ULI CHICAGO PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, please contact Cynthia McSherry, Executive Director, ULI Chicago, 773-549-4972, [email protected]

CHICAGO (February 19, 2014) —The Urban Land Institute Chicago (ULI Chicago) has released a report with recommendations to revitalize the six-block span of Devon Avenue between McCormick Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue. The report was based on a two-day, inter-jurisdictional technical assistance panel convened by ULI Chicago in September of last year in partnership with the Village of Lincolnwood, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). The 10-member expert panel toured and discussed the study area with Village and City officials, interviewed local stakeholders, and reviewed detailed background information to understand challenges facing the corridor and prepare practical solutions for future development.

The panel’s recommendations focused on identifying key redevelopment opportunities, transportation safety improvements, and streetscape enhancements. Key redevelopment sites include the northwest corners of both Devon Avenue and McCormick Boulevard and Devon and Lincoln Avenues, which should serve as “gateways” into the community. Noting the lack of amenities for pedestrians and bicyclists, the panel recommended re-designing Devon Avenue as a “Complete Street” that accommodates all users and transportation modes. The panel also recommended integrating streetscape enhancements such as street furniture, landscaping and public art to promote a unified corridor design along Devon Avenue. The report emphasized the importance of continued collaboration between the Village of Lincolnwood and the City of Chicago to redevelop this stretch of Devon into a vibrant, attractive corridor.

Read the full Devon Avenue Corridor TAP Report

The panel and final report were funded through CMAP’s Local Technical Assistance program to support implementation of the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan.

For more information about the ULI Chicago panel process, please visit: chicago.uli.org.

###

ULI Chicago (chicago.uli.org), a District Council of the Urban Land Institute organized in 1986, has more than 1,200 members in the Chicago land area. The ULI Chicago Technical Assistance Panel program draws upon ULI member expertise to provide creative and practical solutions to land use challenges in communities across the Chicago region and beyond. ULI Chicago’s TAP program was started in 2002.

The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) (cmap.illinois.gov) is the official regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. CMAP developed and now leads the implementation of GO TO 2040, metropolitan Chicago’s first comprehensive regional plan in more than 100 years. To address anticipated population growth of more than 2 million new residents, GO TO 2040 establishes coordinated strategies that help the region’s 284 communities address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues.