Chicago Plan Commission Approves South Shore Corridor Study

June 17, 2020

In late May, the Chicago Plan Commission voted to adopt the South Shore Corridor Study, which was supported by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Community Planning Program, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD), and Alderman Gregory Mitchell.

The project studied two corridors in the South Shore neighborhood — East 75th and East 79th Streets, from Stony Island Avenue to Lake Michigan — to develop a blueprint for land use, housing, retail, and connectivity to transit, all in the context of changing demographics.

The final plan included recommendations aimed at strengthening transit usage and making transit access safer and more efficient for neighborhood residents, especially seniors. It identifies challenges within the local housing and retail markets and recommendations for stabilizing and strengthening both, including how transit improvements can play a role.

This project was an opportunity to study how a community can leverage its transit assets to create a wave of benefits for riders and residents. Investing in transit means investing in the future of the community.

The planning process engaged more than 500 residents, business owners, and other community stakeholders.

"The South Shore Corridor Study helped identify corridor strengths and opportunities for continued improvements that are moving forward through Mayor Lori Lightfoot's INVEST South/West initiative," DPD Commissioner Maurice Cox said. "The study will serve as an important road map to implement community-based objectives in the months and years to come."