East 39th Street Commercial Corridor Plan by Chris Devins

East 39th Street Commercial Corridor Plan
Neighborhood Retail District Feasibility

CREDITS
Author:
Christopher Devins, Master’s Candidate
Instructor:
Rachel Weber, Professor
Department of Urban Planning and Policy
© 2011 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Project Description 4
Existing Conditions 5
East 39th Street Commercial Corridor 7
Neighborhood Assets 8
Primary Market Area 9
Spending Potential In Primary and Secondary Market Areas 10
Supply & Demand Analysis For Half Mile Trade Area 11
Restaurant Potential 13
Competition Within Primary Market Area 15
Development Activity 16
Big Box Retail 17
Existing Land Use 18
Access 22
Transportation & Traffic Counts 23
Chicago White Sox Facts 24
Physical Condition 25
Safety 26
SWOT Analysis 27
Vision Statement 29
Recommendations 30
Retail Development Opportunities 33
Billboard Identity Campaign 34
Implementation 35
Addenda 37
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INTRODUCTION
Located in the heart of Bronzeville, East
39th Street is an approximately 1 mile
long commercial corridor that runs from
Langley (600 East) on the East to Interstate
90/94 on the west (200 West).
Historically East 39th Street served as a
neighborhood shopping and restaurant
district for the residents of the 3500 unit
Ida B. Wells/Madden Park apartment
complex. As part of the Chicago Housing
Authority’s Plan of Transformation
the residents of Wells/Madden Park
were relocated and the complex was
torn down. The last units were demolished
in 2004, greatly reducing the
population density of the neighborhood.
This meant much less money was being
spent on the 39th Street corridor and
conditions began to deteriorate. One
by one local businesses, the economic
engines of the corridor, began to close.
Small businesses such as Sunrise Foods
and Grocery, The Blue Sea Drive-In,
Cee’s Gyros, Midway Barbershop, Dorothy’s
Barbershop and Atlanta Liquors,
facing declining revenues ceased operations.
Businesses strong enough to relocate
to other more lucrative areas did
so and a cycle of decline and disinvestment
began which lead to the corridor’s
current state.
East 39th Street has some apparent
strengths and there are positive changes
occurring that bode well for its future.
Some pluses on the corridor include
an Average Daily Traffic count at Illinois
Interstate 90/94 of 232,800 cars per day
and 119,700 per day on the east end
at Lake Shore Drive. While population
is expected to decline slightly by 2015,
in Douglas (2010 population 27,022) on
the north side of 39th, median income
rose from $26,720 in 2000 to $31,526 in
2010. This trend is expected to continue
through 2015. Grand Boulevard (population
26,651) to the south has a median
income of $25,249, up from $19,723 in
2000. These numbers are in inflation
adjusted 2009 dollars. Fifteen percent
of Douglas residents have a Master’s Degree
or higher, 17% a Bachelor’s degree.
The numbers from the half and 1 mile
trade areas are similar and improve as
the 3 mile trade area is approached. Access
to funds is another of the corridor’s
strengths. East 39th street is within
both TIF 61 and Enterprise Zone 2, each
of which can supply development and
incentive funds that can be used to
improve the corridor. 39th Street has
political assets, as well. In Pat Dowell
of the 3rd Ward and Will Burns of the
4th, the area has two highly competent,
dynamic aldermen to help lead future
development.
The corridor faces many challenges,
also. A significant land use problem
along 39th Street is the high number of
vacant structures and lots. In addition,
at the center of the corridor, from King
Drive to Langley are small, narrow lots
that are zoned for higher quality uses
than their size allows. These small lot
sizes restrict the types and sizes of businesses
willing to locate on 39th street.
The corridor is locked in on both sides
by dull, uninformative highway exits and
blocks of empty lots as you approach
from both the east and the west, making
what few stores that are present
there difficult to find. Someone exiting
from the major arteries to both the east
and the west must drive two to three
blocks before coming upon the East Pershing
Commercial Corridor. In addition,
Interstate 90/94 forms a barrier that
effectively cuts East Pershing off from
neighborhoods to the west. Outside
threats to the corridor include 500,000
square feet of retail development in the
nearby Lake Meadows Shopping Mall
and the oversaturation of retail development
in the United States. Since 2000,
developers have built 1 billion square
feet of new retail 1 . Economically, 39th
1 “R & G Annual Market Summaries from REIN RETAIL
REPORT.” Rein & Grossoehme Commercial Real Estate)- Brokers-
Shopping Centers, Office & Industrial Buildings, Mini
Warehouse/Self Storage and Land Investments (for Sale);
Retail, Office, Industrial Commercial Space Leasing; Tenant
Representation. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. .
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INTRODUCTION
Street faces serious competition
from 35th street to the north and
from 43rd street, both within 39th
Street’s half mile trade area. This
left a question to be answered: with
viable commercial corridors on both
sides of East 39th, what role should it
play in Bronzeville’s overall economic
development?
Out of this analysis came some recommendations:
1. Concentrate development efforts
on the six blocks between Federal
and King Drive. Development along
this stretch will thus be anchored
by the coming Metropolis Development
at State Street which includes
a 60,000 square ft. Roundy’s Grocery
Store and residential, and could draw
from the high ADT along 90/94. The
west end of the corridor is already
anchored by the new Dollar General
Store at 39th and Langley and retail/
service resurgence should occur
there as the 3200 units of Oakwood
Shores are completed. Completion
of the units will also solve the vacant
lot problem at that end.
2. Re-establish 39th as THE local
retail and services destination/neighborhood
center by encouraging development
of businesses that provide
the daily necessities of life such as a
dry cleaners, a barbershop, a nail salon,
a coffee shop, a local bookstore
and others. A sustainable urban
form offers people a wide range of
land uses and businesses within a
reasonable walking distance 2 .
Figure 1 East 39th Street Commercial Corridor Source: Google Maps
3. With a significant number of retail
options within its half-mile trade
area, 39th Street should mix in restaurants
to attract visits to the cor-
2 Farr, Douglas. Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with
Nature. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008. Print.
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idor. A MetroEdge retail scan 3 by of
the area shows that the most visited
establishments are by far the local
restaurants and fast food places.
4. Close and relocate the two liquor
stores on the corridor. This will
lessen noise, traffic, crime and congestion
in the cluster that is Vegas
and Rothschild’s liquor stores and
improve safety in the area.
5. Replace the two liquor stores with
one sports bar to attract White Sox
fans after games. Tapping into the
fan base spilling out of the Chicago
White US Cellular Field parking lot at
39th on the other side of 90/94 after
games will bring new spending to the
area.
6. Enhance the corridor’s streetscape
and improve its look and feel using
TIF 61 and Enterprise Zone 2 funds.
There are other steps that can be
taken, as well. Plant more trees along
the road and plants and benches to
separate the sidewalk from the street
and make for a better pedestrian
3 http://www.metroedge.org/uploads/metroedge/documents/grand_boulevard.pdf
INTRODUCTION
experience. Provide better marking
on the corridor’s available parking
spaces and employ gate¬way signage
on the corridor itself and on
the 90/94 and Lake Shore Drive exits
to lead people to the corridor and
increase corridor visits. Use infill
development to increase population
and stabilize the community.
Provide culture within which to
place the retail by creating an identity
billboard and shops campaign
and other mechanisms cultural to
reconnect residents and stakeholders
with Bronzeville’s historic past,
bolster identity and drive retail sales.
Encourage Transit-Oriented Development
around the 40th and Indiana
CTA Green line stop. Break the 90/94
barrier and lure people from West
Pershing Road over to the corridor
with amenities. Attract a “big box”
anchor retailer (with 90/94’s central
location and high ADT’s) to the
large, open tracts of land just east
of 90/94 on 39th ,some of which are
owned by the Illinois Department of
Transportation. Such new businesses
could be attracted to the corridor
given the high traffic counts along
Interstate 90/94. The idea is to create
a local neighborhood commercial
strip that also draws people in from
further out.
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This plan’s purpose was to develop a commercial revitalization strategy for the East
39th Street commercial corridor in Chicago, IL. I collected data on the corridor then
analyzed the socio-economic trends likely to affect its future development. In a SWOT
analysis, I inventoried the corridors strengths and weaknesses, which are internal to
the corridor. I then looked at opportunities and threats, which are external. From
the relationship between internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/
threats, I arrived at the corridor’s “competitive advantage”, its market position. Especially
important was East 39th Street’s position relative to other local commercial
activity centers. I analyzed the 2010 Bronzeville Alliance, Quad City Development Corporation,
Chicago Tax Increment Financing and Metropolitan Planning Council development
plans to make sure I was aware of their goals for the area. I then used this
information to make recommendations to guide 39th Street’s future development.
These recommendations will help Bronzeville’s leaders develop the corridor in a way
that takes advantage of its strengths and opportunities, mitigate its weaknesses and
threats and reassert its position as a neighborhood district serving the immediate area
but one that also draws White Sox Fans and commuters from Interstate 90/94.
4

