />

Households 20,376 22,804 43,180<br />

Households with 1 Person 6,069 29.8% 5,739 25.2% 11,808 27.3%<br />

Households with 2+ People 14,307 70.2% 17,065 74.8% 31,372 72.7%<br />

Family Households 12,190 59.8% 15,476 67.9% 27,666 64.1%<br />

Nonfamily Households 8,186 40.2% 7,328 32.1% 15,514 35.9%<br />

All Households with Children 6,605 32.4% 7,911 34.7% 14,516 33.6%<br />

Median Household Size 2.60 2.80<br />

Race and Ethnicity<br />

White Alone 33,752 63.3% 46,708 72.8% 80,460 68.5%<br />

Black Alone 2,165 4.1% 1,092 1.7% 3,257 2.8%<br />

Asian 3,858 7.2% 3,073 4.8% 6,931 5.9%<br />

Other Races 13,584 25.5% 13,251 20.7% 26,835 22.8%<br />

Hispanic Origin (Any Race) 24,332 45.6% 24,861 38.8% 49,193 41.9%<br />

Median Age 34.1 36.5<br />

Median Household Income $45,962 $49,925<br />

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Median Household Income estimates are from ESRI Business Analyst<br />

Income Characteristics<br />

ESRI estimates the median annual household<br />

income of the combined Portage Park and Irving<br />

Park Community Areas at $47,950. This figure<br />

is higher than the estimated median household<br />

income for the City of Chicago, which is $41,507.<br />

Six Corners Economic Development Master Plan – Existing Conditions Page 24<br />

Goodman Williams <strong>Group</strong><br />

Households within these community areas include<br />

a wide variety of income levels. As shown in<br />

Figure 8 on following page, a relatively high<br />

proportion of households are at the lower end of<br />

the spectrum, with 24% of households reporting<br />

annual incomes below $25,000. <strong>The</strong> majority<br />

of households (61%) falls in the middle income<br />

strata from $25,000 to $99,999. At the high end,<br />

16% of households in these two Community<br />

Areas have annual incomes above $100,000.<br />

24<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 8: HOUSEHOLDS BY INCOME<br />

Portage Park & Irving Park 2011 Households by Income<br />

Income Category Households Percent<br />

HH Income Base 43,251 100%<br />


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 9: MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME MAP<br />

26<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 10. Housing Occupancy and Tenure<br />

2010 Housing Units by Occupancy Status and Tenure<br />

Portage Park Irving Park Combined<br />

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent<br />

Total Housing Units 24,783 100.0% 22,420 100.0% 47,203 100.0%<br />

Occupied 22,804 92.0% 20,376 90.9% 43,180 91.5%<br />

Owner 12,614 55.3% 9,351 45.9% 21,965 50.9%<br />

Renter 10,190 44.7% 11,025 54.1% 21,215 49.1%<br />

Vacant 1,979 8.0% 2,044 9.1% 4,023 8.5%<br />

Source: US Census Bureau<br />

RESIDENTIAL MARKET OVERVIEW<br />

<strong>The</strong> Portage Park and Irving Park Housing Stock<br />

According to the 2010 Census, these two<br />

community areas have a total of 47,203 housing<br />

units, 91.5% of which were occupied. Both<br />

have high percentages of both renter and<br />

owner households, although Portage Park has a<br />

majority owners and Irving Park has more renter<br />

households.<br />

<strong>The</strong> housing stock in these two community<br />

areas is relatively low density. According to the<br />

estimates presented in Figure 11, 43.8% of the<br />

dwelling units in the Portage Park community<br />

are single-family units, and another 39.9% are<br />

in buildings with two-to four units. Some of the<br />

larger multifamily buildings in this Community<br />

Area are located near Six Corners. <strong>The</strong> Irving Park<br />

Community Area also has a sizable inventory of<br />

single family homes and two-flats, but a higher<br />

concentration of buildings with five or more units.<br />

Figure 11. Characteristics of the Housing Stock<br />

Estimates of Housing Units by Units in Structure<br />

Portage Park<br />

Irving Park<br />

Units % Units %<br />

1-unit, detached 10,855 41.7% 6,135 26.4%<br />

1-unit, attached 541 2.1% 733 3.2%<br />

2 units 6,324 24.3% 5,199 22.4%<br />

3 or 4 units 4,069 15.6% 4,304 18.5%<br />

5 to 9 units 1,937 7.4% 2,939 12.7%<br />

10 to 19 units 1,109 4.3% 1,801 7.8%<br />

20 or more units 1,213 4.7% 2,099 9.0%<br />

Source: US Census American Housing Survey<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 27


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 12. Age of Housing Stock (hOUSING uNITS bY yEAR sTREETUCTURE bUILT) cOMBINED<br />

COMMUNITY aREAS<br />

Data from Multiple Listing Service<br />

Home prices in Portage Park and Irving Park<br />

peaked in 2007 and then began to fall as the<br />

country entered into the recession. Figure 13<br />

shows the median prices for homes sold through<br />

the Multiple Listing Service in seven Northwest<br />

Side Community Areas. In 2007, the median<br />

price in Portage Park was $330,750. By 2011 it<br />

had fallen by almost 50% to $170,000. <strong>The</strong> prices<br />

of single family homes in Irving Park are generally<br />

higher, with a median price of $435,500 in 2007,<br />

falling to $263,500 by 2011.<br />

<strong>The</strong> number of single family homes sold in<br />

Portage Park and Irving Park has rebounded, even<br />

if the prices have not yet shown any improvement<br />

(see Figure 14 on page 30). In 2011, Realtors<br />

sold 298 homes in Portage Park and 174 in Irving<br />

Park, both numbers exceeding the total in 2007.<br />

Park with a median price of only $53,500. <strong>The</strong><br />

prices of condominium units are generally higher<br />

in Irving Park, with a median price of $225,500 in<br />

2007, falling to $115,750 in 2011.<br />

Drawing conclusions from these sales figures<br />

is complicated by many factors related to the<br />

current housing crisis, including the large number<br />

of foreclosures and short sales. As the housing<br />

market recovers, market data will be more<br />

indicative of both existing conditions and future<br />

trends.<br />

<strong>The</strong> median sales price for attached units in these<br />

two Community Areas has also declined sharply<br />

over the last five years. In 2007, the median price<br />

of a condominium unit sold in Portage Park was<br />

$184,000. In 2011, 62 units were sold in Portage<br />

28<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 13. Median Home Prices of Detached Homes<br />

Single Family Detached Median Prices<br />

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011<br />

Albany Park $387,500 $338,000 $268,750 $256,250 $225,000<br />

Avondale $345,000 $235,000 $225,000 $178,750 $204,000<br />

Forest Glen $479,000 $446,200 $389,000 $380,000 $350,000<br />

Irving Park $435,500 $369,500 $292,500 $258,000 $263,500<br />

Jefferson Park $348,750 $290,000 $250,000 $230,000 $223,000<br />

North Park $410,000 $321,500 $308,000 $300,500 $274,500<br />

Portage Park $330,750 $270,000 $216,575 $198,000 $170,000<br />

Source: Midwest Real Estate Data<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 29


