Western Avenue Vision Framework Market

Overview & Development Study

Prepared for Roscoe Village Neighbors

October 4, 2017
Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................1

Market Overview.................................................................................................................................4

Demographic Trends ..........................................................................................................................5

Neighborhood Amenities and Institutions ..............................................................................................8

Residential Trends ............................................................................................................................ 10

Commercial Trends........................................................................................................................... 15

Industrial Trends ............................................................................................................................... 19

Future Development Strategies ......................................................................................................... 23

Addendum: RVNs Zoning Principles ................................................................................................. 26

Introduction
Roscoe Village Neighbors (RVN) is proud to sponsor the following Western Avenue Development Study
to proactively capitalize on the recent removal of the blighted Western Avenue viaduct and reconstruction
of the major commercial street in the western portion of our neighborhood by the City of Chicago. Our
organization is an all-volunteer resident supported 501(c)(3) not for profit with a variety of related goals all
focused on enhancing the quality of life in our Village within the City. RVN committed funds to retain
The Lakota Group and Goodman Williams Group as consultants to work with RVN and create the study.

In many ways Roscoe Village is already a model community due to a long history of resident participation
and advocacy in city planning and development projects. For over 40 years Roscoe Village Neighbors
has been the public forum for these issues with over 825 active members, legions of volunteers who step
forward for an array of community and social activities, and includes committees devoted to education,
streets, parks, and zoning issues.

The RVN Zoning and Land Use Committee (ZLUC) is

one of these committees and an integral part of the
organizations goals. Comprised of resident volunteer
urban planners, architects, attorneys and concerned
residents with a variety of supportive skills, the ZLUC is
charged with advocating RVNs Statement of Principles
Regarding Land Use, Development and Zoning, a
detailed document that was drafted by the Zoning
Committee and widely distributed for broad community
input before being ratified in 2001 by the RVN Board of
Directors. The Statement of Principles was updated in
2008 with broad community support and puts RVN on the
leading edge of proactive organizations resolved to
Commercial uses on Roscoe Street
preserve the pedestrian scale and high quality of life that
defines our community, while working cooperatively with
those who support compatible quality development.

The Western Avenue Viaduct was constructed in 1961 as

a then popular urban design solution for moving traffic
through the city quickly and efficiently, favoring the car
above all else consistent with typical mid-century city
planning. At the time, the intersection of Western,
Belmont and Clybourn was a traffic bottleneck with the
proximity of the popular Riverview Amusement Park main
entrance nearby. Riverview opened in the early 20th
Century but was in decline at the time the viaduct was
constructed and the park closed about six years later.
This made the viaduct largely obsolete. Along with many
other failed urban planning policies of the era, the viaduct The Western Avenue Overpass from Belmont
had become a crumbling eyesore, difficult and expensive
for the city to maintain and detrimental to property values
or development potential of any properties near it.

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During the City planning process for the Western Avenue viaduct evaluation, the City considered
repairing or replacing it with an updated version or alternative solutions. RVN and its Zoning and Land
Use Committee (ZLUC) called for the removal of the viaduct and restoration of normative street patterns
to support a residential pedestrian friendly urban environment, while maintaining good traffic flow with
proven modern methods of traffic design. When the City completed its evaluation and affirmed this
solution, the ZLUC recommended that the RVN board of directors sponsor this study to proactively help
steer surrounding development consistent with the RVN Statement of Principles (included as an
Addendum on page 26). While RVN has no official public capacity to set urban policy for the City of
Chicago, they do have a long tradition of working with our elected officials, governmental organizations,
and the development community to represent resident concerns and inform public policy. Along those
lines, the following actions efforts were made to create an open, inclusive community-based process that
would enjoy broad support. To understand and consider perspectives of various stakeholders with
respect to this study, RVN and the ZLUC took the following steps to ensure that all stakeholders had an
opportunity to voice their respective points of view.

RVN canvassed those residences most directly impacted (over 250 flyers distributed) to invite
them to a community forum where those in attendance had an opportunity to both understand
and discuss the impact of the Western Avenue bridge deconstruction as well as voice their
concerns and perspectives on potential new development opportunities.

Face-to-face meeting with members of the Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce (RVCC),
including RVCCs President and Executive Director, to discuss their concerns and to understand
their vision for best use and potential redevelopment opportunities along the Western Avenue
corridor.

Proactively contacted each of the aldermanic offices most directly impacted to make them aware
of this study and to make sure there was an open line of communication throughout the
completion of the study.

Multiple face-to-face and telephone discussions with various business owners from within and
surrounding the affected area to make sure their concerns and perspectives were captured.

We continue to coordinate our efforts with the aldermen within the study area and seek additional input
from concerned stakeholders regarding the redevelopment of the Western Avenue corridor. This study is
intended to provide sound research in support of the best planning and public policy decisions now and in
the future. We look forward to the Roscoe Village neighborhood capitalizing on the vast improvement
potential of the reconstructed Western Avenue corridor for years to come.

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Core Goals of the Study
Ensure quality development for a portion of the Western Avenue corridor.

