SIX CORNERS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ... - The Lakota Group

INTRODUCTION
introduction
Background to the Assignment
Goodman Williams Group was retained by the
City of Chicago Department of Housing and
Economic Development to complete an Economic
Development Master Plan for the Six Corners
business district in Portage Park. This plan will
help the City and Six Corners stakeholders to
enhance the vitality of one of Chicago’s oldest and
most important neighborhood shopping districts.
Goodman Williams Group leads the team and
will complete the market research upon which the
Plan is based. The consulting team includes the
following experts in a variety of related fields:
• Land-use planning and urban design
(The Lakota Group)
• Traffic and parking (Gewalt Hamilton
Associates)
• Historic preservation (Granacki Historic
Consultants)
• Marketing (Findzall Community
Marketing - Cathy Maloney)
Six Corners has a long history as a successful
neighborhood shopping and entertainment
district. With an iconic Sears store, the Portage
Theater, and the Marketplace at Six Corners,
it has served residents of Portage Park and
neighboring communities on Chicago’s northwest
side. In recent decades, however, Six Corners has
experienced a loss of retailers along its commercial
corridors and is in need of physical improvements
to both buildings and infrastructure.
Methodology
This planning process is being overseen by a
Steering Committee whose members include
area business and property owners, leadership
from the Portage Park and Old Irving Park
Neighborhood Associations, the Six Corners
Association, and representatives from the 45th
and 38th Aldermanic wards and the Department
of Housing and Economic Development. In
addition to key person interviews, shopper
intercept surveys were conducted in early March.
A public workshop was held on April 11, 2012.
This report presents the results of the first phase
of this assignment, an assessment of existing
conditions in Six Corners. Included are the results
of our demographic and market research, an
assessment of building conditions and uses, and
findings from parking studies.
Going forward, the next phases will involve
community visioning on alternative development
concepts and the preparation of the economic
development plan.
SUmmary of Findings
Six Corners, where Milwaukee Avenue, Irving
Park (4000 N) and Cicero (4800 W) intersect, has
a number of important assets that have enabled
it to remain a competitive shopping district for
decades. Among these assets are:
Klee Plaza at Six Corners building
• An easily accessible location in the heart
of Chicago’s Northwest Side. The three
heavily traveled arterials carry 70,000
cars through that intersection on a daily
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SIX CORNERS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN