[harryc]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Fire lanes, wow. That's a topic that doesn't often come up in Chicago. Usually the fire dept. review on a PD is a rubber stamp.

Even townhouse projects usually have fire access only to the drive aisles, not to the pedestrian courts that the houses front onto.

Anyway, this language doesn't seem to prevent the developer or the eventual owners from putting a gate across the court at the alley, turning it into a cul-de-sac to prevent pedestrians cutting through. They could still keep a keycard gate so residents have easy access to Milwaukee and the grocery store.

I'm very cynical about this kind of public space dedication in a PD. This story has already played out many times on riverfront properties with the required 30' setback and walkway. It works okay with commercial properties or multifamily rentals, but residential developments with houses or townhomes have consistently resisted public use and erected gates or barriers.