Encourage continuation of innovative residential, and mixed-use, and adaptive reuse strategies.

Enhance walkability, design and scale of development to complement pedestrian oriented

character of Roscoe Street and Belmont Avenue business districts and provide new customers
for Roscoe Village businesses.

Right: A view of Western Avenue

during construction.

Below: A computer rendering of the

proposed Western Avenue
streetscape (image courtesy of the
Sun Times)

3
Market Overview
This section provides demographic and real estate market insights that will help inform the planning
process.

Research was done across multiple geographies for analysis and comparison purposes. The Western
Avenue Study Area includes Western Avenue from the North Branch of the Chicago River on the south to
Addison Street on the north. The Roscoe Village neighborhood lies between Addison Street on the north,
Belmont Avenue on the south, Ravenswood Avenue on the east, and the Chicago River on the west. This
report also uses the North Center Community Area, one of the 77 Community Areas officially recognized
by the City of Chicago for planning purposes. These boundaries can be seen on the map below.

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Demographic Trends
The boundaries for all community areas in the City align with census tracts, allowing easier tracking of
historic trends using U.S. Census data. The North Center Community Area and Roscoe Village have
both experienced very little change in household and population demographics since 2000.

The Community Area between 2000 and 2016 experienced population growth of 2.1%. The City
of Chicago in the same time frame lost 4.5% of its population.
Median household income has grown by more than $9,000 since 2010, while the median income
for the City during this time period increased by $2,654.
Race and ethnicity trends have seen little change since 2010. Blacks and those of Hispanic origin
comprised 3.0% and 23.4% of the population respectively in 2016.

North Center Community Area

Demographics
2016 % Change
2000 2010 Estimates 2000-2016
Total Population 31,895 31,867 32,557 2.1%
Total Households 14,796 14,561 14,816 0.1%
Total Housing Units 15,795 16,197 16,503 4.5%
Average Household Size 2.15 2.18 2.19 1.9%

Family HHs 7,003 6,973 7,002 0.0%

Median Age 33.1 33.7
Median Household Income $81,524 $90,859
Source: 2000/2010 data from U.S. Census Bureau,
2016 estimates from Esri Business Analyst

In North Center, the number of households with children grew from 3,130 in 2000 to 4,180 in 2015, even
while total households grew by only 20. The population of Roscoe Village is shrinking slightly, in contrast
to the modest growth happening in the North Center Community Area. As shown, fewer than 10 housing
units have been added on an annual basis in the neighborhood since 2010 a relatively low number.

Roscoe Village Demographics

2010 2016
Total Population 8,544 8,469
Total Households 3,927 3,882
Total Housing Units 4,239 4,297
Average Household Size 2.16 2.17

Family HHs 1,797 1,757

Median Age 31.9 32.4
Median Household Income $100,242
Source: 2010 data from U.S. Census Bureau,
2016 estimates from Esri Business Analyst

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The largest age cohorts in North Center are those aged 25-34 and those aged 19 and under. The largest
declines in population from 2000-2016 were in the 20-24 and 25-34 age cohorts, which collectively
declined by 11.8%. In addition to children, the fastest growing age group was baby boomers aged 55-74.

North Center Community Area

Age Distribution

2016 % Change
2000 2010 Estimates 2000-2016 % of 2016
Total 31,895 31,867 32,557 2.0% 100.0%
19 and under 5,748 6,289 6,913 16.9% 21.2%
20-24 2,349 1,773 1,874 -25.3% 5.8%
25-34 9,687 9,631 8,737 -10.9% 26.8%
35-44 5,740 6,290 6,102 5.9% 18.7%
45-54 3,606 3,344 3,772 4.4% 11.6%
55-74 3,525 3,566 4,124 14.5% 12.7%
75+ 1,240 974 1,035 -19.8% 3.2%
Median Age 33.1 33.7
Source: 2000/2010 Data US Census, 2016 estimates from Esri

The age distribution of the Roscoe Village population is similar to the North Center Community Area.
Roscoe Village has a slightly lower median age than North Center: 32.4 years versus 33.7. It also has a
higher percentage of young adults aged 20-34. Additionally, Roscoe Villages concentration of those
aged 55 and older is lower than North Centers, as that age range makes up 12.3% and 15.9% of the
area populations, respectively.

Roscoe Village Community Area

Age Distribution
2010 2016 % of 2016
Total 8,544 8,469 100.0%
19 and under 1,604 1,665 19.7%
20-24 502 477 5.6%
25-34 3,059 2,834 33.5%
35-44 1,641 1,605 19.0%
45-54 809 840 9.9%
55-74 762 868 10.2%
75+ 167 180 2.1%
Median Age 31.9 32.4
Source: 2000/2010 Data US Census, 2016 estimates
from Esri

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The median household income of $90,859 in North Center is almost double the median for the City of
Chicago ($49,531). Generally, the Community Area has a very economically diverse population as shown
in the adjacent table. In North Center, 12.3% of households have annual incomes of $25,000 or less,
versus 27.8% for the City of Chicago, and 28.5% have incomes in excess of $150,000, versus just 10.8%
of households in the City as a whole. A total of 58.1% of households in the North Center Community
Area have incomes of $75,000 or more, as compared to just 33.3% of the households in the City of
Chicago.