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 14. Number of Single Family Detached Homes Sold<br />

Sales of Single Family Detached Homes<br />

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011<br />

Albany Park 88 90 88 90 87<br />

Avondale 55 41 63 66 84<br />

Forest Glen 169 142 133 139 146<br />

Irving Park 154 118 139 174 174<br />

Jefferson Park 136 101 131 111 127<br />

North Park 49 36 49 55 48<br />

Portage Park 236 218 264 279 298<br />

Source: Midwest Real Estate Data<br />

30<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Housing Stock in Six Corners<br />

Residential units in Six Corners are scattered<br />

throughout the district, primarily in multifamily<br />

buildings and traditional commercial buildings<br />

with upper-story apartments. Six Corners also<br />

has one single-room occupancy (SRO) residential<br />

building. <strong>The</strong> 75-room Irving Hotel, located at<br />

4849 W Irving Park Road, serves both men and<br />

women.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Portage <strong>The</strong>ater contains 34 apartments on<br />

the upper floors in the main building fronting<br />

Milwaukee Avenue and in an attached apartment<br />

wing facing Belle Plaine Avenue. Surrounding the<br />

Six Corners Study Area is low density residential<br />

development. <strong>The</strong> majority of the residential<br />

buildings in and outside the Study Area are in<br />

good condition.<br />

New Residential Developments<br />

Klee Plaza is located in the heart of the Six<br />

Corners intersection between Milwaukee and<br />

Cicero north of Irving Park. <strong>The</strong> historic Klee<br />

Building is a five-story art deco building that<br />

formerly housed a men’s clothier on the street<br />

level and provided professional office space on the<br />

upper floors. <strong>The</strong> redeveloped Klee Plaza contains<br />

64 one- and two-bedroom loft-style units with 75<br />

underground parking spaces and 20,000 square<br />

feet of ground-floor commercial space with 23<br />

surface parking spaces.<br />

This key redevelopment project took a number<br />

of years to complete and came on the market in<br />

2005. According to SEJ Development, the project<br />

was close to selling out prior to the recession.<br />

Subsequently, a number of purchasers backed<br />

out or were unable to close. Most of the units<br />

are currently occupied with some in rent-to-own<br />

programs. Ground floor commercial tenants<br />

along Milwaukee and Cicero include the Vitamin<br />

Shoppe, Chiro One, Accelerated Rehab, Pearle<br />

Vision Center, and Cricket.<br />

Mayfair Crossing is a new development of<br />

high-end single family homes located north of<br />

the Marketplace at Six Corners at N Kilpatrick<br />

and Berteau. Developed by CA Development,<br />

Mayfair Crossing will have 26 single-family homes<br />

when completed with a mix of three- and fourbedrooms.<br />

Figure 15 shows current listing prices<br />

of the remaining available lots and/or model<br />

homes.<br />

Figure 15. Mayfair Crossing MLS Listings<br />

Address Listing Price Bedrooms / Baths Sq. Ft.<br />

4231 North Kilpatrick $385,000 3 Bed / 3 Bath 2,500<br />

4147 North Kilpatrick $390,000 3 Bed / 3 Bath 2,500<br />

4217 North Kilpatrick $435,000 4 Bed / 4 Bath 3,080<br />

4207 North Kilpatrick $450,000 4 Bed / 4 Bath 3,100<br />

4155 North Kilpatrick $499,000 4 Bed / 4 Bath 3,080<br />

4201 North Kilpatrick $499,000 4 Bed / 4 Bath 2,736<br />

Source: Realtor.com as of April 17, 2012<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 31


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Proposed Kilpatrick Renaissance<br />

Contributing to the diversity of the area’s housing<br />

stock will be a four-story, 98-unit senior housing<br />

development. <strong>The</strong> Kilpatrick Renaissance will be<br />

built on a 1.14-acre parcel at 4117 N Kilpatrick<br />

between the Mayfair Crossing development and<br />

the Jewel-Osco. <strong>The</strong> development was recently<br />

awarded Low-Income Housing Tax Credits by<br />

the City of Chicago and will include 39 units for<br />

senior households with annual incomes less than<br />

60% of area median income, or about $32,000.<br />

Open Space<br />

No public open space exists within the Six<br />

Corners Study Area. Dickenson Park, located at<br />

Belle Plaine and North Dickenson Avenues, is the<br />

nearest City-owned park to Six Corners. <strong>The</strong> Park<br />

recently underwent a rehabilitation spearheaded<br />

by the Portage Park Neighborhood Association.<br />

RETAIL MARKET ASSESSMENT<br />

Six Corners serves primarily as a center for<br />

neighborhood goods and services. As such,<br />

most of its patrons come from nearby residential<br />

neighborhoods. Commercial establishments such<br />

as Family Fruit Market and Jewel-Osco draw from<br />

a relatively tight trade area extending a mile from<br />

Six Corners. Other retailers, such as Sears and<br />

City Newsstand, draw shoppers from throughout<br />

the Northwest side.<br />

For the purpose of this market assessment, we<br />

have defined a Primary Trade Area for the Six<br />

Corners shopping district. A Primary Trade Area<br />

is usually defined as the area which provides 60%<br />

– 80% of the sales revenue spent in a shopping<br />

center or shopping district. Factors considered in<br />

defining the trade area include the street grid, the<br />

diagonal streets like Milwaukee and Elston, the<br />

competitive shopping centers and districts, and<br />

input from the Shopper Intercept Survey.<br />

<strong>The</strong> boundaries of the Primary Trade Area, as seen<br />

in Figure 16, are following streets:<br />

• Lawrence on the north<br />

• Diversey on the south<br />

• <strong>The</strong> Kennedy on the east<br />

• Central on the west<br />

Competitive Retail Environment<br />

In addition to indicating the Primary Trade Area,<br />

Figure 16 on following page shows the location<br />

of a number of neighboring shopping centers and<br />

commercial districts that compete to some extent<br />

with retailers in Six Corners. Most of these retail<br />

destinations are within a three-mile radius of Six<br />

Corners, illustrated on the map by the black circle.<br />

Descriptions of some of these shopping centers<br />

and retail destinations follow.<br />

Harlem Avenue Corridor<br />

Harlem Avenue (State Highway 43) is a heavily<br />

trafficked commercial corridor in the northwest<br />

suburbs of Norridge and Harwood Heights<br />

approximately three miles west of Six Corners.<br />

<strong>The</strong> corridor is lined with neighborhood strip<br />

centers and larger shopping centers, including the<br />

following:<br />

• <strong>The</strong> largest is Harlem Irving Plaza<br />

(HIP), which is located at North Harlem<br />

Avenue and West Forest Preserve Drive in<br />

Chicago. <strong>The</strong> center was built in 1956 as<br />

an open-air shopping center and enclosed<br />

between 1975 and 1979. A food court<br />

was added in 1996 and a renovation<br />

occurred in 2004. <strong>The</strong> 700,000 square<br />

foot center is currently anchored by<br />

Carson Pirie Scott, Kohl’s, Best Buy, and<br />

Target, and has a total of 114 retailers. A<br />

4.3 acre expansion is being planned that<br />

will feature new retail, restaurants, and<br />

entertainment.<br />

• Norridge Commons, located on the<br />

northeast corner of North Harlem<br />

Avenue and West Forest Preserve Drive, is<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