EXISTING CONDITIONS
Bronzeville is located on the mid-south
side of Chicago, Illinois and is generally
considered to be bounded by 22nd
Street on the north, 67th Street on the
south, Stewart Street on the west, and
Lake Michigan (north of 47th), Drexel
Blvd., (47th to 51st), and Cottage Grove
(51st to 67th) on the east.
Chicago’s version of the Harlem Renaissance
happened in Bronzeville.
Bronzeville was home to famous African-Americans
like Lorraine Hansberry,
Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright,
Louis Armstrong, Bessie Coleman, Ida
B Wells, Jack Johnson and others. From
the 1920s to the 1940s Bronzeville was
second only to Harlem as a center of
Black culture. Bronzeville had its problems,
as well. Black Chicagoans were
restricted by City Hall from renting and
buying property outside of the “Black
Belt”. In 1941 the Ida B Wells housing
project was built to provide housing
and a step up for low and middle income
families, many just starting out.
However, after years of operation Ida
B Wells/Madden Park began to suffer
like the city’s other housing projects
from deferred maintenance, the loss
of middle income renters to tenants on
government assistance and apartments
with too many bedrooms. The latter led
to an abnormally high child to adult ra-
Illinois
Figure 2 Bronzeville, Chicago Source: Wikipedia
Bronzeville, Chicago
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
tio, resulting in high gang membership 4 .
Urban blight and crime followed, leading
to neighborhood deterioration.
Over ten years ago, in an effort to address
these problems Mayor Richard
Daley and the Chicago Housing Authority
set a goal to tear down Chicago’s
public housing projects and replace
them with a mix of for-sale homes and
subsidized and market-rate rentals. 3500
units in the Ida B Well/Madden Park
projects were torn down and development
of the 3200 unit Oakwood Shores
Development began in earnest in 2004.
Today the neighborhood’s historic significance
is driving new development
efforts. Night life is slowly improving,
and there are a number of coffee shops
and restaurants. The neighborhood’s
rich history is its primary asset. Notably,
revitalization efforts have not extended
west of the Dan Ryan Expressway or into
the Fuller Park and Washington Park
neighborhoods, which suffer from high
violent crime levels and vacant lots.
Figure 3 Brozeville, IL Source: Wikipedia
When the real estate market crashed in
2008 developers began slashing prices
in an effort to sell off their remaining
inventory. Some are being offered at
more than a third off their original price.
The price cuts have caused many original
buyers in Oakwood Shores to lose
their equity while their property taxes
have increased. The loss of the original
units and the slow pace of replacement
has meant few customers for the East
39th Street commercial corridor and it
has fallen into disrepair. This drop in
demand for the goods and services once
offered on the corridor has been devastating.
4 Hunt, D. Bradford. Blueprint for Disaster the Unraveling of
Chicago Public Housing. London: University of Chicago, 2009.
Print.
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NEIGHBORHOOD ASSETS
Bronzeville overall has many assets around which amenities can be built, including these landmarks:
• Wabash Avenue YMCA, 3763 Wabash Ave. Bronzeville’s YMCA was a center for the neighborhood
at its inception. The YMCA was restored in 2000 and is open to the public.
• Chicago Defender Building, 3435 Indiana Ave. This building housed the Chicago Defender, the
nation’s largest Black newspaper, from 1920-1960. The building is vacant and may be for sale.
• Overton Hygienic Building, 3619-27 State St. Built by Black businessman Anthony Overton as
the headquarters of his cosmetics company. The building also had Victory Life Insurance Company
and Douglass National Bank, America’s first national African-American bank, as tenants. The building
is now owned by the Mid-South Planning and Development Commission.
• Sunset Cafe (Ace Meyers Hardware Store), 315 35th St, Many jazz legends played at this jazz
club, including: Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, and, Louis
Armstrong. The club was run by the mafia and the musicians had terrible contracts. The building is
now a hardware store. Still, the Sunset Cafe is Chicago’s number one jazz history site and its name
or flavor could be resurrected in a neighborhood economic development scheme.
• Supreme Life Building, 3501 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Built to house the first African-American
insurance company, the building is the site of the Bronzeville Visitor Information Center.
• Eighth Regiment Armory (Bronzeville Military Academy), 3533 Giles Ave This building, once an
armory for an all Black fighting regiment, has been restored and now houses a college-prep military
school.
• Chicago Bee Building, 3647-3655 State St, former home of the Chicago Bee Newspaper. Today it
houses the Chicago Bee Branch Library 5 .
5 http://wikitravel.org/en/Chicago/Bronzeville
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PRIMARY MARKET AREA
The primary market area is the half mile
radius extending out in all directions
from the corner of 39th and South Martin
Luther King Drive, which was once
the start of the main shopping strip
going westward. For the pedestrian
this is a 15 minute walk, for the commuter
a five minute drive. Within this
area 39th street faces competition from
35th and 43rd, which both have more
highly developed retail corridors. At the
Lake Meadows shopping mall there is
500,000 sq feet of space housing a Jewel
Foods, a Walgreen’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts.
There is a Chase National Bank on
the corner of 35th and King Drive.
To the west on 39th by 90/94 there are
several lots large enough for national
and regional stores in the 60,000 to
140,000 square ft., but currently consumers
have very few retail options on
the corridor. Food options are scarce
also; there are two sit-down restaurants
and a fast food restaurant. Since 39th
is surrounded on all sides by competing
retail corridors and experiences significant
retail leakage, its main customers
will be those residents coming online in
the immediate half mile trade area. The
three and five mile trade areas are not
as much of a factor because Downtown
Chicago lies within, which shifts the
locus completely.
Figure 4 Primary Trade Area (.5 Mile) Also 1 and 3 mile Source: ESRI Community Analyst
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PRIMARY MARKET AREA
Figure 5 Job Distribution in the 1 Mile Trade Area Source: US Census On the Map
The primary job center in the trade area is
the Illinois Institute of Technology campus
at 3300 S. Federal, which employs
2,375 including 659 faculty. IIT is a private
Ph.D.-granting university with programs
in engineering, psychology, architecture
and other disciplines 6 . The self-contained
nature of the Institute means that it
meets many of the needs of its employees,
students and faculty itself. Like all
6 “Illinois Institute of Technology.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
Web. 16 Nov. 2011. .
large schools it has a significant number of
dining options. In 35th Street, it also has
a developed retail corridor that serves it
quite well. Though it may be desirable, it
is doubtful that enough of its attendees or
staff will pass up 35th for 39th Street to
make the Illinois Institute of Technology
a serious factor in the future of East 39th
Street. Of course, successful development
of the corridor would bring with it
be beneficial consequences including more
visits from Illinois Institute of Technology
students, employees and faculty, but these
cannot be counted on.
The dark area is the Campus of the Illinois
Institute of Chicago. Because the 35th
street commercial corridor lies between IIT
and East 39th street, and has a relatively
closed campus environment, it is doubtful
that IIT employees will be a strong factor in
East 39th streets future success.
9