North Center Community Area

2016 Households by Income
Number of % of
Household Income Households Households
Less than $25,000 1,815 12.3%
$25,000-$49,999 2,079 14.0%
$50,000-$99,999 4,055 27.4%
$100,000-$149,999 2,644 17.8%
$150,000-$199,999 1,551 10.5%
$200,000+ 2,672 18.0%
Total 14,816 100%
Source: Esri Business Analyst

The Roscoe Village Neighborhood has a higher median annual household income than North Center -
$100,242 compared to $90,859 for the Community Area. Both of these median incomes are more than
$40,000 higher than the Citys median household income of $49,531. Roscoe Village also has 4% more
households earning $150,000 or greater than in North Center. At the lower end of the household income
scale, just 21.2% of households have incomes less than $50,000 in Roscoe Village, while that percentage
for North Center is 26.3%.

Roscoe Village
2016 Households by Income
Number of % of
Household Income Households Households
Less than $25,000 400 10.3%
$25,000-$49,999 425 10.9%
$50,000-$99,999 1,111 28.6%
$100,000-$149,999 683 17.6%
$150,000-$199,999 459 11.8%
$200,000+ 804 20.7%
Total 3,882 100%
Source: Esri Business Analyst

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Neighborhood Amenities and Institutions
The North Center Community Area, and specifically Roscoe Village within North Center, is considered to
be a highly desirable place to live. While portions of the commercial development along Western Avenue
do not fully reflect the character of the surrounding neighborhood (in part as a result of the Viaduct), there
are a number of community amenities that developers and potential residents find enticing in the area.

One of the biggest selling points for urban families is the schools in an area. The North Center
Community Area has some of the finest schools in the City, including Lane Tech College Prep High
School. Younger students can attend five elementary schools starting at either pre-kindergarten or
kindergarten. The full list of schools in the area is shown on the accompanying table.

Schools Located in North Center Community Area

School Name Address Grades

Alcott College Preparatory School 2957 N. Hoyne Avenue 9-12

DePaul College Prep 3633 N. California Avenue 9-12

Friedrich L. Jahn Elementary of the Fine Arts 3149 N. Wolcott Avenue K-8

Lane Tech College Prep High School 2501 W. Addison Street 7-12

Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School 3730 N. Oakley Avenue K-8

John C. Coonley Elementary School 4046 N. Leavitt Street PK-8

John James Audubon Elementary School 3500 N. Hoyne Avenue PK-8

St. Benedict Preparatory Schools 3900 N. Leavitt Street PK-8

Source: City of Chicago and secondary sources deemed reliable by Goodman Williams Group

In addition to schools, there are a number of high-quality public amenities located near the Western
Avenue Corridor. These include the state of the art Kerry Wood Cubs Field, the Jeanne Gang-designed
boathouse at Clark Park, substantial amounts of active and passive recreation space, and ease of access
to the riverfront. Slightly outside of the Study Area are the 8-acre Hamlin Park and the PrivateBank Fire
Pitch - a $20 million indoor/outdoor soccer facility that draws visitors from all over the region.

Jeanne Gang-designed b oathouse at Clark Park Kerry Wood Cub s Field

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Other institutions located in the area provide employment and ensure a high daytime population, which
helps support local businesses. Lane Tech, for example, has more than 300 staff and 4,200 students in
the area five days a week. The student population helps explain the prevalence of limited-service
restaurants. The Western Avenue Study Area is also influenced by the Chicago campus of DeVry
University. This includes its undergraduate programs as well as the Keller Graduate School of
Management and the Chamberlain College of Nursing. Nationwide, DeVry and its affiliated programs
have more than 70,000 students and according to a DeVry representative, the Chicago Campus is one
of the busiest in the Nation. This campus presents an opportunity to bring more residents between the
ages of 20 and 34 to the neighborhood, an age cohort that has lost 11.5% of its population in North
Center since 2000.

Welcome sign to Chicago campus of DeVry University

The Study Area is also home to a Chicago Police Detective Bureau branch, which shares parking
facilities and a building with the Misdemeanor Section of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The facility is
located at the northwest corner of Belmont and Western and features nearly 400 parking spaces. Due to
the nature of the facility, this signifies a nearly constant stream of cars and potential patrons coming and
going to the area.

These anchor institutions, in combination with the open space and recreational space near the North
Branch, bring significant numbers of employees and potential customers to the Western Avenue Study
Area. They also help generate demand for housing.