FIGURE 16: PRIMARY TRADE AREA AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT<br />

a 331,000 square foot shopping center. It<br />

is anchored Kmart, Bed Bath & Beyond,<br />

Michael’s, Old Navy, Petco, hhgregg, and<br />

Ulta among other retailers.<br />

• Harwood Commons is a 142,000 square<br />

foot shopping center located at North<br />

Harlem Avenue and Leland Avenue in<br />

Harwood Heights. Major tenants include<br />

Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, and<br />

Aldi.<br />

Lincoln Village<br />

Lincoln Village, located on N Lincoln Avenue<br />

between Petersen and Devon Avenue, is a 163,000<br />

square-foot shopping center anchored by Office<br />

Depot, Party City, Panera Bread, and Famous<br />

Footwear.<br />

Addison Mall<br />

Addison Mall, a 274,000 square-foot shopping<br />

center, is located on the southeast corner of<br />

Addison and N Sacramento. Target, Dollar<br />

Tree, Payless, and Carter’s are the major anchors<br />

in this center.<br />

Elston Plaza<br />

Elston Plaza is a 91,000 square-foot shopping<br />

center located at Addison and N Elston Avenue.<br />

Major anchors include Jewel-Osco, O’Reilly<br />

Auto Parts, and ATI Physical <strong>The</strong>rapy.<br />

Neighborhood Shopping Districts<br />

Of the many North Side neighborhoods,<br />

Lincoln Square, Logan Square, and Jefferson<br />

Park, have been identified as shopping and<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 33


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

entertainment destinations for residents of Portage<br />

Park and Irving Park.<br />

• Lincoln Square. Lincoln Square is<br />

located approximately 3 miles northeast<br />

of Six Corners. Located near the<br />

Western stop on the CTA Brown Line,<br />

Lincoln Square boasts a vibrant retail and<br />

entertainment district. Kempf Plaza, a<br />

public square located on 4700 block of<br />

N Lincoln, is surrounded by a diverse<br />

mix of restaurants and businesses and<br />

functions as a popular destination in the<br />

neighborhood. Cultural institutions,<br />

such as the Davis <strong>The</strong>ater, Lincoln<br />

Square <strong>The</strong>ater, Dank Haus and Old<br />

Town School of Folk Music, are wellestablished<br />

fixtures in Lincoln Square<br />

and attract patrons from the surrounding<br />

neighborhoods in the City and near-in<br />

suburbs.<br />

• Logan Square. Located less than three<br />

miles southeast of Six Corners on<br />

Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Square attracts<br />

Portage Park and Irving Park residents.<br />

<strong>The</strong> eclectic neighborhood has an array<br />

of restaurants and businesses that radiate<br />

off the public square, which is located<br />

at the intersection of Logan Boulevard<br />

and Milwaukee and Kedzie Avenues.<br />

Entertainment venues, such as the Logan<br />

<strong>The</strong>atre and Congress <strong>The</strong>ater, are<br />

prominent attractions, drawing theater<br />

and concert goers from the neighboring<br />

community areas and outside the City.<br />

• Jefferson Park. Jefferson Park’s<br />

commercial core is located approximately<br />

1.5 miles northwest of Six Corners near<br />

the intersection of N Milwaukee and<br />

W Lawrence Avenues. <strong>The</strong> area has a<br />

diverse mix of restaurants and businesses<br />

located mostly along Milwaukee Avenue.<br />

Cultural institutions, such as the<br />

Copernicus Cultural and Civic Center<br />

and <strong>The</strong> Gift <strong>The</strong>ater, attract patrons<br />

from nearby neighborhoods. Veteran’s<br />

Square, which has 100,000 square feet<br />

of office space and 30,000 square feet of<br />

adjacent retail space, is located one block<br />

north of the Milwaukee and Lawrence<br />

Avenues intersection.<br />

Grocery Stores and Pharmacies<br />

Grocery stores and pharmacies are key elements<br />

of neighborhood retail districts, often anchoring<br />

local shopping centers. <strong>The</strong> Northwest side of<br />

Chicago is well-served by grocery stores and<br />

pharmacies. Figure 18 shows the location of the<br />

major chains within a three-mile radius of Six<br />

Corners. Jewel-Osco and Walgreen’s are located<br />

within the Primary Trade Area, while Aldi and<br />

CVS are located along the borders. Higher-end<br />

grocers, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and<br />

a new Mariano’s have locations further north and<br />

east of the Six Corners Primary Trade Area. <strong>The</strong><br />

following table shows the number of grocery stores<br />

by brand.<br />

Figure 17. Grocery Stores Within a Three-<br />

Mile Radius of Six Corners<br />

Summary of Grocery Stores Locations<br />

Total<br />

Name<br />

Locations<br />

Jewel-Osco 9<br />

ALDI 8<br />

Target 3<br />

Dominick’s 2<br />

Food 4 Less 1<br />

Mariano’s Fresh Market 1<br />

Save-A-Lot 1<br />

Trader Joe’s 1<br />

Whole Foods 1<br />

Total 27<br />

Source: Company websites<br />

34<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 18: Grocery & Pharmacy Location Map<br />

Retail Demand Analysis<br />

One method of estimating the potential for<br />

additional retail development in Six Corners is to<br />

determine the expenditure potential of households<br />

within the Primary Trade Area and compare it<br />

to estimates of actual sales that take place within<br />

this area. If certain categories are “leaking” sales<br />

to other shopping districts, it may represent an<br />

opportunity for additional stores in the Trade<br />

Area.<br />

Figure 19 shows household expenditure and<br />

sales estimates from ESRI, a national vendor<br />

of business data. <strong>The</strong> Primary Trade Area has<br />

33,563 households which spend an estimated<br />

$777.9-million annually on retail expenditures<br />

including restaurants (labeled on the table as<br />

Demand). Business establishments located within<br />

the Primary Trade Area report an estimated<br />

$636.5-million in sales (labeled on the table as<br />

Supply). More than $141 million of the total<br />

potential demand is not captured in the Trade<br />

Area (labeled on the table in green as the Retail<br />

Gap), indicating retail leakage and potential<br />

opportunity.<br />

Figure 19 breaks out the demand and supply<br />

estimates for selected retail categories that<br />

would be appropriate additions to Six Corners.<br />

<strong>The</strong> categories that provide the most likely<br />

opportunities are discussed below.<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 35


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Restaurants. Additional full-service restaurants<br />

and limited-service restaurants represent a major<br />

opportunity for Six Corners. Within the Primary<br />

Trade Area, more than $31 million is being spent<br />

on restaurants and bars outside the area. To put<br />

that in context, a McDonald’s might generate<br />

annual sales of $3 million. A small independent<br />

restaurant might do less than $1 million.<br />

A combination of casual, limited-service<br />

establishments oriented to families and teens, as<br />

well as full-service restaurants and bars would add<br />

to the vibrancy of the Six Corners. Additional<br />

restaurants would also complement existing<br />

retail, service, and entertainment establishments,<br />

including the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater. Locally-owned<br />

restaurants would be appropriate tenants to rehab<br />

and occupy the existing vacant storefronts. Chain<br />

restaurants would be more likely to choose spaces<br />

in the existing shopping centers which offer offstreet<br />

parking.<br />

Some restauranteurs have already identified the<br />

opportunity in Six Corners, announcing their<br />

interest in opening new establishments. Figure<br />

20 identifies locations with new or proposed<br />

restaurants as well as locations that have strong<br />

potential.<br />

Figure 19: Primary Trade Area Leakage Analysis<br />

Primary Trade Area Leakage Analysis<br />

2010 Population 99,677<br />

2010 Households 33,563<br />

2010 Median Disposable Income $42,773<br />

2010 Per Capita Income $21,480<br />

Demand Supply Retail Gap<br />

(Retail<br />

Potential)<br />

(Demand -<br />

Supply)<br />

(Retail Sales)<br />

Industry Summary<br />

Total Retail Trade and Food & Drink $777,890,775 $636,573,722 $141,317,052<br />

Total Retail Trade $655,813,646 $545,562,675 $110,250,972<br />

Total Food & Drink $122,077,128 $91,011,048 $31,066,081<br />

Select Industry <strong>Group</strong><br />

Food Services & Drinking Places $122,077,128 $91,011,048 $31,066,081<br />

Full-Service Restaurants $56,087,010 $36,494,067 $19,592,944<br />

Limited-Service Eating Places $44,079,284 $29,899,347 $14,179,937<br />

Electronics & Appliance Stores $18,790,891 $10,478,103 $8,312,788<br />

Furniture & Home Furnishings Stores $20,832,367 $29,999,850 ($9,167,483)<br />

Furniture Stores $13,345,883 $8,775,279 $4,570,604<br />

Home Furnishings Stores $7,486,484 $21,224,571 ($13,738,086)<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 19: Primary Trade Area Leakage Analysis Continued<br />

Bldg Materials, Garden Equip. & Supply Stores $25,085,950 $13,902,208 $11,183,742<br />

Bldg Material & Supplies Dealers $23,824,995 $13,650,932 $10,174,063<br />

Lawn & Garden Equip & Supply Stores $1,260,955 $251,275 $1,009,679<br />

Food & Beverage Stores $143,423,168 $159,220,155 ($15,796,987)<br />

Grocery Stores $130,360,060 $124,307,989 $6,052,071<br />

Specialty Food Stores $5,157,172 $19,777,106 ($14,619,935)<br />

Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores $7,905,937 $15,135,060 ($7,229,123)<br />

Clothing & Clothing Accessories Stores $35,866,745 $19,745,856 $16,120,890<br />

Clothing Stores $27,600,085 $12,915,977 $14,684,108<br />

Shoe Stores $4,178,663 $2,795,310 $1,383,353<br />

Jewelry, Luggage & Leather Goods Stores $4,087,997 $4,034,568 $53,428<br />

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book & Music Stores $8,389,375 $2,636,314 $5,753,062<br />

Sporting Goods/Hobby/Musical Instr Stores $4,790,969 $1,122,653 $3,668,317<br />

Book, Periodical & Music Stores $3,598,406 $1,513,661 $2,084,745<br />

Miscellaneous Store Retailers $11,509,730 $5,966,915 $5,542,815<br />

Florists $821,165 $184,303 $636,862<br />

Office Supplies, Stationery & Gift Stores $2,532,468 $2,581,431 ($48,963)<br />

Used Merchandise Stores $705,699 $219,547 $486,152<br />

Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers $7,450,399 $2,981,634 $4,468,765<br />

Source: ESRI Business Analyst<br />

Figure 20. Proposed / Potential Restaurant Development Locations<br />

Potential Restaurant Locations in Six Corners<br />

Name Address Status<br />

Family Pasta 4929 W Irving Park Open<br />

Six Corners Bistro 3930 N Cicero Under construction<br />

Pomo Dulce 4029 N Milwaukee Proposed<br />

New restaurant 4901 W Irving Park Building for sale<br />

Borowik building 4801 W Irving Park Space for lease<br />

Coffee Shop Lobby of Sears Discussed at one point<br />

Quick casual Marketplace at 6 Corners Potential retenanting of Blockbuster<br />

Source: Six Corners Association and Goodman Williams <strong>Group</strong><br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 37