SPENDING POTENTIAL IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY MARKET AREAS
If one looks just at the number of households
and their median income, the retail
spending potential in the half mile trade
area looks weak, however a closer look at
ESRI Community Analyst data reveals that
26% of households in that area earn more
than $50,000 per year and that 14% have
a Masters Degree or higher level education.
By 2015, 33% of the area’s residents
are expected to earn $50,000 or more per
year. Overall, the 2010 median household
income of $19,740 is expected to rise
to $25,631 in 2015, a 33% rise. In 2015,
18% of the households within the primary
trade area will make between $25,000
and $49,000 per year. All numbers are in
inflation adjusted 2009 dollars. Attracting
residents from all of these income groups
to 39th street will be important to the corridor’s
future success.
Fifteen percent of the half mile trade
area’s 5107 housing units are owner occupied,
85% are renter occupied. Of the
area’s 5107 households, 55% or 2809 are
families. This indicates a stability that
counters the high number of renters. The
median age of 31.9 is projected to rise only
slightly to 32.3 in 2015, which means a
young population whose incomes will most
likely rise in the future and will be able to
support more local development.
The shopper of 2015 will be a more affluent,
more educated version of the 2010
shopper, and a homeowner. With 1 to
3 bedroom condos in 3 to 6-flat buildings,
townhomes and single family homes
priced between $179,000 - $389,000,
Oakwood Shores will bring residents from
Key Stats 2010
a mix of incomes together. As homeowners
and wage earners they will expect a corridor
with amenities that provide for their
daily needs and aspirations.
.5 Miles: 39th & KING
DR. 1 Mile 3 Mile Chicago
Households 5,107 16,464 259,055 1,063,047
Population 13,315 45,557 100,011 2,824,064
Population Density 15,585 ******* ******* 17092
Median Age 31.9 29.1 31.3 32.8
Household Average Income $36,404 $38,563 $54,875 $53,226
Median Household Income $19,740 $21,616 $38,281 $46,781
% African American
Population 97.0% 90.9% 52.0% 34.1%
% Hispanic Population 1.4% 1.6% 19.3% 27.4%
Total Retail Expenditure $39,196,449 $132,490,370 $863,438,169 $73,688,472,212
Apparel and Services $4,909,201 $16,677,424 $145,185,540 $10,683,254,151
Alcoholic Beverages $1,746,470 $5,858,897 $50,385,774 $324,104,319
Restaurants $9,236,654 $31,264,151 $270,615,913 $6,844,158,150
Grocery Stores $13,383,950 $76,366,875 $381,457,722 $19,920,782,603
Table 1 Demographic Data Source: ESRI Community Analyst In inflation adjusted 2009 dollars.
Key Stats 2015
.5 Miles: 39th & KING
DR. 1 Mile 3 Mile
Households 5,051 16,556 260,271
Population 13,193 45,985 100,808
Population Density
15,023
Median Age 32.3 29.2 31.4
Household Average Income $43,127 $45,861 $66,195
Median Household Income $25,631 $27,274 $48,445
% African American
Population 96.4% 90.3% 51.1%
% Hispanic Population 1.9% 2.0% 20.5%
Table 2 Demographic Data Source: ESRI Community Analyst
In adjusted 2009 dollars.
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SUPPLY & DEMAND ANALYSIS FOR HALF MILE TRADE AREA
Table 3 Supply and Demand Data Source: ESRI Community Analyst
11

SUPPLY & DEMAND ANALYSIS FOR HALF MILE TRADE AREA
Leakage is the difference between buying power and retail sales. It indicates how much residents
of an area spend that is not captured by actual sales by local stores. For example, if zip
code “X” has $70 million in expenditures by local residents on retail goods, and $30 million in
sales of retail goods by local stores, the leakage for “X” is $40 million. This tends to produce
a conservative estimate of leakage because stores sell to people outside the neighborhood as
well. Most neighborhoods have positive leakage because certain types of goods and services
are not normally purchased in the neighborhood. For example, you would not find major appliance
stores or large law firms in most neighborhood areas. The above chart shows that key
industry group categories in the immediate trade area show significant leakage. There is 100%
leakage in the Electronics and Appliance Stores category, also in Furniture Stores, meaning that
all shopping in these categories is done outside the trade area. There is a 100% leakage factor
in Specialty Food Stores, which indicates the same. A leakage factor of 57, such as that in
Grocery Stores, indicates that 57% of grocery shopping occurs outside the half-mile trade area.
The only negative leakage figure (above in red), in the half-mile trade area is the -$1,366,326 in
NAICS category 4453: Beer, Wine and Liquor Stores. This negative leakage means that customers
are coming in from outside the trade area to make purchases in the Beer, Wine and Liquor
Stores Category from the areas two liquor stores, which will be named later in the Exisitng
Land Use section. The numbers are similar at the 1 mile trade area also.
12

RESTAURANT POTENTIAL
In a 2010 MetroEdge Retail Scan of Bronzeville’s 43rd, 47th and 51st study areas,
survey respondents, when asked “What are the stores, restaurants, offices, or other
businesses (in Area 1,2 or 3) that you visit most often?” the most visited places by
far were food related. In area 2 (43rd street), for example, 26 of 52 (50%) respondents
said when visiting a corridor, they most often visited a restaurant or food market.
Services were the next most heavily visited at 11 of 52 (21%). Retail accounted
for only 9 respondents (17%). In Area 1(43rd street) 37 of 53 (70%) visits were food
related. 39th street has three restaurants: Pearl’s, Sneak Peek, and the Chicago Rib
House. This use also works well with the shallow lot sizes.
This Market Potential Index (MPI) measures relative market demand for restaurants
in the half mile trade area compared to the U.S. average. Numbers over 100 indicate
demand for restaurants greater than the national average. Notice that Old Country
Buffet has an MPI of 247 which means that the demand for this restaurant is almost
two and one-half times the national average. The data shows strong demand for a
family steakhouse, as well.
13

RESTAURANT POTENTIAL
Table 4 Restaurant Potential Source: ESRI Community Analyst
14

COMPETITION WITHIN PRIMARY MARKET AREA
As stated above, 39th Street faces competition from 35th and 43rd, which both have more highly developed retail corridors. At
the Lake Meadows shopping mall, to the east of 3500 South King Drive at Lake Meadows Shopping Mall, there is 500,000 sq feet
of space housing a Jewel Foods, a Walgreen’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts, among other businesses.
1. From 3500 S King Drive and west to State Street, a span of four city blocks, nine restaurants, a liquor store, Chase Bank, a hardware
store, two shoe stores, two cell phone stores, and two services.
• Wood’s Food and Liquor
• Chase Bank
• Ace Hardware (the former Sunset
Café, where Louis Armstrong
used to play)
• 213 Wireless
• US Cellular
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Services
• Mena Nail Salon
• Payless Shoes
• Just Fit Shoes
• Popeye’s Chicken
• Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Downtown Sub
• Quiznos
• Church’s Chicken
• McDonald’s
• Jimmy John’s
• Starbuck’s
• Hong Kong Delight
This is significant competition from only a half mile to the north
or south, however the retail and restaurants at both 35th and
43rd are still a half-mile away. By offering retail and services
close to the developments at State Street and at King Drive
39th could possibly carve an identity out for itself as a neighborhood
shopping/eating cluster that would serve the area’s
residents and draw traffic from 90/94. This approach was successful
in the corridor’s past. Before the destruction of 3500
housing units and the resulting population loss, East 39th Street
served as a neighborhood shopping center for the area’s local
residents.
Figure 6 3500 S. King Drive Looking West Source: Google Maps
2. Forty-third and King Drive and west to State Street is not
as well developed as 35th street, but still has a bar and grill, a
grocery store, three fast food restaurants, and a used furniture
store.
• Saveway Food
• JJ Fish and Chicken
• Pizza Ria
• Alice’s Barbecue
• Lady D’s Used Furniture
• 4310 Bar & Grill
15