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Residential Trends
According to the 2015 5-year American
North Center Community Area
Community Survey, there were 16,219 total
Housing Units by Occupancy Status
housing units in the Community Area. Of these,
and Tenure
89.7% were occupied, for a vacancy rate of
10.3%. The tenure (owner vs. renter) makeup is Count Percent
approximately half renter- and half owner- Total Housing Units
(ACS 2011-2015) 16,219 100.0%
occupied, a higher ratio of ownership than the
City of Chicago (44.3% owner occupied). More Occupied housing units 14,543 89.7%
than 73% of all units in the Community Area are Owner Occupied 7,373 50.7%
in buildings with four or fewer units, versus Renter Occupied 7,170 49.3%
59.6% in the City of Chicago. North Center has
Vacant housing units 1,676 10.3%
10% of units in buildings with 20 or more units,
versus 24.5% in the City of Chicago. Count Percent
Total Housing Units 16,219 100.0%
These data show an abundance of smaller, lower
1-unit, detached 3,930 24.2%
density residential buildings. There is only one
1-unit, attached 470 2.9%
residential high rise in the Study Area: the Silent
2 units 4,021 24.8%
Cooperative, an 8-story, 98-unit rent-assisted
3 or 4 units 3,494 21.5%
building for low-income, hearing impaired
5 to 9 units 1,675 10.3%
seniors.
10 to 19 units 993 6.1%
20 or more units 1,616 10.0%
More than 70% of all housing units in the North Other 20 0.1%
Center Community Area were built before 1960.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
Between 2000 and 2009, 2,391 units (14.7%) 2011-2015
were built. This timeframe aligns with the
housing boom and bust of the 2000s.

Housing Units by Year Built

North Center Community Area Housing construction in the Community
12,000 Area was very slow from 1950-1989, with
only 11.1% of total units being built in that
10,000 time.

8,000
Growth in the number of housing units has
been relatively slow since 2010, averaging
6,000
63 new units per year. As will be
4,000 discussed, residential demand is likely to
pick up over the next five years.
2,000

Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey

10
Current Land Use in Western Avenue Study Area

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Another indication of the desirability of a neighborhood is housing prices and rents. The following table
shows the City of Chicagos top ten most expensive Community Areas for rental apartments, as
measured by median rents in tens of thousands of listings across the rental housing website,
Zumper.com.

Top 10 Most Expensive Community Areas by The table shows North Center as the
Median Rent in Chicago seventh most expensive Community Area
in the City of Chicago for renting a one
Position Community Area 1 Bedroom 2 Bedrooms
bedroom, and the eighth highest for two-
1 Near North Side $2,260 $3,180
3 Near West Side $2,190 $2,850 bedroom units. The high rents could be
2 Loop $2,190 $2,650 related to the type of housing that exists in
4 West Town $1,820 $2,170 North Center, with more than fifty percent
5 South Loop $1,770 $2,550 of housing units being located in buildings
6 Lincoln Park $1,670 $2,400 with two units or fewer. These types of
7 North Center $1,400 $1,610 single family homes, duplexes, and
8 Lakeview $1,300 $1,790 townhomes typically charge higher rents
9 Lincoln Square $1,270 $1,580 than smaller units in larger buildings
10 Uptown $1,200 $1,550
located nearby.
Source: Zumper National Rent Report, January 2016

As shown on the following table, the median sale prices for residential units in the North Center
Community Area have rebounded following the recession in 2008-2009. The median price for single
family detached homes now exceeds $1 million, and the median for attached units (townhomes and
condominiums) is $400,000.

Median Home Sale Prices, 2007-2015

$1,200,000

$1,000,000

$800,000

$600,000

$400,000

$200,000

$0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Attached Median Sale Price Detached Median Sale Price

Source: Midwest Real Estate Data

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The majority of new projects being built in the Study Area are ownership units. As seen in the table below,
141 units of housing have been built within multi-family developments over the past 5 years in the Study
Area. Except for 18 units at 4234 N. Western Avenue, all of the rest were built as for-sale units. Of note,
all have fewer than 50 units total, and none is more than four stories high -- very much in keeping with the
scale of the neighborhood and the corridor. Most have 3-6 units per building across multiple buildings.

Western Ave/Roscoe Village Market Area, Recently Completed Development

Residential Available Year
Address Use Units Space Floors Built Notes
Ground Floor Retail Tenant is
Cobblestone. Built as Condo/Townhome
3047 N Oakley Ave Mixed Use 18 0 4 2016 for sale units
6 total buildings, 5 are 3 story with 6 units,
2415-2522 W Addison Residential 33 N/A 3 2016 one 3 story with 3 units. All for sale units.
5 total buildings, each 3 story with 6 units.
2435-53 W Irving Park Residential 30 N/A 3 2014 All for sale units

4228-32 N Western Residential 18 N/A 4 2015 18 unit, 4 story building.

Three buildings each 3 stories, 6 units.
Luxury condos completed shortly after
2431-2441 W Belmont Residential 18 N/A 3 2013 crash. Sell for ~ 400,000.