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Grocery Stores<br />

Six Corners already has two successful grocery<br />

stores, the Jewel-Osco and the locally-owned<br />

Family Fruit Market. While the leakage analysis<br />

does not indicate that the Food and Beverage<br />

category is particularly under-stored, Aldi has<br />

indicated a strong interest in Six Corners and is<br />

currently analyzing the potential to locate a store<br />

in the 4901 W Irving Park building. A location in<br />

Six Corners would complete their coverage of this<br />

portion of the Northwest Side.<br />

Aldi is a grocery chain whose products are<br />

primarily their exclusive brands, allowing them<br />

to offer items at low prices. With their limited<br />

product assortment, they have a typical store<br />

footprint of about 17,000 square feet and could<br />

be expected to have annual sales of approximately<br />

$7-million.<br />

Small Independent Stores<br />

Bakeries and specialty food stores selling Polish,<br />

Mexican, Middle Eastern, or other ethnic<br />

specialties might find a business niche in Six<br />

Corners. Local retailers selling a variety of types of<br />

merchandise, such as apparel and accessories and<br />

home décor, would also be appropriate tenants<br />

for the smaller vacant spaces on the north side<br />

of Irving Park and along N Milwaukee. Rents<br />

in these existing storefronts would be lower<br />

than those in newer buildings, providing more<br />

opportunities for local merchants and start-up<br />

businesses.<br />

Larger-Format National Chains<br />

National or regional retailers in categories such<br />

as electronics, sporting goods, lawn and garden<br />

supply, furniture, and apparel have specific<br />

requirements for the size and configuration of<br />

their space. <strong>The</strong>y might be looking for between<br />

15,000 and 35,000 square feet, visibility from<br />

high-traffic arterials and ample off-street parking.<br />

National retailers would likely pay in excess of<br />

$20 per square foot on a triple net basis (excluding<br />

utilities) to get modern retail space with the proper<br />

configuration.<br />

Over time, Six Corners could support additional<br />

larger-format stores, if appropriate stores or sites<br />

were available. <strong>The</strong>se larger stores may be more<br />

suitable for sites located east of Cicero, where the<br />

development pattern is more automobile-oriented.<br />

Cultural Offerings and Retail Supportive Service Uses<br />

Six Corners is being actively marketed as a<br />

destination for more cultural and entertainment<br />

venues. From children’s theater to adult music<br />

venues, these types of uses attract more people into<br />

the district, supporting area retailers.<br />

Other types of services uses would also help to<br />

fill the vacant storefronts. Service uses that are<br />

particularly supportive of retail uses include:<br />

• Fitness, yoga, and pilates studios<br />

• Youth oriented classes (Tae kwon do,<br />

music lessons, academic tutoring)<br />

• Health and beauty/personal services<br />

• Medical and dental offices<br />

SHOPPER INTERCEPT SURVEY<br />

To gain a better understanding of the Six Corners<br />

market area and its patrons, Goodman Williams<br />

<strong>Group</strong> conducted a survey of shoppers at various<br />

locations in Six Corners on multiple weekends<br />

in March 2012. A total of 150 surveys were<br />

collected. In addition to surveying key shopping<br />

locations, Goodman Williams <strong>Group</strong> also<br />

conducted a survey at the Northwest Chicago<br />

Film Society screening of <strong>The</strong> Twentieth Century<br />

on February 29, 2012 at the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater. A<br />

total of 79 surveys were returned. A breakdown<br />

of the seven destinations surveyed is summarized<br />

in Figure 21. <strong>The</strong> complete Portage and Shopper<br />

Intercept survey results are included in the<br />

Addenda to this report.<br />

38<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 21. Summary Table of Shopper Intercept Surveys<br />

Summary Table of Shopper Intercept Surveys<br />

Location Date Time<br />

Portage <strong>The</strong>ater 2/29/2012 Evening 79<br />

Jewel-Osco (by front door) 3/3/2012 11:00 A M 26<br />

Sears (by front and back doors) 3/3/2012 11:00 A M 30<br />

Family Fruit Market 3/3/2012 11:00 A M 34<br />

LA Fitness / Bally (entrance on Milwaukee) 3/10/2012 11:00 A M 10<br />

4800 block W Irving Park 3/10/2012 11:00 A M 31<br />

3900 block N Cicero 3/10/2012 11:00 A M 19<br />

Subtotal Shopper Surveys 150<br />

Total (including Portage <strong>The</strong>ater) 229<br />

Portage <strong>The</strong>ater Survey Findings<br />

<strong>The</strong> Portage is typically booked at least three<br />

nights per week to a variety of groups that<br />

attract diverse audiences. Since February 2011,<br />

the Northwest Chicago Film Society has run a<br />

classic film series at the Portage on Wednesday<br />

nights with an admission price of $5.00. Total<br />

attendance in 2011 was 4,395. To gain a better<br />

understanding of this audience, a survey was<br />

conducted on February 29, 2012. Pertinent<br />

findings from the 79 completed surveys include<br />

the following:<br />

Where Patrons Live / Means of Transportation<br />

Moviegoers came to the Portage from more than<br />

40 zip codes extending from Evanston on the<br />

north to the Beverly neighborhood on the south.<br />

Figure 22 identifies the zip codes in relation to the<br />

Portage and Six Corners. Approximately 75% of<br />

the respondents came by car.<br />

Frequency of Visits. Patrons regularly attend<br />

events at the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater. 63.3% of the survey<br />

respondents come to the Portage at least once a<br />

month. Only 5 respondents said it was their first<br />

visit.<br />

Shopping in Six Corners. In addition to attending<br />

the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater, 58.2% of theater attendees<br />

shop at other stores in Six Corners. Sears, City<br />

Newsstand, Jewel-Osco, and Fantasy Costumes<br />

were the most frequently cited responses. A<br />

smaller percentage (30.4%) of Portage patrons<br />

eat at quick- and full-service restaurants in Six<br />

Corners, such as Lomas Verdes and Las Tablas.<br />

Desired Establishments. Almost half (or 46.7%) of<br />

all responses to “What would you like to see more<br />

of in Six Corners”, was “Restaurants,” suggesting<br />

untapped demand from movie patrons. <strong>The</strong> next<br />

most frequent responses were “Retail” with 22.9%<br />

and “Evening entertainment” with 20.0%.<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 39


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 22. ZIP CODES OF PORTAGE THEATER SURVEY RESPONDENTS<br />

40<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Retail Shopper Intercept Survey Findings<br />

Shopper intercept surveys were conducted on<br />

two consecutive Saturdays in March 2012.<br />

Surveyors stood outside anchor retailers in<br />

three-hour segments as patrons entered and left<br />

establishments. <strong>The</strong> first round of surveys was<br />

collected outside Sears, Jewel-Osco, and Family<br />

Fruit Market. <strong>The</strong> second day of surveying focused<br />

on LA Fitness, Chase Bank and Family Dollar on<br />

W Irving Park, and the 3900 block of N Cicero<br />

Avenue. A total of 150 surveys were collected<br />

between all six locations.<br />

Where Patrons Live. Sears attracts its patrons from<br />

throughout the Northwest side. Of all respondents<br />

at the Sears location, 25.0% of patrons reported<br />

a home zip code of 60641 and another 17.9%<br />

lived in 60647. In contrast, Family Fruit Market<br />

and Jewel-Osco have a tighter trade area, with<br />

most shoppers coming from the 60641 zip code,<br />

reinforcing their positions as neighborhood<br />

grocery stores in Six Corners.<br />

Where do Patrons Shop in Six Corners. Twothirds<br />

of the respondents shopped at one of three<br />

anchors in Six Corners: Jewel-Osco, Family Fruit<br />

Market, and Sears. Chase bank (4854 W Irving<br />

Park) was the next most frequently cited response<br />

followed by LA Fitness (3970 N Milwaukee Ave).<br />

Survey results indicate that Six Corners’ anchor<br />

fulfill basic shopping needs for local patrons.<br />

70.0% of the survey respondents come to Six<br />

Corners weekly or more than once a week.<br />

Mode of Transportation. <strong>The</strong> majority (60.7%) of<br />

patrons reported that they travel to Six Corners<br />

by car and typically park in the anchors’ parking<br />

lots. For those respondents that drove and<br />

planned to visit more than one destination, 48.1%<br />

answered “yes” to moving their car, reinforcing the<br />

automobile orientation of Six Corners.<br />

Diversity of Population. <strong>The</strong> shopper intercept<br />

survey reflects a diverse population that shops in<br />

Six Corners:<br />

• Six Corners patrons are a mix of young<br />

and older adults. 42.9% of patrons<br />

classified themselves in the 45-64 age<br />

category, while 34.3% were in the 25-44<br />

age bracket.<br />

• Households with a range of household<br />

income levels shop in Six Corners. 26.1%<br />

of respondents identified themselves in<br />

the $50,000-$74,999 household income<br />

level while 25.2% were in the $25,000-<br />

$49,999 level.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> majority of respondents (70.7%) did<br />

