Clark Street Task Force Calls on Residents for First Open House

The new community organization focused on revitalizing North Clark Street in Lake View has scheduled its first open house to get neighbors involved in the makeover process.

Representatives with the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and North Clark Street Task Force will meet for an open house on May 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Century Shopping Centre at 2828 N. Clark St. The open house on the second floor of the mall will call on the community to help brainstorm ideas to make the business corridor a better place.

• Read: Century Cinema Makeover a Preview of Upcoming Mall Redevelopment

“Come join us for an open house with the Clark Street Task Force,” the chamber announced in a statement. “Your input is vital to our plans to revitalize Clark! … You will be able to provide your thoughts about the future of the North Clark Street corridor.”

Along with new plans to draw more attention to Lincoln Avenue in Lake View, the North Clark Street Task Force is one of two development initiatives pushed by community chambers of commerce.

In East Lake View, officials started working with an urban planning team to create a comprehensive study of Clark Street between Diversey Parkway and Barry Avenue. The process, which is aimed at making the stretch more pedestrian and business friendly, is expected to take almost half a year.

To streamline the project, design team The Lakota Group—who is also redesigning Six Corners in Portage Park—has been working with the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, Ald. Tom Tunney’s (44th) office, and the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, among others.

“(The Lakeview East Chamber) hired the Lakota Group and retail and engineering consultants to basically study Clark Street,” York Chan said in March. Chan is a South East Lake View Neighbors association board member, as well as a member on the Clark Street planning committee.

“If you haven’t walked down Clark Street in the past few years, you probably haven’t seen there’s a lot of empty storefronts and businesses barely hanging on,” Chan continued. “This has been an ongoing problem.”

Just like the Lincoln Avenue redevelopment, the Clark Street project is being funded by the Lakeview East Chamber’s Special Service Area, a property tax levy allocated from the City of Chicago to improve Lake View.

The Lakota Group’s urban study, which will be broken up into three phases, will include things like community involvement and neighborhood open houses. The final strategic plan is scheduled to be completed by June.

“One thing we were really careful about is inviting (officials) from departments and organizations to keep everyone (informed) while we’re moving along,” said Maureen Martino, executive director with the East Lakeview Chamber. “There are grandiose ideas, low hanging fruit and somewhere in the middle. We have to identify what can be done immediately, what can be done in the near future and what we might see in three to five years.”

The first phase of the Clark Street Strategic Plan runs through the end of April, with May 1’s community open house scheduled to gather feedback on initial plans.

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