2312, 2316 W Belmont Residential 6 N/A 3 2016 2 total buildings, each 3 stories, 6 units
4038, 4042, 4046 N Three buildings each 3 stories, 6 units.
Western Residential 18 N/A 3 2012 Completed from 2012-2016
Source: Based on secondary sources deemed reliable and Goodman Williams Group, February 2017

In addition to these 7 projects built since 2012,

there are two notable projects completed earlier,
in 2008: 3255 and 3301 N Western Avenue.
Since they were built when the Viaduct was still
up along Western, both buildings were oriented
towards School Street with no entrances on the
Western Avenue street wall. Both projects were
built as mixed-use buildings with commercial
space on the ground floor, but one of the ground
floor commercial spaces has since been
converted to a residential unit while the other
remains vacant. Without the Viaduct, future
mixed-use projects will not turn their backs on
New multi-family project on Belmont, east of Western Western Avenue.

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Residential Market Outlook

The analysis shows that the North Center Derivation of New Home Demand Potentials
Community Area features mostly lower 2017-2021
density residential, including single-family
North Center Community Area
homes, two- and three-flats, especially
Households, CY Estimate 14,816
east of Western Avenue. Currently, Households, 5Y Projection 14,982
demand pressure is pushing northwards Projected HH Growth 166
from Chicagos Central Area and Total Housing Units, CY Estimate 16,503
neighboring communities such as Lincoln Expected Loss, Units (0.26%/year) 215
Gross Housing Demand, Units 381
Park and Lakeview. These factors suggest
Ownership Units (47.7%) 182
that there is residential demand that can Vacancy Requirement (1.5 Percent) 3
be captured in new units developed in the Total Owner-Occupied Demand 184
Western Avenue corridor; particularly if Average Per Year 37
offered at price points that are lower than Rental Units (52.3%) 199
Vacancy Requirement (10.1 Percent) 20
those found in the surrounding
Total Renter-Occupied Demand 219
communities of Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Average Per Year 44
and the Near North Side. Source: Goodman Williams Group
(Household and housing tenure estimates and projections from Esri, Inc.)

The accompanying demand table suggests demand in the North Center Community Area over the next
five years could average more than 80 units per year, including both rental and for-sale units. These
projections would outpace the five-year period between 2010 and 2015. It is likely that if sites are
developed in the Western Avenue Study Area, it could capture a significant portion of the near-term
demand in the Community Area. In the table, demand is based on projected household growth from the
American Community Survey along with assumptions regarding normal rates of unit loss, vacancy, and
tenure.

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Commercial Trends
In February 2017, Goodman Williams Group inventoried the ground floor commercial uses on the eastern
side of Western Avenue, Clybourn, and Belmont. This primary research, along with information from
secondary sources and discussions with brokers and developers, helped identify commercial market
trends and opportunities in the Study Area.

The Western Avenue Study Area and its various intersecting commercial streets have unique, distinct
retail and commercial markets, including the difference between the east and west sides of Western
Avenue.
Marianos-anchored Roscoe Square shopping center
The western side of Western has
institutional anchors and several large-
format commercial centers. These include
Lane Tech, a police station, a Jewel-
Osco, and the Marianos-anchored
Roscoe Square: a fully leased 143,567
square foot building on the site of the
former Riverview Park amusement park.
In addition to Marianos, Roscoe Squares
largest tenants are Babies R Us and
Walgreens.

The eastern side of Western has smaller storefronts and a higher percentage of locally owned
businesses. A discussion of the types of tenants and availabilities is presented later in this
section.

Western Avenue, with its high concentration of auto-centric businesses and wide streets, makes for a less
pleasing pedestrian experience than intersecting east-west streets. This should improve with the
demolition of the Viaduct and related streetscape improvements and can make the entire area a more
cohesive place. The most active commercial streets that intersect Western within the Study Area are
Addison Street, Belmont Avenue, Clybourn Avenue, and Roscoe Street.

Addison Street west of Western is mostly institutional uses: sports fields, park land and
educational uses. The north side of the street, from Western to the North Branch of the Chicago
River, is a mixture of residential uses and neighborhood shopping centers with surface parking in
front. The whole street is four lanes and is well traveled, as evidenced by the 26,700 vehicles per
day which pass through this section of Addison.

On Belmont a block east of the Western Avenue Corridor, there are 5 vacant storefronts out of 17
first floor commercial uses. Of the twelve businesses, five are professional service uses and two
are personal service uses. All of the active storefronts minus one are locally owned businesses
and there are only two retail uses. This section of Belmont sees approximately 15,000 vehicles
per day.

The block along Clybourn southeast from the intersection of Clybourn, Belmont, and Western has
similar uses to those along Belmont: 5 of the 11 active first-floor commercial uses are personal

15
 and professional services uses. Every use along this stretch of Clybourn is locally owned and
there is only one retail use (a home stereo store).

Roscoe Streets commercial identity is one of unique local shops, with residential units above,
generally topping out at three stories. There are parking and bike lanes, which promotes walking
and foot traffic for businesses.

The following map shows Average Daily Traffic Counts along these commercial streets.

16
Business Inventory along Eastern side of Western Avenue

The eastern edge of the Western Avenue Corridor has 46 ground-floor commercial spaces, five of which
are vacant, for a storefront vacancy rate of 10.8%.