not have children under the age of 18<br />

living at home. Getting survey responses<br />

from families with children present<br />

proved more difficult than from adults<br />

without children, so this response may<br />

not be representative of the Six Corner<br />

shopper base.<br />

• Nearly one-third (31.4%) identified<br />

themselves as Hispanic, reflecting the<br />

growing Hispanic population in the<br />

Portage Park and Irving Park community<br />

areas.<br />

Desired Establishments. When it comes to what<br />

people want more of in Six Corners, “Restaurants”<br />

was the top response, receiving 49% of all survey<br />

responses. <strong>The</strong> next most frequent responses were<br />

“Retail” (25%) and “Evening entertainment”<br />

(16%).<br />

Old Irving Park Association Resident Survey<br />

In August and September 2011, the Old Irving<br />

Park Association’s Business Development<br />

Committee conducted a survey of residents living<br />

in its own neighborhood and other Northwest<br />

Side neighborhoods to help identify where<br />

residents currently shop and what additions they<br />

want in Old Irving Park. Over 500 surveys were<br />

completed online or mailed into OIPA. A few key<br />

points are highlighted below:<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 41


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

• <strong>The</strong> retail district is important to the<br />

local housing market. Approximately<br />

two-thirds of respondents felt that the<br />

state of the neighborhood commercial<br />

district will moderately or strongly<br />

influence their decision to stay in Old<br />

Irving Park. Results indicate that the<br />

majority of residents intend to stay in<br />

the neighborhood for at least five years<br />

while another third of respondents are<br />

undecided.<br />

• 94% of all responses indicated the poor<br />

selection of goods and services in Old<br />

Irving Park as a major disadvantage to the<br />

neighborhood.<br />

• Survey respondents traveled to the nearby<br />

suburbs of Skokie and Niles for shopping,<br />

dining and entertainment. 40%<br />

identified Lincoln Square as a frequent<br />

shopping destination. Another 34%<br />

traveled to the North Avenue/Clybourn<br />

corridor to shop and dine.<br />

• Respondents are seeking “an improved,<br />

higher quality selection and experience<br />

that match the demographics of the<br />

neighborhood.”<br />

Figure 23. Selected OIPA Survey Results<br />

42<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 23. Selected OIPA Survey Results<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 43


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

PARKING AND CIRCULATION<br />

As part of the Six Corners Master Plan process,<br />

Gewalt Hamilton Associates has examined the<br />

existing parking, traffic, and pedestrian conditions<br />

within the Six Corners commercial district (“Study<br />

Area”). <strong>The</strong> transportation analysis addresses the<br />

current capacities, concerns and opportunities as<br />

they relate to:<br />

• Parking Facilities<br />

• Traffic Circulation<br />

• Pedestrian Circulation<br />

• Bicycle Circulation/Facilities.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se factors are key to creating a plan that<br />

maximizes the potential of Six Corners.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Study Area is located at the confluence of<br />

three major arterials, Irving Park Road (IL 19),<br />

Milwaukee Avenue, and Cicero Avenue (IL 50),<br />

forming the six-legged “Six Corners” intersection<br />

which accommodates over 70,000 vehicles per day<br />

passing through the intersection. <strong>The</strong>se high levels<br />

of traffic are both an asset and a liability to the<br />

Study Area.<br />

Six Corners is well served by public transportation.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Metra Milwaukee District Line stations are<br />

located at Mayfair (3 blocks north of the Six<br />

Corners intersection) and Grayland (2 blocks to<br />

the south), within easy walking distance. CTA<br />

provides bus service on Cicero to the north and<br />

south via routes 54 and 54 A, as well as route 80<br />

along Irving Park Road and 56 along Milwaukee.<br />

Parking<br />

Parking in the Study Area is provided on-street<br />

and within public and private off-street parking<br />

facilities. Overall, the Study Area supplies over<br />

1,900 parking spaces of which only about 40%<br />

are occupied at peak demand. Parking counts<br />

were taken on Saturday, March 3, 2012 from<br />

10:00 AM to 9:00 PM with the purpose of<br />

documenting existing parking supply and demand<br />

within the Study Area and better understanding<br />

parking dynamics during peak times on a typical<br />

weekend. <strong>The</strong>se data will allow for the City and<br />

the Six Corners Association to better plan for<br />

new development, redistribution, and improved<br />

parking operations in the Study Area.<br />

Figure 24 on following page identifies the<br />

locations of all parking lots and on-street parking<br />

inventoried and studied. All major parking lots<br />

within the Study Area as well as all on-street<br />

parking spaces were surveyed for supply and<br />

occupancy. This included a total of 1,582 parking<br />

lot spaces and 341 on-street spaces. On-street<br />

spaces were estimated based on linear distances.<br />

Figure 25 on following page illustrates the spaces<br />

occupied in the various parking lots included in<br />

the study as well as their peak occupancy times.<br />

Key observations follow:<br />

• Lot 1A (Sears) peaked at 4:00 PM with<br />

109/193 spaces occupied (56%).<br />

• Lot 1C (Jewel) peaked at 1:00 PM with<br />

168/265 spaces occupied (63%).<br />

• Lot 1D (Marshalls) peaked at 1:00 PM<br />

with 97/174 spaces occupied (55%).<br />

• <strong>The</strong> remaining lots had very low parking<br />

counts during the rest of the day. <strong>The</strong><br />

Bank of America lot (Lot 2) peaked at<br />

24% occupancy at 11:00 AM and the<br />

Laporte Lot (Lot 7) peaked at 28%<br />

occupancy at 9:00 PM.<br />

• No tow trucks were observed towing<br />

patrons from any lots in the Study Area.<br />

Figure 26 on page 46 illustrates the occupied<br />

spaces on each of the various block faces within<br />

the Study Area. Pertinent observations include:<br />

44<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 24. PARKING LOT LOCATIONS<br />

Figure 25: <strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> PARKING SURVEY RESULTS; MARCH 3, 2012<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 45


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 26: ON-STREET PARKING SURVEY RESULTS; MARCH 3, 2012<br />