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY
Oakwood Shores
Lost population density on the corridor
is slated to be replaced. At the eastern
end of the corridor, the 94 acre Oakwood
Shores development is roughly
bounded by 35th Street to the north,
Lake Park Avenue to the east, Pershing
Road to the south and Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive to the west. Originally
the site of 3,500 public housing units,
when finished Oakwood Shores will add
3,000 units of new rental and for-sale
housing to the corridor. The for-sale
properties are priced between $179,000
and $389,000. Construction began in
2003 and will be completed over several
phases. An exact timeline has not been
published by the CHA.
Rental Phase 2, located along Pershing
Road between Cottage Grove Ave.
and Vincennes Ave. consists of 199 new
CHA, affordable and market rate rental
units. Rental unit features include custom
landscaping, dishwashers, a patio
or deck with each unit, energy efficient
central air, private and guest parking,
in low rise, 3 story or less brick buildings.
Developers include UJIMA (rental
and for-sale), The Community Builders
(rental), Granite Development (rental
and for-sale) and MB Real Estate (forsale).
When these units are completed
and occupied, there will be a need once
again for a nearby neighborhood center
where goods and services can be obtained
7 .
Metropolis
Announced in February of 2007 by Capri
Capital Partners LLC, the residential/retail
mixed use development Metropolis
will be coming to the western end of
the corridor at 39th Street and South
State, anchored by a 60,000 square
ft. Roundy’s grocery store. In a joint
venture with Judson Investment Company,
“The Metropolis,” is a three phase
mixed-use project that when finished
will be approximately 1,000,000 square
feet in size. The first phase consists of
330,000 square feet of commercial retail
area and 102 residential condominium
units at a cost of $155 million. The initial
phase will include green space surrounded
by two six-story curved steel
and glass buildings. Future phases include
three towers dedicated to residential
and hotel uses. The development is
slated for completion by 2013 8 .
Figure 7 Metropolis at 39th and State Street Source: EveryBlock
7 “Individual Development Page | Chicago Housing Authority.”
Home | Chicago Housing Authority. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
.
8 “Breaking News, Press Release Distribution, Targeting and
Monitoring, Public Relations and Investor Relations Services,
Multimedia and Press Release Optimization, Enhanced
Online News, and Regulatory Filings.” Press Release Distribution,
Financial Disclosure, Online Newsrooms, PR, Public
Relations, Investor Relations, EDGAR Filing, XBRL, Breaking
News, Business News, Financial News | Business Wire. Web.
16

BIG BOX RETAIL
Along 39th Street’s western edge, adjacent to Interstate 90/94, there are several two to three
acre parcels that would be suitable for a Big Box retailer. One acre comprises 43,560 square
feet. An easy way to imagine an acre is as a rectangle measuring 88 yards by 55 yards, slightly
less than the size of a standard American football field. The designation “Big Box” calls
forth an image of a large, rectangular, windowless, single story building on a concrete slab,
surrounded by a huge surface parking lot. The Big Box retail model depends on high volume
sales with tight profit margins. To generate high volume sales, the Big Box retailer must occupy
a large amount of space, and offer enough parking to accommodate many shoppers.
To reduce design and construction costs, Big Box retail stores typically stick to a standardized
layout 9 . The American Planning Association defines a Big Box store as a stand alone store of
at least 100,000 square feet. On top of these space requirements must be added at least one
parking space for every 200 feet of floor space, a parking requirement of 500 spaces. Generally,
one hundred and fifty 8-foot parking spaces can be fit into an acre 10 , bringing the total
land use requirements for a Big Box store along Interstate 90/94 to approximately five acres.
There is a site on the north side of 39th Street up to 36th Street and between Federal and
State Streets that meets these requirements and where 232,800 cars pass by every day.
16 Nov. 2011. .
9 Dwight H. Merriam, Breaking Big Boxes: Learning from the Horse Whisperers (Symposium 2005), VT. J. OF ENVTL. L.
10 “How Many Standard Parking Spaces Are There in an Acre? | ChaCha.” Questions & Answers | ChaCha. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. .
17

EXISTING LAND USE ON EAST 39TH STREET
Along the south side of East 39th street from
Langley to State the corridor is zoned mostly
B3-3, which allows for commercial development
of any size, with the center of the strip
from King Drive to Indiana being plagued by
shallow lots that directly abut lots zoned for
residential. Even though much of Pershing
zoned B3-3, which is Community shopping
– destination oriented, with no limit on size
of commercial establishment, the size and
depth of the existing lots are inadequate to
support the higher quality uses permitted.
Marginal retailers, too small to be profitable,
come in, deteriorate, and become vacant.
This adversely impacts the neighborhood
and the economic development of the surrounding
commercial property. The small lots
also increase pressure to rezone neighboring
residential lots for an expansion of the use,
which further destabilizes the situation.
However, as stated before, there are large
parcels on the west end that would be suitable
for large commercial developments.
These lots are adjacent to Interstate 90/94
and its extremely high traffic counts. The primary
reason for examining current land use
is to analyze the impacts the uses are having
on the surrounding neighborhood. Each land
use has impacts associated with it that can
enhance or detract from the community. As
such, 39th street’s 61 parcels and their land
uses were categorized into 11 groups:
General Land Use Type Use Name Number of
1. Services • Insurance
• Printing
• Barber
• State Farm
• Five Star
Printing
• Clippers
Barbershop
Structures
Percent of
Total
3 5%
2. Alcohol • Alcohol sales • Rothschild’s
2 3%
• Vegas
3. Restaurants/Fast • Food prep and • Pearls Place
3 5%
Food
sale
• Chicago Rib
House
• Baba’s
4. Hotels/Motels • Hotel services • Amber Inn 2 3%
5. Sale of Goods • General
• Flowers
• Used goods
• Cell phone
accessories
• Dollar General
• Blossoms of
Hawaii Flower
Shop
• 339 E. Pershing
• Unlimited
Wireless
4 7%
6. Auto related • Gas station • CITGO 1 2%
7. Health Center • Medical
services
8. Public/Schools • Fire house
• Public
Employee
Association
• Educational
Services
9. Churches • Religious
services
1. Residential • Religious
services
• Bronzeville
Medical Center
• Mastercare
Family Center
• Engine Co. 19
• Association of
Letter Carriers
• Dawson Tech
• Phillips High
School
• Your School of
Beauty
• Bible Mission
• St Joseph
Baptist
• MBC Church
Outreach
• Beersheba
Bible
• 3845 S. State
• 125-123 E.
Pershing
2
3%
5 8%
4 7%
2 3%
2. Vacant
33 54%
Structures/Lots
Total 61 100%
Table 5 Existing Land Use
Table 4 Existing Land Uses
18