Entertainment,
1, 3%
Manufacturing
/ Industrial, 2, Personal
5% Services, 3,
7%

Limited-Service
Dining, 11, 27%
Drinking Places,
3, 7%

Retail, 5, 12%

Automotive
Products and
Services, 9, 22%
Professional
Services, 7, 17%

Key findings include the following:

The greatest number of uses is limited-service dining; and five of these 11 storefronts are locally
owned.
The next greatest use is automotive products and services. There is one national-brand gas
station and the rest are all locally owned. The uses include a car wash, tire stores, an auto
dealership, auto electronics stores and service shops.
There are seven professional uses: two banks, three insurance offices, a medical office and a
payday loan store.
Of the five active retail storefronts, two are furniture stores.

Commercial rents for available ground floor spaces in the area are low, averaging approximately
$20/square foot on a net basis (and some spaces are advertising for as low as $15/SF) according to
CoStar. These low rents are attributable to the fact that most of the current commercial space available
on the east side of Western is older and not high-quality space. New construction will command higher
lease rates, likely in excess of $30/SF to support the cost of this new construction. Renovation of some
existing spaces is also possible.

17
Commercial Market Outlook

Two new commercial developments are under

construction or planned. The first is a single story
retail development by Baker Development located
at 3641 N. Western Avenue. The project has a
total of 18,320 square feet, with more than 8,000
square feet already leased to Verizon, MOD
Pizza, ATI Physical Therapy and MyEyeDr. The
project should be completed in 2017.

In addition to the Baker Development project, one

other retail development is proposed within the New single-story retail development at 3641 N. Western
Western Avenue Study Area: a single-story retail
development at 2500 W Addison Street, adjacent
to the new Addison Apartments.

There are four other sites for sale along Western Avenue that could be potential sites for future
commercial or mixed-use development. Their locations are shown in the map on page 24 of this report.

Western Avenue is an auto-oriented commercial corridor, with high traffic counts, retail centers with
surface parking in front, and a number of automotive-related businesses and limited service restaurants.
With the demolition of the Western Avenue Viaduct and likely new residential development, demand for a
limited amount of neighborhood-focused, higher-end commercial uses will increase. These uses might
include full-service dining options, locally-owned retail stores, entertainment uses, and business and
professional services. Additional future commercial development should be clustered around key
intersections at Clybourn/Belmont, Addison, and Roscoe.

18
Industrial Trends
The Chicago River has long been a draw for industrial
uses. Much of the land proximate to the intersection of
Western Avenue and the North Branch of the Chicago
River is zoned for industrial use, falling within the
Addison Industrial Corridor. This Industrial Corridor is
one of 24 within the City of Chicago, so designated to
preserve and enhance industrial uses. The City has
begun a process of examining the Industrial Corridors
to determine the extent to which industrial uses are still
viable and whether zoning changes are called for.

Industrial trends were examined and compared across

both the City of Chicago and the Study Area.
The b ulk carrier ship Marine Angel passing under
the Western Avenue Bridge

In 2007 CoStar reported 459,892 SF of industrial space in the Study Area. That number has declined to
301,882 square feet in 2017. This equates to a decrease of more than 34% of total industrial square
footage over the past ten years. During this time period, the number of industrial buildings in the Study
Area fell from 27 to 22. While the City overall lost industrial space during the same time period, the rate
of loss in this part of the Addison Industrial Corridor was far greater.

The remaining 300,000 SF of industrial in the Study

Area is all located within the Addison Industrial
Corridor between Belmont to the north, Western
Avenue to the east and the Chicago River along the
southwest. While a large portion of the
manufacturing and industrial buildings are still used
for these purposes, it should be mentioned that
some of this space is being used for non-industrial
uses such as showrooms for furniture or music
venues like Links Hall on Western. Links Hall is an
arts incubator, with performance and collaboration
space for local artists.

Current industrial use along Chicago River A number of other buildings sit vacant, especially
(taken from Western Ave Bridge looking west) along the eastern side of Western Avenue, south of
Barry Avenue. The majority of these vacant
industrial buildings is single-story and are likely to
be demolished to make way for new construction. Very little of this new construction will be traditional
industrial space. CBREs 2017 Second Quarter Chicago Industrial Marketview shows the City North
market is one of the few industrial markets in Chicagoland with zero new space under construction.

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The largest industrial user facilities in or bordering the Study Area:

Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company - Dental product manufacturing

o 80,000 SF building at Belmont/North Branch
Beverage Flavors International - Beverage manufacturing
o 23,000 SF building at Belmont/North Branch
Tampico Beverages - Beverage manufacturing
o 45,000 SF building at Barry/North Branch

Located just across the River on Rockwell Street, Metropolitan Brewing is moving into 20,000 square feet
in a building that, in addition to hosting the regional brewery, will include facilities for coffee roasting and a
chocolate business. The facility, noted on the map below, is being redeveloped and modernized by
developer Paul Levy, best known for his role in creating the Bridgeport Arts Center. Levy has unveiled a
plan for a 10-business hub for local foodies inside the building, a former tannery. This and Links Hall are
two examples of the possibilities of adaptive reuse.

