Fullerton Facelift Will Cater to Pedestrians

As early as next spring, a four-block area of Fullerton Avenue will transform from congested and stark to walkable, landscaped and pedestrian friendly.

That's as long as the Fullerton Streetscape concept is carried out as planned. About a dozen residents showed Thursday evening for a presentation offered by the Chicago Department of Transportation and Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd). It featured before-and-after displays of the planned changes to Fullerton Avenue between Southport and Ashland avenues.

Design plans have been in the works for the past year, but implementation is contingent upon state, federal funding; as well as a contract with the Lincoln Park neighborhood that would ensure the area's upkeep. 

READ: Residents to Review Fullerton Streetscape Project

Springtime water main repairs in that area will be completed before the street's overall rejuvenation, said Janet Attarian, CDOT project director and sustainability coordinator for the project.

She presented a 22-page slideshow detailing curb bump-outs that will not affect parking but will allow for heavily landscaped rain gardens or sidewalk cafes; 10-foot wide sidewalks complete with trees and in some cases, planters; crosswalks with brick inlays; and ornamental lighting.

"We're really interested in how you knit the two sides of the street together," Attarian said, noting that side streets immediately adjacent to Fullerton Avenue will be worked in with the plan to ensure smooth transitions from retail areas to residential ones.

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Screetscaping is typically done at the surface level, Attarian said, rather than that involving underground utilities. The Fullerton project does, however, include a complete infrastructure upgrade from a lighting perspective.

Waguespack's chief of staff told Patch the project has been in the works for about five years.

"(It will) really allow the businesses and the buildings to frame the character of the block, rather than trying to impose a character from the outside," he said last week.

The budget for the project—Attarian says Chicago taxpayers will not be tapped to fund any portion—is around $2.3 million.

Residents voiced concerns Thursday about the bike lane ending abruptly at Ashland Avenue, drivers treating Fullerton like it has two lanes on each side, thieves snatching tree grates and the size of community banners changing due to redesigned light poles.

Planners said they're considering all details carefully and will be tweaking concept designs during the next few months. 

Business owners in that corridor wanting to take advantage of perks to the project—perhaps a bike rack outside, or a sidewalk cafe—should contact them, presenters urged.

Waguespack said the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce is working to reach out to businesses in that area to help coordinate the effort. 

Overall, the pedestrian experience on Fullerton is an important one; placing it at the center of design plans, Attarian said.

"It's certainly going to make a difference in sort of the economic health of the street," she said, adding that it's currently not pedestrian friendly. "Our hierarchy is pedestrians, transit, bikes, auto. … We feel that these (designs) at least get us to a minimum level of service that we don't have on Fullerton today."

See the accompanying photo gallery for a glimpse at the design plans.