• On-street parking activity peaked at 1:00<br />

PM with 58% of the on-street spaces<br />

occupied.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> most active on-street parking area<br />

was along Milwaukee Avenue in the<br />

vicinity of the Portage <strong>The</strong>ater.<br />

• Parking occupancies increased in the<br />

evening near the Portage <strong>The</strong>atre and<br />

along Irving Park Road, west of Cicero<br />

Avenue.<br />

Figure 27 illustrates the occupancy of Dakin Street<br />

and Byron Street, which are permit-only parking<br />

streets. Pertinent observations include:<br />

• Byron Street & Dakin Street had the<br />

highest occupancies of any observed<br />

on-street parking areas, suggesting they<br />

are heavily utilized by area residents.<br />

• Only a few cars on each block during<br />

each hour were observed to park illegally<br />

without the required parking permit.<br />

Figure 28 on page 48 documents the on-street<br />

parking signage for each block face surveyed<br />

during the study.<br />

Traffic Circulation and Operations<br />

Traffic data were collected and the Study Area’s<br />

street network was inventoried and reviewed<br />

in order to determine issues and potential<br />

opportunities related to automobile travel. <strong>The</strong><br />

46<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 27: PERMIT PARKING SURVEY RESULTS; DAKIN AND BYRON STREETS; MARCH 3, 2012<br />

Six Corners intersection accommodates over<br />

70,000 vehicles per day, with vehicular counts for<br />

each arterial as follows.<br />

• Cicero Avenue (IL 50) is a Principal<br />

Arterial that provides two travel lanes in<br />

each direction with a center turn lane<br />

and parking on both sides of the street<br />

in most areas. Cicero Avenue carries<br />

over 29,000 vehicles per day through the<br />

Study Area.<br />

• Irving Park Road (IL 19) is another<br />

Principal Arterial that provides two travel<br />

lanes in each direction and parking on<br />

both sides in most locations. Irving Park<br />

Road carries about 28,000 vehicles per<br />

day, similar in volume to Cicero Avenue.<br />

• Milwaukee Avenue is an Urban Collector<br />

and provides one travel lane in each<br />

direction and parking on both sides. It<br />

carries 10,800-14,800 vehicles per day.<br />

• Other streets in the Study Area are<br />

residential or minor collectors, many of<br />

them one-way with parking.<br />

Figure 29 on page 51 identifies key traffic issues<br />

and information in the Study Area, which are<br />

described below.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> recent CDOT Streetscape project<br />

included several traffic and intersection<br />

improvements such as:<br />

<br />

New right-turn lane on southbound<br />

Cicero<br />

<br />

A reconfigured Milwaukee/<br />

Kilpatrick/Byron intersection with a<br />

new traffic signal<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 47


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 28: Parkiing Restrirctions: Six Corners study area<br />

48<br />

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EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 28: Parkiing Restrirctions: Six Corners study area continued<br />

<br />

New traffic signal at the Milwaukee/<br />

Belle Plaine intersection<br />

<br />

Traffic signal modernization<br />

at Cicero/Irving Park/Milwaukee and<br />

Milwaukee/Berteau intersections<br />

<br />

New median planter on Cicero that<br />

improves traffic operations by<br />

restricting turning movements in and<br />

out of the shopping center driveway.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> many approaches of the Cicero/<br />

Irving Park/Milwaukee intersection<br />

cause traffic operations to be slow and<br />

congested resulting in long queues,<br />

especially during the evening peak hour.<br />

• Turning movement restrictions at the<br />

Irving Park/Cicero/Milwaukee traffic<br />

signal help improve traffic operations and<br />

safety at the intersection. Left turns are<br />

prohibited for traffic on Irving Park Road<br />

and Milwaukee Avenue.<br />

• On-street parking along Irving Park Road<br />

and Cicero Avenue is difficult during<br />

peak hour due to the high volumes of<br />

traffic traveling along the streets.<br />

Pedestrian Circulation<br />

<strong>The</strong> Six Corners intersection is considered a<br />

pedestrian-oriented shopping district and the<br />

legs of the intersection are designated “Pedestrian<br />

Streets”. Special regulations along “Pedestrian<br />

Streets” are intended to preserve and enhance<br />

the character of streets. <strong>The</strong> regulations are<br />

intended to promote transit, economic vitality and<br />

pedestrian safety and comfort (See Figure 29 on<br />

page 51).<br />

While pedestrian crosswalks and countdown<br />

signals are installed at the key intersections, large<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 49


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

traffic volumes and longer distances between<br />

signalized crossing areas are challenging. In some<br />

cases, for example Milwaukee Avenue south of<br />

Irving Park, the sidewalk is next to the street with<br />

no separation, making pedestrians feel unsafe.<br />

<strong>The</strong> long pedestrian crossing distances at the Six<br />

Corner intersection due to the alignment of the<br />

intersecting streets makes the intersection wider<br />

than some other six-legged intersection in the<br />

City.<br />

lane width for bikes to share with automobiles. As<br />

part of the streetscape project, several new bike<br />

racks were installed in the Study Area. Unlike<br />

Milwaukee Avenue, both Irving Park Road and<br />

Cicero Avenue are not bike friendly streets having<br />

high traffic volumes and limited space for cyclists.<br />

Pedestrian circulation throughout the Study Area<br />

was observed and noted, and key observations<br />

follow:<br />

• <strong>The</strong> recent streetscape improvements<br />

improve pedestrian crosswalk visibility<br />

at the intersections along Milwaukee,<br />

especially at the Irving Park/Cicero/<br />

Milwaukee intersection. Pedestrian<br />

countdown signals have been installed on<br />

all legs of the intersection.<br />

Median planter on Cicero where pedestrians regularly cross<br />

east-west unprotected<br />

• <strong>The</strong> sidewalk replacement and new<br />

sidewalk planters along Milwaukee<br />

improve pedestrian safety and experience<br />

by buffering the walking zone from the<br />

automobile traffic. Other enhancements<br />

that strengthen the pedestrian<br />

environment include pedestrian lighting,<br />

gateway features, and information kiosks.<br />

• A significant number of pedestrians<br />

crossing Cicero Avenue north of Irving<br />

Park Road utilize the new raised median<br />

planter on Cicero as a refuge area.<br />

Pedestrians are crossing Cicero as they<br />

come out of the north Sears entry and are<br />

heading west and south.<br />

Bicycle Mobility/Facilities<br />

Milwaukee Avenue is one of the most highly<br />

bicycled streets in the City. While Milwaukee<br />

Avenue does not provide designated on-street<br />

bike facilities, it is a designated bike route with<br />

medium traffic speeds and volumes and adequate<br />

New stamped crosswalks on Milwaukee Avenue<br />

50<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


EXISTING CONDITIONS<br />

Figure 29: transportation issues map<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 51