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Located northwest of the intersection of Addison Street and Western
Avenue is Bradley Business Center, with more than 500,000 square feet
of flex space located on 22 acres. The Bradley Business Center is located
within the Addison Industrial Corridor. According to the Centers website
the types of spaces available are ground floor commercial space,
corporate office space, and shared office space for smaller businesses or
entrepreneurs. Anchors in the Center include an Alstyle Apparel
Activewear distribution center, Collectors Car Garage, Power Home
Remodeling and WGN Studios.

There is one other large-scale, campus-style office building: a 24,000 Bradley Business Center
square foot building tucked against the North Branch of the River on
Campbell Avenue, south of Belmont. The building features 62 dedicated parking spots for the Chicago
headquarters of Tampico Beverages, whose manufacturing facility is located on the far south end of the
five-acre property.

Warehouse District Case Study: Clinton Street, Nashville, TN

The 1500 block of Clinton Street in Nashville, TN is similar to the small

collection of light industrial uses surrounded by a residential area. Clinton
Street is an unassuming corridor featuring industrial buildings that have
been converted into breweries, music halls, and restaurants.

Nelson Street has a similar character to Clinton Street and just south of
Belmont Avenue near the Chicago River, once called, Bricktown could
Marathon Music Works, Nashville
be branded as a warehouse district, transforming current uses into a
unique hub of galleries, artisans, makers, and live work spaces. This type of conversion would add to the
character of the neighborhood, without driving business away from the primary Roscoe Village business
district. The suggested boundaries are marked on the suggested future land use map on page 24.

Nelsons Green Brier Distillery, Nashville

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Industrial Market Outlook

With advances in technology, manufacturers across the country are requiring less space overall. This
trend is seen at the City scale as, according to CBRE, industrial leasing and sales activity in 2017 is only
60% of the activity seen as recently as 2002. The trend is also reflected in the Western Avenue Study
Area. With only a few large-scale single-tenant industrial use buildings left and industrial square footage
in the Study Area plummeting, more small manufacturers and alternate uses are moving into the
remaining spaces, both locally and City-wide.

This trend, in tandem with the boundaries of the

Addison Industrial Corridor and the limitations this
designation presents, make it pertinent to attract
smaller, creative, supportive users to fill existing space.
These users can provide more neighborhood amenities,
similar to Links Hall or the Metropolitan Brewery/food
incubator being developed across the river. Some
additional office use is also possible, and small-scale
residential may also be appropriate to replace existing,
defunct or underutilized industrial space outside of the
Addison Industrial Corridor. Two examples of this can
be found at 2341-45 West Roscoe Street, where four
story, six-unit residential apartment buildings are
Example of underutilized single-story industrial
currently under construction - replacing the former b uilding in Study Area
Chemcraft facility.

It is worth noting that the City of Chicago recently made changes to the zoning in the North Branch
Industrial Corridor to allow for a greater diversity in land uses. The City has begun the process of
examining Industrial Corridors across the City.

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Future Development Strategies
There are three vacant parcels within the
boundaries of the Western Avenue Corridor
for sale, which should be candidates for
future development:

2352 W. Belmont Avenue

3163 N. Clybourn Avenue
3055 N. Western Avenue

These three parcels at the intersection of

Western, Belmont and Clybourn are all ideal
candidates for development because of the 2352 W. Belmont
size of the parcels and the location at a
heavily traveled and visible intersection.
There is also a site at 3657 N. Western, just north of the Corridor, which is much smaller in scale than the
other three sites and sees fewer vehicles per day. The intersection of Clybourn, Western and Belmont
sees approximately 50,000 cars per day, as compared to just 26,000 for the corner of Waveland and
Western.

New mixed-use and commercial development at key Western Avenue intersections with
Belmont/Clybourn, Roscoe, and Addison are likely to meet with market support. In the wake of the
demolition of the Western Avenue Viaduct, medium-density residential infill development is also
supported in the Study Area, particularly along Western. This new development could fill gaps in the
Western Avenue streetscape and enhance the pedestrian experience, effectively extending the western
boundary of Roscoe Village and providing additional support for existing businesses in Roscoe Village.

Examples of new multi-family residential construction in Western Avenue Study Area

This analysis, in tandem with the goals of the Roscoe Village Neighbors Zoning and Land Use
Committee, dictated distinct strategies and guidelines for both land use and new development. The next
two pages showcase these approaches for the Study Area.

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Future Land Use Map

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Recommended Guidelines for Future Development in the Western Avenue
Study Area