EXISTING LAND USE ON EAST 39TH STREET
Services
It is well known that while people
tend not to shop locally for retail
items like clothing, accessories etc,
preferring to go “downtown” to the
Central Business District, they will
shop for services in the neighborhood.
Services increase daytime
foot traffic, an important factor in
the health of any commercial corridor
and bring much-needed local
employment. East 39th has three
service businesses, making up 5% of
the corridor’s total land use.
Figure 10 Older Mixed Use on East 39th Street
Source: The Author
Alcohol
Two alcohol stores, Rothschild’s and
Vegas significantly impact East Pershing
Road in a negative way. They are
clustered, which increases their impact.
The alcohol use on the corridor
is 100% off-premises, which is known
to contribute negatively to the surrounding
community. Off premise
use in the overall Chicago area is only
53%. Both Vegas and Rothschild’s
are located near schools and homes.
Restaurants
39th street has three restaurants:
Pearl’s, Sneak Peek, and the Chicago
Rib House and a fast food establishment,
Baba’s Steak and Lemonade.
They constitute 5% of the land use
on the corridor.
Hotels/Motels
East 39th street has one motel, the
Amber Inn, which though it provides
customers for Pearl’s Place
Restaurant, has raised community
resident’s concern and perception of
prostitution and drug trafficking.
Sale of Goods
This general land use category includes
outside display, and retail
stores selling used goods. When
located on small parcels, near residential
neighborhoods, and where
the premises are not properly maintained,
these land uses can have an
adverse impact on the community.
Residents don’t like the open display
of washing machines, furniture, etc
at used goods stores and fear that
the merchandise may include stolen
property. Used goods stores are associated
with negative perceptions
that can adversely affect a corridor’s
draw.
Auto Related
The sole automobile use in the study
area is a CITGO Gasoline Station. The
station is clean, well lit and maintained
and appears to have no negative
impact on the surrounding area.
When the 3000 unit CHA mixed-income
Oakwood Shores Development
is finished, there will be a real need
for this station.
Health Center
There are two health Centers on
the corridor that actively contribute
positively economically and healthwise
to Bronzeville. Bronzeville
Medical Center was established in
1980 and incorporated in Illinois. This
company has annual revenue of less
19

EXISTING LAND USE ON EAST 39TH STREET
than $500,000 and employs a staff
of 4. Mastercare Family Medical
Center employs the same number of
people and has approximately the
same revenue as Bronzeville medical
center. Both of these health centers
offer managed health care.
Store Front Churches
When African Americans first began
to move into Bronzeville they
brought with them a number of
churches. In spite of the survival of
several congregations in the neighborhood
religious institutions have
not always prospered nor remained
in the neighborhood. The economy,
racial changes, and urban development
have all had an effect upon the
religious nature of the community,
especially since the fifties. As church
members began to move out of the
community, some churches left,
leaving behind buildings that were
abandoned. Two large churches, Holy
Angels and Apostolic Church contribute
positively to the area. However,
there are three store church buildings
on the corridor that contribute
negatively to the appearance of the
corridor. They are Beersheba Bible
Church, St Joseph Baptist and Bible
Mission Church. They are located in
dilapidated structures that are physically
unattractive and do not reflect
their importance to the community
and their congregations. These structures
are on shallow lots that push
up against lots zoned residential.
Figure 11 Storefront Church at 39th and Langley
Source: The Author
Public Uses
Public buildings are part of the infrastructure
of the community. Every
neighborhood is anchored in its
buildings, which include its churches,
libraries, civic buildings, schools and
hospitals. A planned Chicago Firefight
Department training station for
Engine Co. 19 and the Association of
Letter Carriers both positively affect
the corridor, adding jobs and stability
to the corridor.
Residential
The CHA Oakwood Shores Development
will provide 3000 mixedincome
units to the corridor, though
it is unclear when exactly they will
be completed. Information on the
development’s timeline is scarce
and developers, looking at the losses
mounting on their pro-forma statements,
have been focusing on selling
the units already completed before
beginning other construction phases
11 . Joseph Williams, of Oakwood
Shores developer Granite Partners,
describes his efforts to continue development
as “missionary work.”
However, when the total development
comes online and a significant
portion of the units have been sold,
the resulting surge in population
could create demand for new shops
and restaurants on East 39th Street.
11 “Plan for Transformation a Tough Sell in Weak Market
- Chicago Tribune.” Featured Articles From The Chicago
Tribune. 10 June 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.

EXISTING LAND USE ON EAST 39TH STREET
There are some signs that the area
is moving towards more population
density. 3845 S. State is a relatively
large (10-20) unit development that
brings much needed density to
the area. 125 - 123 East Pershing is
similarly sized and new also. Neither
development is part of Oakwood
Shores. There are some older apartments
above storefronts at 316 East
and 617-615 East Pershing that need
rehabilitation.
Vacant Lots/Structures: 19 vacant
lots, 14 vacant structures
54% of the land along the corridor is
vacant, not including the two large
empty lots that will be part of the
finished Oakwood Shores development.
This includes 19 vacant lots
and 14 vacant structures. These
vacant lots are a significant problem
because they contribute to the lack
of perceived safety on the corridor,
discourage walking and discourage
passing commuters from stopping for
a visit. However, they are well positioned
directly across from the pending
Oakwood Shores development
and provide an opportunity for infill
development that increases population,
maintains the stability of the
neighborhood and encourages transit
use.
Figure 12 Vacant Lot on East 39th Source: The Author
21

ACCESS
As stated above, the East Pershing
Commercial Corridor, is locked in on
both sides with uninformative highway
signage and blocks of empty
lots as you approach from both the
east and the west, making what few
stores that are present there difficult
to find. Interstate 90/94 forms
a barrier that effectively cuts East
Pershing off from neighborhoods
to the west. This cuts the corridor
off from the spending potential of
the thousands of White Sox fans
who park at US Cellular Field’s 39th
street parking lot and from the over
274,000 commuters who pass 39ith
on 90/94 daily. West 39th attracts
truck drivers passing 39th with a
cluster of truck stop restaurants.
However, truck traffic is neither
desired nor appropriate for East
39th street. Still, someone exiting
from the major arteries to both the
east and the west must drive two
to three blocks before coming upon
the East Pershing Commercial Corridor.
To the east of Langley, substantial
improvements have been
made to the streetscape including
roadway plantings and open park
space.
Figure 13 No Signage at I90/94 Looking East Source: Google Maps
Figure 14 I90/94 Exit at 39th No Signage Indicating Shopping
Source: Google Maps
22

TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC COUNTS
Transportation
Bus service on the corridor (#39 Bus)
has been slowed since the tearing down
of the area’s projects and shut down
completely on weekends. However
39th street is served to the west by
the CTA Red Line train and to the East
by the Green Line, which has a stop at
40th and Indiana. The #3 King Drive Bus
also stops at 39th and South King Drive.
Also, in May of 2011 Metra opened the
new Lovana S. Jones/Bronzeville Station
at 35th and Federal.
Figure 15 Traffic Counts on East 39th Source: ESRI Community Analyst
Traffic Counts
Traffic counts on the corridor are at
present modest, the highest of 14,800
being located between Michigan and
Wells. The north/south orange street
in the center and at the junction to the
entrance of the main part of the corridor,
King Drive counts 17,400 cars per
day. Importantly, traffic counts at both
the west end 90/94 and the east’s Lake
Shore Drive are much higher. Properly
planned and developed, East 39th could
pull in traffic from these major thoroughfares.
Figure 16 Traffic Counts at I90/94 and Lake Shore Drive
Source: ESRI Community Analyst
23

CHICAGO WHITE SOX FACTS
In 2009 the White Sox Drew
2,284,000 fans to U. S. Cellular
Field, which has a capacity of
40, 615. Gross revenue was
$194M. The White Sox have
averaged 2.5 million fans or
31,000 fans per game since
2005. A large percentage of
game attendees park at the
39th street parking lot each
game, few are drawn to east
39th street to spend. U.S. Cellular
Field, home of the Chicago
White Sox, ranked 5th in attendance
for Chicago’s largest
tourist attractions. The 2009
White Sox sold more regular
season tickets than the Bulls,
Blackhawks and Bears combined
12 .
Figure 9 White Sox Attendance Comparison Source: Chicago White Sox
12 The Official Site of The Chicago White Sox | Whitesox.com:
Homepage. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. .
24

