Comments on: Is Downtown Edgebrook In Need Of Redevelopment?

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:17:08 +0000

A related discussion going on right now about this topic on EveryBlock Chicago.

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:27:28 +0000

I would venture to guess that with a new mayor of Chicago, and a new alder(wo)man for the 41st Ward, at this point, pretty much all civic / capital expense projects are probably up in the air. I’m not even sure if the Metra underpass restoration / beautification project along Lehigh Ave. would still be funded adequately.

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:15:01 +0000

I drive by that intersection every day, as my office is just right around the corner. At the moment, there is a sign from a real estate company hanging from the entrance chains, advertising the property for “lease”. I wonder whether the owner of the lot is interested in having the various businesses along Devon and Central Ave. pitch in collectively to rent the lot as parking space for their patrons, until he is ready for “Phase 2″ which could be a commercial building? A Dunkin D – if it were to come to fruition – would be a classic showdown: Right across the street from Starbucks! And then there is “Intelligentsia” of course, on Kinzua, right next to the spa. Who says uptown Edgebrook is boring?
P.S.: I’d much rather drink DD coffee than SB.
P.S.S: Note to lot owner: We don’t need another nail salon in Edgebrook.

By: Alan Fitzpatrick

Alan Fitzpatrick — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:05:50 +0000

P.S. according to the “Reporter”, the owner has been considering putting a Dunkin Donuts there. But it’s not clear whether he would get approval for this.

By: Alan Fitzpatrick

Alan Fitzpatrick — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:24:14 +0000

Markus,
I agree this proposal is a long shot.
The traffic in the area would certainly be a challenge. But I think that’s precisely the reason why we need a pedestrian friendly area like this. It’s highly unlikely that Edgebrook will ever have the buzz of Lincoln Square (nor do I think most people would want it), but perhaps it could be made just a little more lively.
Agreed also that the owner is understandably expecting to profit from his/ her investment. My thought was that the city might be persuaded to buy / lease the site at market rates (possibly with some help from the Chamber of Commerce). In the current economic environment, one would hope that a reasonable price could be negotiated.
It may seem unlikely that the city would come up with funds for something like this. But if there is enough will I think it’s not impossible. As an example, I believe the cost for the Sauganash Trail was in the region of $1m. Admittedly it was a very different project, but it shows that money can be found for projects that will beautify a neighborhood and enhance a community.
Mayor Daley was a champion of pedestrian friendly projects, green spaces etc. Hopefully that legacy will continue in the city.
Perhaps our Alderman could be persuaded to take up the cause.

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:58:41 +0000

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on this topic, Alan. Personally, I love Giddings Plaza, and the idea of an exclusive pedestrian zone with no, or very minimal car traffic allowed. The challenge for downtown/uptown Edgebrook with that is that the area in question is encompassed by at least three major traffic arteries (Devon/Caldwell/Central). Whereas Lincoln Ave. between Leland Ave. and Lawrence Ave. is a very quiet stretch of road (with a speed limit of 5 miles per hour, if memory serves). As it is, during rush hour in Edgebrook, all three streets are burdened by very heavy traffic (add to that a complete traffic stop for long stretches when trains go by). What complicates matters more is the fact that all the commercial/retail space in downtown Edgebrook faces at least two of these three major arteries (Devon and – to a lesser extent – Central Ave.)

I’m not privy to any details, but I would imagine that the owners/purchasers of the former parking lot at Devon/Central probably had a decent ROI in mind, and as such, I just can’t envision a Giddings Plaza type of setup over there. A mixed-use building is probably more like what they have in mind. But maybe I’m wrong.

The area where something like Giddings Plaza could physically be possible in Edgebrook would be on Kinzua, but the problem there is that the majority of space is taken up by Metra parking and public parking spaces. Short of that, the Giddings Plaza vibe can be found in the area around the Edgebrook ice cream shoppe/Edgebrook Library during the summer. But, on second thought, … not really.

By: Alan Fitzpatrick

Alan Fitzpatrick — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:26:37 +0000

It seems to me that a major disadvantage of the downtown area is that, being at a very busy traffic intersection, it is not pedestrian friendly. It is not an area where families are inclined to stroll and meet their neighbors. I think there are two things that could be done to improve this situation:
1. Recently, the parking lot on the Northeast corner of Central and Devon (adjacent to Happy Foods) has been sold.
Perhaps this lot could be acquired and turned into a plaza containing seating, trees, landscaping, room for kids to run around etc. An example of how it might look would be Giddings Plaza in Lincoln Square, which was redeveloped in recent years, and has been a huge success (see http://chicago.about.com/od/chicagoneighborhoods/ss/LincolnSquarePictures.htm). This could be an area for families to relax, enjoy a coffee or Ice Cream on weekend mornings, or after picking kids up from school on weekdays, or even on the way home from the train station. Funding would obviously be the greatest obstacle. Perhaps the finances could be put together by a combination of Edgebrook Chamber of Commerce, the residents association, Chicago Park District, fundraisers, etc.
2. There needs to be stricter enforcement at the traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. Many families pass through the downtown area going to school/ stores etc and are completely ignored by traffic. This could be alleviated to some extent by the installation of cameras, as has been done elsewhere on the Northwest side.

These, and other ideas could turn the Edgebrook downtown into a lively prosperous area if enough will exists among business and residents alike.

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:41:13 +0000

Here’s a shot from yesterday:

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:02:26 +0000

JB, cut rate toy stores, cigar stores, and coin collector shops/ antique stores do not constitute retail variety, in my opinion. I’m talking about retail that a substantial portion of local residents use, on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this only happens in the nearby shopping centers.

Now, restaurants/bars could bring some action to the neighborhood. I’m not sure whether or not Edison Park’s success with its restaurant/bar business had anything to do with Park Ridge being dry, or, with the resp. alderman actually residing in EP and frequenting these places often. But there’s no denying, that if we had a place like Moretti’s in Edgebrook, this could be the start of a hip trend. Al Primo Canto does well already, and draws non-local crowds. Moher’s is mainly a hangout for Edgebrook locals and is sorta located at the “end of the strip”. Same thing with “Piatto’s” the Italian restaurant next door. Now, if we had a Moretti’s located at 6413 Kinzua, with acceptable parking opportunities around, we’d have a game-changer. I say this with all due respect to Villa Rosa Pizza, whose awesome pizza I actually had this week. But they are no Moretti’s, imo.

Also, the Edgebrook post office is on the list of outlets the USPS is considering shutting down. Should that happen, we’ll have another space that’ll sit there vacant.

Community events in Edgebrook are actually not exactly far and few between. The Edgebrook Community Association does a pretty respectable job of organizing a bunch of them, such as Garden Club, 4th of July parade, and Christmas holiday party, to name a few. But I like your idea of a farmer’s market, such as the one they have in Lincoln Square. They also fund free parking for shoppers on the lot south of Happy Foods.

Finally, keep in mind that the demographics in Edgebrook are changing, slowly but surely. I now see a fairly large number of young families moving here from trendy city neighborhoods such as Lake View, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Bucktown etc. Their expectations with regard to what kind of retail ought to be available in downtown/uptown Edgebrook will have to be, and will be addressed in the future.

By: Markus Azadeh

Markus Azadeh — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:09:23 +0000

wow, excellent post, JB. Loved reading your thoughts on Edgebrook. So it took you only a year and a half to come up with a response to my post. Seriously awesome points that you make. I’m a bit in a hurry, at the moment, but I promise to respond later this evening. Thanks again for chiming in.