1. Allow mid-block ground floor residential use to help

encourage infill development. Future development
should reflect preferred building types established by
the formal Vision Framework.
2. Focus and prioritize ground floor retail/commercial use
at street corners.
3. Establish formal set back lines to create a consistent
Western Avenue street wall.
4. Transform auto-related lots over time by redeveloping
sites with larger lots into a combination of mixed use
corner lots and center block residential, or some
combination thereof.
5. Avoid new auto-dominated strip centers. Parking
should be behind the building. If not feasible, allow
side yard parking with visibility to Western with
landscaping and fencing so drivers can see parking
but pedestrians are shielded from the parking lot.
Encourage existing strip centers to meet the new
design principles.
6. Whenever possible, limit new curb cuts unless to a
parking garage behind a building. Eliminate existing
curb cuts for new residential construction if alley
access is available. Encourage shared driveway
options whenever possible.
7. Prohibit balconies on new buildings overhanging
pedestrian public right of way.
8. Encourage height limitations of 4 and/or 5 stories.
9. Establish gateway features at critical intersections
10. Explore and promote opportunities to better tie Roscoe
Village to the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Encourage riverfront development to use Friends of
the Chicago River Blue Principles for River Design.
Examples include establishment of a continuous
Riverwalk, wayfinding signage, and longer term land
use changes at the south/southwest end of the study
area.
11. Potential police station improvements. Encourage
environmental enhancement, heat island mitigation,
storm water management, bioswales, permeable
hardscaping and additional landscaping.

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Roscoe Village Neighbors
Statement of Principles Regarding Land Use, Development, and
Zoning
As Adopted May 14, 2008

Roscoe Village is an urban community located on Chicagos North Side. Bounded by Belmont
Avenue to the south, Addison Street to the north, Ravenswood Avenue to the east and the
Chicago River to the west, our community has a unique mix of residential, commercial and
institutional uses. Its historical characteristics and essential attributes combine to make it truly
a Village within the City.

1. We support effective public policies and responsible private development that maintain
the essential attributes of Roscoe Villages built environment and enhance the overall
quality of life and work in our community. These attributes include a vital mix of
residential, commercial and institutional uses essential to an urban environment.

2. Because a diverse mix of building stock is an essential attribute of Roscoe Village, we

encourage and support the preservation, renovation and, whenever appropriate, adaptive
reuse of existing buildings in Roscoe Village.

3. We urge that new construction be responsibly developed and creatively designed in ways
that harmonize with, and respond to, the character and context of our community. We
encourage the use of quality materials and craftsmanship in building construction and
renovation. For example, we encourage the use of brick or stone exteriors, rather than
exposed concrete block.

4. We encourage responsible development that seeks to minimize the density of

construction and uses of land.

5. Virtually all of our residential streets are zoned exclusively for detached single family
homes. To maintain the character of our residential streets, to promote appropriate
rehabilitation of older buildings and to accommodate new development, we are
committed to preserving the existing residential zoning that predominates in our
community. We will oppose any proposed rezoning of any RS3-zoned properties to
RT3.5 or higher zoning classifications, absent extreme circumstances.

6. We seek to maintain and enhance the pedestrian-oriented scale of our principal

commercial streets, notably Roscoe Street and Belmont Avenue. We especially support
efforts to preserve and enhance the character and use of Roscoe Street between Damen
Avenue and Leavitt Street as a designated Pedestrian Street under the 2004 Zoning
Ordinance. We support strict enforcement of the Pedestrian Street requirements for
Roscoe Street, which include provisions concerning building facades, entrances,
windows, parking and prohibited uses.

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 7. We support strict enforcement of the SD-10 Roscoe Street Special Character Overlay
District, which is intended by the 2004 Zoning Ordinance to conserve the existing low
density, multi-use commercial and residential character of Roscoe Street between Damen
Avenue and Claremont Avenue. The Overlays requirements supplement underlying
zoning for new construction on this portion of Roscoe Street and, among other
limitations, limit the height of new buildings to 36 feet.

8. We support enforcement of the Excavation Ordinance, including its notice provisions.

We also support strict enforcement of the public notice requirements for all zoning
amendments, administrative adjustments, special uses and variations, and for new
construction generally. We encourage efforts to improve the effectiveness, transparency
and fairness of notification procedures.

9. We support maintaining and expanding open green space in Roscoe Village, including
Fellger and Clark Parks.

10. We support efforts to improve and expand public transportation serving Roscoe Village,
as these efforts preserve our communitys pedestrian-oriented character, reduce demand
for parking and enhance commercial vitality and access to services. We also support the
Bike 2015 Plan (http://www.bike2015plan.org/index.html) and otherwise encourage the
use of bicycles and other environmentally friendly transportation options in Roscoe
Village.

11. We oppose the introduction of permit parking in Roscoe Village. We also oppose the
creation of new curb cuts on any of Roscoe Villages streets.

12. We encourage environmentally responsible building and development appropriate for the
existing urban built environment in Roscoe Village. We strongly believe, however, that
building green can be consistent with existing zoning.

13. We reaffirm our support of the reform process that resulted in the 2004 Zoning
Ordinance, particularly as it applies to Roscoe Village. The 2004 Ordinance preserved as
RS3 the predominant single- family zoning of our residential streets and established
Roscoe Street from Damen Avenue to Leavitt Street as a Pedestrian Street. We will
support a zoning change only when it is otherwise consistent with these Principles and
when it represents the least intrusive zoning solution.

We intend for these Principles to help guide land use, development and zoning in our community.
We seek to work cooperatively with community residents and business owners, our aldermen,
other city officials and developers to assure that projects proposed for Roscoe Village reflect and
incorporate these Principles to the fullest extent possible.

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