This Master Plan, adopted by the Chicago Plan Commission, provides a vision and over 30 implementation strategies for neighborhood improvements in the area around the Jefferson Park Transit Center. Funded by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and City of Chicago, the Plan aims to build upon Jefferson Park’s many assets, including its location and access to transit, interstates, and O’Hare Airport. Despite these advantages, Milwaukee Avenue—Jefferson Park’s central corridor—has many vacancies and the station area lacks a cohesive sense of place for residents and the many visitors who pass through everyday.
The Plan addresses these issues with recommendations relating to Community Character, Economic Development, and Transportation. Teska and Metro Strategies led a comprehensive outreach strategy involving residents, businesses, neighborhood associations, cultural institutions, property owners, and other stakeholders that helped to build consensus around different opinions for the future of the neighborhood.
With a focus on filling vacant lots and storefronts, improving walkability, and making Jefferson Park a destination, the Plan includes concept plans for key sites in the area, a design for a potential public plaza and winter garden, streetscape improvement concepts, and design guidelines to shape future development.
An illustrative concept plan showed ideas for future potential development, a public plaza, placemaking improvements, and streetscape enhancements.
At one of three community meetings, residents participated in interactive mapping exercises where they shared their ideas for future land uses in Jefferson Park.
This streetscape concept plan shows potential enhancements for Lipps Ave. and Ainslie St., an intersection just one block from the Transit Center and with two planned mixed-use developments coming in the near future.