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ADDENDA


ADDENDA<br />

addenda<br />

Addenda #1: business inventory for six corners<br />

54<br />

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ADDENDA<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 55


ADDENDA<br />

Addenda #2: shopper intercept survey summary tables<br />

56<br />

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ADDENDA<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 57


ADDENDA<br />

Addenda #2: shopper intercept survey summary tables Continued<br />

58<br />

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ADDENDA<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 59


ADDENDA<br />

ADDenda #2: shopper intercept survey summary tables Continued<br />

60<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


ADDENDA<br />

Addenda #3: history OF <strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> and historic designation opportuntities<br />

History of Six Corners<br />

Just a few scattered businesses were located in<br />

the Portage Park neighborhood before Jefferson<br />

Township was annexed to Chicago in 1889.<br />

<strong>The</strong> extension soon after of the Irving Park and<br />

Milwaukee Avenue street railway lines began to<br />

attract some additional commercial development.<br />

Today, however, only one structure remains<br />

from this early period, a former drug store at the<br />

southwest corner of Irving and Cicero (4805 W<br />

Irving Park) with a round corner tower that just<br />

hints at its original Queen Anne heritage.<br />

A few smaller, multi-story commercial blocks went<br />

up in the first two decades of the 20th century,<br />

having storefronts at grade and apartments above,<br />

with simplified historic detailing, often classical.<br />

<strong>The</strong> largest extant building from this period is the<br />

Bank of America building, on the southeast corner<br />

of Irving Park and Milwaukee, which sadly lost its<br />

impressive classical limestone façade in the 1990s<br />

when it was stripped and modernized.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bulk of commercial development existing today<br />

along Irving Park and Milwaukee dates from the<br />

1920s through the 1940s. By 1924, solid rows of<br />

storefront buildings lined both sides of Milwaukee<br />

Avenue north of the intersection, development<br />

that was probably spurred on by the opening of the<br />

Portage <strong>The</strong>ater in 1920. Other storefront buildings<br />

were clustered near the intersection on the other<br />

major streets, and scattered beyond that. <strong>The</strong> Klee<br />

Building, on the triangular corner formed between<br />

Milwaukee and Cicero north of Irving Park, replaced<br />

some of these smaller buildings in 1928, as did the<br />

Lamon Court Apartments and Hotel. Most of the<br />

district remained concentrated in the northwest<br />

quadrant of the intersection and on both sides of<br />

Irving Park. <strong>The</strong>re was far less development east of<br />

Cicero in the large block that would be bought up<br />

by Sears Roebuck for its 1938 department store.<br />

<strong>The</strong> opening of Sears transformed the shopping<br />

district so that by 1951 almost all available lots<br />

on both sides of Irving Park Road from Lavergne<br />

east to Cicero, on Milwaukee Avenue from Irving<br />

Park north to Belle Plaine, and on Cicero Avenue<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN 61


ADDENDA<br />

a half block north and south were filled in with<br />

commercial structures. On West Irving Park<br />

in particular, one-story storefronts went up in<br />

the moderne style of the late 1940s; many of<br />

these stand vacant today. Parcels east of the<br />

bank remained largely undeveloped while the<br />

manufacturing concerns on the south leg of<br />

Milwaukee blocked commercial expansion.<br />

<strong>The</strong> wide geographic spread of the Six Corners<br />

shopping district from its heyday into the 1970s is<br />

still evident, although parcels on the fringes have<br />

been consolidated into strip malls or more recently<br />

redeveloped for residential townhouses. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />

gaps here and there along all but the two most<br />

solid historic sections, North Milwaukee Avenue<br />

and West Irving Park Road.<br />

Individual Landmarks<br />

Peoples Gas Company Irving Park Store, 4839 W<br />

Irving Park Road, was designated a local Chicago<br />

landmark on February 18, 1987. Designed by<br />

George Grant Elmslie and Hermann V. Von<br />

Holst, this 1926 two-story limestone commercial<br />

block features embellished stone carvings in the<br />

Sullivanesque ornamental style. <strong>The</strong> building<br />

was rated red in the Chicago Historic Resources<br />

Survey and was also included in the Illinois<br />

Historic Structures Survey.<br />

Portage Park <strong>The</strong>atre Building, 4042-60 N<br />

Milwaukee Avenue is pending local landmark<br />

designation by the Chicago City Council. It was<br />

granted preliminary local landmark status on April<br />

5, 2012 by the Chicago Landmarks Commission.<br />

This three-story combined theater, storefronts,<br />

and apartment building was designed by Lindley<br />

P. Rowe in association with Fridstein & Co.<br />

and opened in 1920. <strong>The</strong> red-brick façade with<br />

cream-colored terra cotta features an unusual<br />

combination of classical and Art Moderne stylistic<br />

influences. <strong>The</strong> building was rated orange in the<br />

Chicago Historic Resources Survey.<br />

W Irving Park Road was noted in the AIA Guide<br />

to Chicago and probably absent from the CHRS<br />

because it only included buildings that appeared<br />

older than 1940. <strong>The</strong> 1938 design by Nimmon,<br />

Carr & Wright was starkly modern, with plain<br />

concrete facades setting off large display windows<br />

intended for the presentation of merchandise.<br />

Unfortunately this signature feature has been<br />

altered from its original design.<br />

Proposed Historic District<br />

<strong>The</strong> Six Corners Association began pursuing<br />

the possibility of listing as a National Register<br />

Historic District in 2008 when a preliminary<br />

eligibility report was prepared by a consultant and<br />

submitted to the Illinois Historic Preservation<br />

Agency for consideration. IHPA staff concluded<br />

the proposed district was not eligible due to too<br />

many (26%) non-contributing structures within<br />

the proposed boundary and the exclusion of two<br />

of the six corners. A second consultant conducted<br />

further research to establish the importance of the<br />

buildings and remodelings dating from the midcentury,<br />

and revised the application accordingly.<br />

In 2011 the IHPA issued another negative staff<br />

opinion noting integrity issues as a weakness of<br />

the proposed district. <strong>The</strong> Six Corners Association<br />

continues to press its case with the IHPA with no<br />

success to this date.<br />

It may be time to reconsider whether National<br />

Register listing is an appropriate development tool<br />

for the business area. With a landmark district<br />

whose significance relies heavily on mid-century<br />

modern commercial structures -- many of them<br />

one story -- any redevelopment strategy that<br />

involves demolition of one-story structures and<br />

new construction at higher densities would not be<br />

able to use the federal historic tax credits for such<br />

projects.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are no other structures still standing at<br />

Six Corners that were rated orange or red in the<br />

Chicago Historic Resources Survey. However<br />

the Sears, Roebuck & Company store at 4730<br />

62<br />

<strong>SIX</strong> <strong>CORNERS</strong> <strong>ECONOMIC</strong> <strong>DEVELOPMENT</strong> MASTER PLAN


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