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Originally Posted by ardecila
Yes, it would be nice there... but probably way too expensive for a neighborhood park. In the context of a highway reconstruction, it might be feasible, but that highway will probably never be widened so no reconstruction.
I agree about park space in this area, but I don't think it will be easy to provide. Possibly you could reclaim some of the excess IDOT land around the expressway ramps by getting creative with sound walls or berms. It would still be sub-par open space, though.
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A few of the lots nearby are big enough that you could possibly extort some developers with a promise of unlimited density (or at least something much higher than usual) in exchange for funding toward such a cap.
The estimates, per-block, to cap the Kennedy were $15 million to $60 million. The Kennedy is twice as wide as that stretch of Ohio feeder, and the $60 million end is mostly because of safety features IDOT required, probably because of capping multiple blocks in a row, some, if not all of which, could be avoided for a 1-block long stretch. There are also no on/off ramps to be negotiated there. The triangle west side adds some complexity, but it shouldn't be a crazy amount. The existing median is used for the bridge supports, so it's assumedly wide enough to support center braces, so not only is the area 1/2 the span of the Kennedy, each piece might be 1/4 the span, meaning MUCH less steel would be necessary. I think it's plausible that that park might be possible for as little as $10 million, and $25 million is probably the most it would cost. $10-$25 million seems attainable, even for a neighborhood park.
The
expanded definition of downtown announced earlier this year explicitly includes the patch of land surrounding this area. I don't know exactly how much an upzone in that area might be worth, but if the city advertised that certain strategic lots within 2 blocks of that area could be upzoned to DX-16 (or even higher, perhaps) in exchange for helping out a starter fund for that cap, I'm guessing you could at least make a nice starter fund.
It's also a big enough area that it could contain one, maybe two, commercial spaces to generate rent. That might be able to finance as much as a couple million more. Then the City could also leverage advertising toward Ohio there, and renting it out for a few events - it'd be a natural spot for a neighborhood block party for that scraggle of a neighborhood - generates a bit more. Throw in a little charity, a Federal grant, and the City itself may barely have to contribute anything more than the hours to organize it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
A little further north, I've often dreamed about tearing down the crappy Concentra building at Ogden/Chicago and building a civic plaza for that area to host farmers markets, etc and provide a space to view St. John Cantius and its school, both complete architectural gems.
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That would also be nice.
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