A community meeting scheduled for November 1 will discuss future plans for the mixed-use corridor along 95th Street in Roseland and Washington Heights. A primary focus of the meeting will be the exploration of Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) opportunities. The Department of Planning and Development and Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) "95th Street Corridor Plan," emphasizes the need for local resident and business input in crafting the future of transit access along this corridor.
Underutilized and vacant properties scatter along the 95th Street corridor, housing low-scale commercial and residential buildings. Acting DPD Commissioner Patrick Murphey emphasizes the need for input from the corridor users to fully leverage the potential of the CTA Red Line and Metra Electric Line with an enhancement of pedestrian-oriented growth, supplemented by local and regional bus lines.
To reflect the community's vision and address their needs, CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. expressed eagerness to collaborate with the local communities during the planning process. The new 95th/Dan Ryan terminal is conceived as an important transit hub as well as an anchor for the community, designed to support equitable transit-oriented development and enhance the lives of Roseland and Washington Heights residents.
Local non-profits, the Endeleo Institute and Far South Community Development Corp will facilitate future 90-minute meetings which will discuss equitable growth strategies accompanying the CTA’s Red Line extension from 95th to 130th Street. The sessions will cover aspects such as previous planning efforts and pointers on correlations between public health and equitable transit. Attendees will also provide their input on neighborhood needs, thereby shaping the community's future.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Hubert Morgan from the Endeleo Institute, underlining the significance of the planning process for community members to articulate their visions. The scheduling of further meetings over the coming months will ensure that this dialogue continues, and the corridor undergoes transformation.
Following these meetings, a plan composed of formal goals and strategies may be up for review and adoption by the Chicago Plan Commission in the fall of next year. This will enable the alignment of future projects with the community’s vision for the street. For signups for the November 1 meeting and comprehensive understanding of the 95th Street Corridor Plan, the residents should visit www.Chicago.gov/95th.
