The North Avenue corridor, between Austin and Harlem, serves as a border between the Village of Oak Park (to the south) and the City of Chicago (to the north). While once a vibrant commercial stretch, the corridor had declined in recent years. The North Avenue District partnered with CMAP’s Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program to develop a plan to guide revitalization and mobility on the North Avenue corridor. The plan focuses on identifying appropriate redevelopment opportunities, strategies for attracting desirable development including potential financial incentives, and recommendations for streetscape improvements and corridor branding. This plan also focuses on transportation in order to support the growth, diversity, and prosperity of the study area.

For demographic information on these municipalities, view their Community Data Snapshots: City of Chicago and Village of Oak Park.

Plan development was co-sponsored by Alderman Taliaferro and the 29th Ward of Chicago, and Mayor Abu-Taleb and Village of Oak Park.

Public outreach and community engagement were essential to the creation of the Revitalization and Mobility Plan for the North Avenue Corridor. There were numerous opportunities for the public to provide input and participate throughout the planning process. The North Avenue District, in partnership with CMAP, embarked on a series of interviews, workshops, and meetings with various community stakeholders and residents from the area to solicit and incorporate local input to the planning process. 

MetroQuest Online Community Survey

A survey was open to the public between July 17 and September 5, 2018 and received over 1,700 responses. The results were used for the Existing Conditions report.

Public Visioning Workshop

A public visioning workshop for the North Avenue Corridor Revitalization and Mobility Plan was held on November 15, 2018, between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 p.m., at Redeemer Church 6740 W. North Ave. The workshop began with a summary of current conditions in the study area. Workshop attendees were then invited to provide feedback on the results of an online survey via keypad polling. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn more and provide feedback about the Chicago-Oak Park Traffic Safety and Mobility Study on North Avenue. Over 70 residents, business owners, and other stakeholders from the community attended. See the meeting presentation and results here.

Public Open House

On Thursday, May 9, 2019 the public was invited to an open house from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Trinity Galewood Church to comment on recommendations for the North Avenue Corridor Revitalization and Mobility Plan.  The open house event was an opportunity for members of the community to review the draft recommendations, identify strategies that they were most enthusiastic about, and discuss the plan with the project team.

The North Avenue District promotes the revitalization of the North Avenue corridor between Austin Avenue on the east and Harlem Avenue on the west. Its directors are business/property owners and residents of Oak Park and the Galewood neighborhood of Chicago. It is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, founded in 2013 as the North Avenue Zoning and Development Advisory Committee.

CMAP engaged the Urban Land Institute Chicago (ULI Chicago), a membership-based, multidisciplinary real estate forum that offers communities strategic advice from development experts through its Technical Assistance Services Program. In partnership with CMAP and The North Avenue District, ULI Chicago will conducted a two-day Technical Assistance Panel to identify redevelopment opportunities along North Avenue and recommend implementable strategies to strengthen the corridor’s development potential.

ULI Chicago convened a panel of ULI members with expertise in various aspects of real estate development, including development, land use and urban design, transportation planning, market feasibility, and real estate finance. The two-day panel included conversations with elected officials from the Village of Oak Park and the City of Chicago, a study area tour, and interviews with local stakeholders including civic leaders, residents, business and property owners from Oak Park and Chicago.

Cindy Cambray, CMAP Project Manager  (ccambray@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8748)

Judith Alexander, Chair, The North Avenue District (jalexander@n-ave.com)