PHYSICAL CONDITION
Overall, the physical condition of the East 39th street streetscape is sound, with concrete sidewalks on both
sides of the street, adequate lighting even some freshly paved streets. However, because of the many vacant
lots and general deterioration of some of the buildings along the corridor, the pedestrian experience is
poor at best. The sidewalks along East 39th Street are in general disrepair, with many hazardous curb cuts
that lead to parking for businesses that were shuttered long ago. Also, the corridor lacks an identity. There
is a sense that in a rush to tear down the Ida B Wells/Madden park complex and relocate its residents, part
of the corridors history and therefore its identity was erased. The New Urbanist structures of the 94-acre
Oakwood Shores development that have replaced the “projects” have a generic, cookie-cutter feel. This,
along with the street’s other problems, contributes to an absence of a real sense of place, of an identity that
would motivate neighborhood stakeholders and residents to stop and shop or dine there. The future of East
39th street involves a reversal of this loss of identity and a reconnection with the street’s history. Similarly,
a general plan to improve the function, safety and appearance of the corridor would create a sense of order
and place and motivate local residents and commuters to visit East 39th street. The city has well known regulatory
techniques that it applies elsewhere but planners seem to have forgotten East 39th Street. Elements
of a well-integrated streetscape include gateways and plazas, attractive landscaping, lighting for both cars
and pedestrians, public art, murals, enhanced paving, and branded signage. These enhancements must be
made in a way that fits the needs of business owners, kids on their way to and from school, active adults and
retirees and passing commuters. To the east of Langley, substantial improvements have been made to the
streetscape including roadway plantings and open park space.
25

SAFETY
In the many surveys that have been conducted on the area and in my own interactions with community
members of EveryBlock, safety, especially at night, has been cited as one of the main reasons
local residents are not drawn to East 39th street. Chicago Police statistics show that from October
8, 2011 through November 8, 2011 there were thirty seven crimes reported within two blocks of
39th Street and King Drive 13 . These crimes range from personal crimes like battery, criminal sexual
assault, gambling and theft to property crimes like burglary and vandalism. The area’s many vacant
lots, the two liquor stores and the deteriorated quality of the streetscape make East 39th street a
non-destination. There are positive signs that show a concerned citizenry committed to lowering
incidents of crime, however. East 39th street does not show signs that people don’t care about the
community like graffiti, the presence of gangs or high levels of violence by or against teens. Phillips
public high school has a safety team in place during the day to ensure the safe passage of children
to and from the school and a police presence but does not appear to suffer from the problems many
south side schools face as the displacement of gangs into new environments caused by resident relocation.
The police presence at Phillips is more benign and does have the “occupying” police feel of
some of the city’s problem schools. Recently, improvements were made to the lighting on east 39th
street, between King Drive and Federal, a section that includes Rothschild’s Liquors. These improvements
are a step in the right direction in addressing negative safety perceptions on this area of the
corridor.
13 http://files2.chicagotribune.com/metro/crime/
26

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the corridor, opportunities and threats are external forces.
Strengths
• High Average Daily Traffic
Counts: ADT at 90/94 of 232,800
cars per day. 119,700 at Lake
Shore Drive.
• Rising Median Income: Douglas,
(2010 population 27,022) on
the north side of 39th, has a median
income of $31,526, up from
2000’s $26,710. Grand Boulevard
(population 26,651), to the
south, has a median income of
$25,249, up from $19,723 in
2000. All figures are in 2009
dollars and adjusted for inflation.
11% of Grand Boulevard’s residents
make $50,000 or more per
year. 15% of Douglas’ residents
make the same.
• Educational Attainment:
15% of Douglas residents have
a Master’s Degree or higher,
17% a Bachelor’s degree. Residents
have a Master’s Degree or
higher, a Bachelor’s degree.
• Available Project Funding:
East 39th Street is located within
Tax Increment Financing District
and Enterprise Zone 2.
• Competent Leadership: Dynamic
aldermen in 3rd and 4th
wards.
• An Anchor for the East End
of East 39th Street: A new large
Dollar General store on the site
of the old Sunrise Grocery at East
39th and Langley.
• A Rise In Population Density:
3000 units of new housing to
be built at Oakwood Shores
and Phase 1 of The Metropolis
development, including 102 condominiums
and anchored by a
Roundy’s grocery store, which is
slated to be completed by 2013.
• Big Box Store Potential: Large
parcels on the west end suitable
for Big Box retailers.
Weaknesses:
• Few Selling Points: Lack of
identifiable culture within which
to drop the retail (adjacency).
• Difficult to Find: Locked in on
one side by 90/94 and the other
by LSD and lots of residential and
parks.
• Low Proximity to Employment
Centers: Far from IIT job center.
• No Signage at Interstate 90/94
and Lake Shore Drive: Dull, un
informative highway exits don’t
announce East 39th Street’s
presence as a shopping destination.
• 19 Vacant Lots: Decreases
walkability and corridor attractiveness.
Could also be a
strength, as it offers opportunities
for in-fill development that
strengthens the neighborhood.
• Vacant Buildings: 14 vacant
structures. This could also be
a strength, as it allows for infill
development.
• Negative Land Use: Two liquor
stores within 1000 feet of each
other.
• Dilapidated Buildings: Buildings
in need of façade improvements.
• Poor Safety Perception: Polled
residents cite safety as a primary
concern.
• Shallow Lots: Not suitable for
many of today’s retailers.
• Lack of Retail: When lower
population density occurred,
many retailers closed or relocated.
• Moderate Traffic Counts: Only
27

SWOT ANALYSIS
11,200 cars per day at the center
of the corridor.
• Poor Streetscaping: Broken
sidewalks, lack of a cohesive corridor
“look”.
• Hand painted signs: These
signs give the corridor an unprofessional
look.
• Low Population Density: Loss
of population with CHA project
removal of 3200 units in Wells,
the immediate trade area.
• High Retail Float: $54M in
Total Retail Trade and Food and
Drink leakage in the half-mile
trade area (more demand than
supply).
• Low Commercial Rents: Rents
in the $16 to $23 per sq ft range
attract lower quality commercial
tenants. This could also be
strength, helping to attract commercial
tenants.
Opportunities
• Infill Development: Vacant
lots provide an opportunity to
“fill in” the area with development
that stabilizes the neighborhood
and increases population
density.
• Improved Transit: There is
an opportunity to increase the
frequency of bus trips on the #39
bus route and link the area’s existing
CTA and Metra Lines with
bus service.
• Development of Key Intersections:
To identify which intersections
are best positioned for the
future and to suggest appropriate
usage mixes.
Threats
• Near-Term Low Population
Density: Loss of 200,000 Chicago
residents in the past decade,
most of them African-American.
• Nearby Competition: From
35th and 43rd retail strips,
and from the Lake Meadows
Shopping Center, which offers
500,000 square feet of retail.
• Ecommerce: More and more
products are being purchased on
the Internet, calling into question
the need for more retail.
• Oversaturation of Retail
Market: As cited above, over 1
Billion square feet of retail has
been developed in the US since
the year 2000.
As stated earlier, by examining the corridor’s
strengths/weaknesses and opportunities/threats
in a SWOT analysis,
it is possible to ascertain its “competitive
advantage”, its market position and
come up with an appropriate “Vision”.
28

