East 39th Street Commercial Corridor Plan by Chris Devins

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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. 2
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. 3
Page 1: East 39th Street Commercial Corrido
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Page 10 and 11: PROJECT DESCRIPTION This plan’s p
Page 12 and 13: EXISTING CONDITIONS tio, resulting
Page 14 and 15: PRIMARY MARKET AREA The primary mar
Page 16 and 17: SPENDING POTENTIAL IN PRIMARY AND S
Page 18 and 19: SUPPLY & DEMAND ANALYSIS FOR HALF M
Page 20 and 21: RESTAURANT POTENTIAL Table 4 Restau
Page 22 and 23: DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY Oakwood Shores
Page 24 and 25: EXISTING LAND USE ON EAST 39TH STRE
Page 26 and 27: EXISTING LAND USE ON EAST 39TH STRE
Page 28 and 29: ACCESS As stated above, the East Pe
Page 30 and 31: CHICAGO WHITE SOX FACTS In 2009 the
Page 32 and 33: SAFETY In the many surveys that hav
Page 34 and 35: SWOT ANALYSIS 11,200 cars per day a
Page 36 and 37: RECOMMENDATIONS Development of a co
Page 38 and 39: RECOMMENDATIONS supplies stores; al
Page 40 and 41: BILLBOARD IDENTITY CAMPAIGN Figure
Page 42 and 43: IMPLEMENTATION Enterprise Zone 2 Th

East 39th Street Commercial Corridor Plan by Chris Devins

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