Trends affecting Chicago’s existing corridors
include a market preference for
large format stores, a market preference
for discount power centers with multiple
large format stores, the anti-urban bias
of many retailers, and the decline of
traditional neighborhood anchors like
department stores and grocery stores.
Chicago has over 700 miles of retail
strips. At least 40% of this retail space
is vacant 14 . This indicates the need to
convert some retail into other uses and
to concentrate existing retail into “activity
centers.” Activity centers are focal
points of economic activity, planned
for concentrations of compact development.
Many existing Activity Centers
have the capacity for new growth. There
are three types of Activity Centers:
• Center City
•Mixed Use Centers
• Industrial Centers
Activity Centers are characterized by
retail designed to serve the surrounding
community and, in some cases the region,
moderate (up to 22 units per acre)
to high density (over 22 units per acre)
and regional and neighborhood serving
office space and civic uses such as urban
parks, religious institutions and libraries.
They are places with a diversity of uses
14 Source: UIC Land Use Planning Class
that draw traffic from the entire city,
with a significant pedestrian orientation
and both day and evening uses. Successful
examples of naturally occurring activity
centers in Chicago that could provide
a model for the development of East
39th street include Chinatown, the East
Indian shops and restaurants on Devon
Avenue and the Vietnamese restaurant/
shop cluster on Argyle. East 39th could
establish an identity and position itself
well into the future by returning to
its past as a local neighborhood shopping
center with development focused
around specific intersections and by
drawing in some of the average 31,000
Chicago White Sox Fans who exit US Cellular
Field’s 39th street parking lots after
home games.
In the short term of 1-2 years, during
the period before the Oakwood Shores
and Metropolis Developments come online,
a commercial market study shows
fairly weak demand for commercial
space. I therefore propose that policies
in the near term consolidate and restrict
retail uses to the area between Interstate
90/94 to the west and South King
Drive, to the east for several reasons.
1. This node has an anchor in Phase
1 of the Metropolis Development
and Roundy’s Grocery at the corner
VISION
of 39th Street and State, which will
be completed by 2013. This action
adds new retail space.
2. Residents of the 102 condominiums
being built at Metropolis will be
potential customers of its retail.
3. The area is near US Cellular Field’s
39th Street parking lot and the
thousands of fans exiting each of 92
home games.
4. Interstate 90/94 exit at 39th street
has a traffic count of 232,800 cars
and trucks per day., meaning at
least that many potential customers.
Given the existing commercial market
conditions, construction of new retail
buildings to the east of King Drive is
unlikely in the near term. I recommend
improving the existing retail corridor
with facade improvements to the buildings,
coordinated signage, and new
streetscape.
VISION: Develop an anchored
neighborhood retail district on
East 39th Street serving local
residents, commuters and Chicago
White Sox Fans. This district will
connect to and support the wider
neighborhood and its amenities.
29

RECOMMENDATIONS
Development of a commercial district
corridor must take into account land
use, access management and aesthetic
standards.
Land Use –At the corridor level, good
land use includes localized actions for
indi¬vidual parcels based on site-specific
strengths and weaknesses. This
helps guide the type and quantity
of development that should occur
based on existing and future capacities.
Access Management – Competent
access management improves traffic
flow, enhances driver and pedestrian
safety, and establishes an image for
the corridor. East 39th street overall
is a sound roadway, with good width,
low traffic speeds and parking along
the strip, but it goes unnoticed to
the hundreds thousands of motorists
traveling down Interstate 90/94 to
the west and to drivers on Lake Shore
Drive, as well.
Aesthetic Standards – Aspects of
39th streets physical appearance
such as landscape features, lighting,
pedestrian amenities and sig¬nage
are addressed in Chicago’s zoning ordinance,
and for a time it seemed as
if the corridor was being ignored. Recently
though, lighting improvements
were made from 39th and Federal to
Indiana Streets.
Aesthetic standards and a comprehensive
corridor plan, along with a
reconnection to history are all important
elements in a re-establishment
of its identity. Identity, though not
often discussed in plans, is very important
to the success of any commercial
corridor. There must be a
“culture” within which to develop the
retail. In retail this concept is called
“adjacency”. Adjacency takes advantage
of a space’s history to help create
a cultural sense of place. Like on
Maxwell Street, real former culture
creators of the space are replaced by
statues, original edifices are kept and
restored, and the space’s ambience is
used to sell goods and services. Profit
pursuit needs a milieu within which
to immerse and soften itself, and to
appear interesting. This culture is
one thing that separates retail spaces
that have a generic, Disney feel to
them from those that have a sense
of place like Pikes Place in Seattle,
WA or Fisherman’s Wharf in New
York City. Strong leadership will be
required to organize and encourage
this effort. The leadership can come
from the owner of a major business,
from an elected official or from a
community based organization that
wants to pursue the beautification of
the corridor so that 39th Street can
become known as a clean place to
visit and shop. Taking all of these issues
into consideration, the following
recommendations are made:
Phase One: 1- 3 years
Beautify the streetscape with gateways
and plazas, attractive landscaping,
lighting for both cars and pedestrians,
public art, murals, enhanced
paving, and branded signage. Sidewalks
should be rebuilt. Street trees,
banners and transit shelters should
be installed.
Improve the appearance of properties
and store facades along the
corridor with planned corridor development
standards, and establish
visual continuity along the corridor.
Vacant lots and green space should
be adopted by neighboring schools
30

RECOMMENDATIONS
and businesses and made into wellmaintained
flower gardens or parks.
Lots that are currently overgrown
with weeds should be maintained on
a regular basis or turned into parks,
playgrounds and sitting areas. This
will require synchronized actions by
property owners and communitybased
organizations.
Create a “Bronzeville Legends and
History” billboard/mural campaign,
supported by the Chicago Public Art
Group and local schools. This will
reconnect East 39th street with its
history and provide a cultural milieu
to drop the restaurants and retail environment
and drive visits and sales.
Position East 39th Street as a local
neighborhood shopping and eating
destination that serves the area’s immediate
residents, especially those
expected to occupy the 3200 units of
Oakwood Shores and the 102 condominiums
of Phase 1 of the Metropolis
development. This will return East
39th to its past function as a neighborhood
center.
Support and develop the west end of
Figure 17 Development Example Adjacent to I90/94 An * Indicates Possible New Development
Source: Google Maps
East 39th, around the coming Metropolis/Roundy’s
mixed-use development
on 39th and State. Develop
amenities around the area’s existing
assets with the addition of small or
medium-sized commercial project
clusters with landscaping, ranging in
type and scale from a single convenience
store to a sizable (30,000 sq.
ft.) regional retailer. Suitable land
uses include food stores, hardware
or clothing stores, insurance offices
and medical offices. Also electronics,
sporting goods stores and office
31

RECOMMENDATIONS
supplies stores; also auto repair, auto
body, ice cream stands, or farmers’
produce stalls. All of these categories
showed significant leakage,
accounting for much of the spending
flowing out of the area on a yearly
basis. Some of these uses would fit
into the storefronts with the shallow
lot sizes.
Reach across the 90/94 better with
better signage and a more attractive
underpass and attract the thousands
of White Sox fans who exit at
39th street after watching one of 81
homes games.
Provide better signage to the East, at
the 39th and LSD exit, to let drivers
know there is a restaurant/retail district
a few blocks to the west, starting
at Langley.
Address the restaurant leakage problem
with the addition of a brand or
type that has a high Market Potential
Index.
Phase Two: 3- 5 years
Attract a Big Box store in the 100,000
foot range to the large parcels along
the 90/94 exit. The average daily
traffic count of the highway at 39th
is the building block, the western anchor.
The eastern anchor is the Dollar
General Store at 39th and Langley.
Provide support and technical assistance
to the area’s existing businesses.
Develop the corridor’s center at 39th
and Martin Luther King Drive corner
with mixed-use quality food and
retail. When the 3000 units of Oakwood
Shores are completed, this will
be needed.
Build to the east on the success of
the Dollar General Store and fill in
the area with new space for restaurants
and services.
Improve public transportation options
on the corridor by implementing
weekend service on the #39
Pershing bus.
Encourage Transit Oriented Development
along a half mile radii from
the 40th and Indiana CTA train stop,
first suggested in the July 2011,
Bronzeville Community Development
report. Also from the report:
Secure the future with bus rapid
transit service (BRT) along 35th and
39th Streets with high capacity vehicles
and pre-paid boarding facilities.
Connect to Red and Green and Red
line stations and to the 35th street
Metra station 15 .
15 http://bronzevillealliance.org/PDF/ArchivePlans/Final_
Community_Development_Plans_Summary_Sept_7.pdf
32

RETAIL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Old Country Buffet
ESRI Community Analyst shows that the restaurant with
the strongest market Potential Index in the trade area is
Old Country Buffet. Old Country Buffet Specializes in serving
meals in which food is placed in a public area where
the diners generally serve themselves. The all-you-can-eat
buffet, is free-form: customers pay a fixed fee and can then
help themselves to as much food as they wish to eat in a
single meal. An Old Country Buffet would be a “destination”
where locals and commuters could affordably feed
themselves and their families on a night out or after a
baseball game. Featuring a causal atmosphere, the buffet
offers simple American food suitable for both adults and
children such as macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, baked
fish, mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.
Figure 10 Source: oldcountrybuffet.com
Sports Bar w/ Quality Food
Managed by someone like the Gibson’s Restaurant group, who runs Gibson’s restaurant on Rush Street
and Bacardi restaurant at US Cellular Field, a Sports Bar with quality food would draw some of the average
31,000 fans exiting each of 88 home White Sox games. A 2500 sq ft facility would be just about right.
Successful bars can be in the black within the first year and recover their initial investment within three
to four years 16 . Since the main attraction is sporting events, sports bars have televisions in view of every
seat. Keeping up with the latest in audio and video technology is important. Startup costs and revenue
potential vary depending on the size, concept and location.
16 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41460
33

BILLBOARD IDENTITY CAMPAIGN
Figure 19 PhotoShopped Billboard of Richard
Wright Source: The Author
The idea is the creation of
a cultural backdrop with
billboards and murals within
which to drop the retail. Ida
B Wells/ Madden Park past
should be preserved as part
of culture. Like the “Cows”
exhibit in downtown Chicago,
these installations will
create pride in the neighborhood
for all residents
and stakeholders, drive foot
traffic and boost retail sales
per square foot.
Figure 23 Art Gallery Participation
Source: The Author
Figure 20 Boxer Jack Johnson Bronzeville
Resident Source: The Author
Figure 21 Louis Armstrong Source: The Author
Figure 22 Local Retailer Participation
Lorraine Hansberry Source: The Author
Figure 24 Congressman William Dawson
Source: The Author
34

IMPLEMENTATION
The East 39th Street Commercial Corridor Plan acts as a guide for redevelopment within the Trade Area, however
it is only the first step of the process. Continuing action to implement the vision is necessary if efforts are to have a
long-term impact. Implementation will require the partnership of elected officials, residents and the private sector.
Capital Expenditures
Some of the development along 90/94
should be funded through the capital
budgets of the State and the City utilizing
federal transportation monies for a
share of the cost since Interstate 90/94
is a state highway, therefore eligible for
state and federal funds. The Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century or
TEA-21 makes federal transportation
funds available for projects that benefit
pedestrians and bicyclists 17 .
Tax Increment Financing
The western end of East Pershing, from
400 East Pershing to 200 West Pershing
is inside Tax Increment Financing district
61. Funds from this district are already
being used to help finance the Metropolis
development at East 39th Street
and State, which can be considered the
catalyst project that will get commercial
development started. Funds should
next be tapped to make improvements
to the facades of buildings along
the corridor, since in the near-term of
17 “TEA-21 - A Summary - Protecting Our Environment.”
Home | Federal Highway Administration. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
.
one to three years it is doubtful that
more commercial retail buildings will
be erected except for projects already
begun. Funds should also be tapped to
beautify the streetscape and prepare it
for the future residents of the Oakwood
Shores and Metropolis developments.
The TIF district was designated in 1998
and expires in 2022, encompassing 491
acres. It supports the rehabilitation of
existing structures and provides incentives
for new construction on vacant
land. Among the district’s priorities are
business expansion and cultural projects
that promote the area’s attractiveness,
which makes it a good potential funding
source for the billboard/mural identity
campaign suggested later on in this
plan. Recently, funds were used to pay
the debt service of the Pershing Courts
affordable housing development and for
Dunbar Park, among other things. Most
importantly, $64,000 was spent to improve
the lighting in the study area. The
table below shows 2009-2011 activity in
the fund.
EXPENDITURE YEAR AMOUNT BALANCE
Table 5 39th Street TIF Source: City of Chicago
35

IMPLEMENTATION
Enterprise Zone 2
The East 39th Street commercial corridor
is also located in Enterprise Zone 2.
Administrated by the city’s Department
of Housing and Economic Development,
the objective of the zone is to help companies
create jobs for Chicago residents.
Incentives include sales tax exemptions,
property tax reductions, finance assistance,
real estate tax exemptions and
others. This will prove useful to developers
and businesses along the corridor
as its future takes shape. Specifically,
funds from this Enterprise Zone should
be tapped in Phase 1 to help make façade
improvements to the existing retail
buildings on the corridor and to beautify
the streetscape, both of which meet the
objectives of the zone as stated above.
The corridor enhancements will help
attract businesses to the corridor, which
will lead to the hiring of Chicago residents.
Possible Additional Funding
Sources and Programs
In addition to City, State and Federal
funds already described for streetscape
improvements and redevelopment actions,
there are additional resources,
mostly designed for use by communitybased
organizations that could be
employed to implement small-scale
Figure 25 Bronzeville TIF 61
Source: City of Chicago
projects consistent with the recommendations
contained in this Plan.
Funding and technical assistance for the
community identity mural and billboard
program could come from:
• Chicago Public Art Group: The
Group works with communities
and businesses to design and
implement community murals.
• In April of 2009, Clear Channel
announced a commitment to
local community affairs spanning
several areas including charitable
partnerships, local public affairs
programming and local advisory
boards. ClearChannel Communications
owns the billboards
in the area and has a stake in
the success of Bronzeville. They
could be convinced that in order
to keep advertising the latest
hip-hop artists and other products,
a giveback of free or reduced
billboard space would be
good for public image.
Part of the funding to clean up and establish
gardens in the open spaces could
come from the EPA Environmental Justice
(EJ) Small Grants Program. EJ grants
fund projects involving environmental
cleanup, gardens, education and training.
These could be used with other
implementation tools, including floor
area bonuses, to beautify the corridor.
Floor Area Bonuses
Chicago’s Zoning Ordinance contains
provides economic incentives for developers
to provide public amenities that
improve the quality of life for residents
and visitors. One incentive, the floor
area bonus, could be used to build more
public plazas and to increase the number
and quality of local parks, as suggested
in the recommendations. Chapter
17-4-1000 of the Zoning Ordinance
contains application information and
bonus tables.
36

Figure Guide
Cover Page: Figure 7 Metropolis at 39th and State Street
Figure 1: East 39th Street Commercial Corridor
Figure 2: Bronzeville, Chicago
Figure 3: Figure 11 Map of Bronzeville
Figure 4: Primary Trade Area (.5 Mile) Also 1 and 3 mile
Figure 5: Job Distribution in the 1Mile Trade Area
Figure 6: 3500 S. King Drive Looking West
Figure 7: Metropolis at 39th and State Street
Figure 8: Google Maps Street Screen Capture of Large Parcels Adjacent to I90/94
Figure 9: White Sox Attendance Comparison
Figure 10: Google Maps Screen Capture of Older Mixed Use on East 39th Street
Figure 11: Google Maps Screen Capture of Storefront Church at 39th and Langley
Figure 12: Vacant Lot on East 39th
Figure 13: No Signage at I90/94 Looking East
Figure 14: I90/94 Exit at 39th No Signage Indicating Shopping
Figure 15: Traffic Counts on East 39th
Figure 16: Traffic Counts at I90/94 and Lake Shore Drive
Figure 17: Development Example Adjacent to I90/94
Figure 18: 18 Old Country Buffet jpeg
Figure 19: PhotoShopped Billboard of Richard Wright
Figure 20: Boxer Jack Johnson Bronzeville Resident
Figure 21: Louis Armstrong
Figure 22: Local Retailer Participation Lorraine Hansberry
Figure 23: Art Gallery Participation
Figure 24: Congressman William Dawson
Figure 25: Bronzeville TIF 61
Table Guide
Table 1: Half Mile, Mile and 3 Mile Demographic Data
Table 2: Demographic Data
Table 3: Table 3 Supply and Demand
Table 4: Table 4 Restaurant Potential
Table 5: 39th Street TIF District
ADDENDA
37