The Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development has reviewed the Pritzker parking garage proposal for Rogers Park and found it to be in conformance with the Lakefront Protection Ordinance.
I believe the report's finding is based on flawed analysis.
The report and the developer have failed to demonstrate the basis of the parking demand. The report then contradicts itself by saying that no new traffic would be generated by the garage. If a parking demand isn't being met, it's not as if cars are on the streets going in circles overnight until they need to be driven to work the next day. They either don't exist, or they aren't being moved. When the supply increases, the cars that don't exist in the neighborhood now (because there's no place to park them according to the report) will move in and out of that garage every day.
The report is ludicrously ignorant of current stormwater issues. While the stormwater from the site currently flows into Lake Michigan untreated, according the report, the stormwater from the parking garage will also flow into Lake Michigan untreated. This is because the stormwater system in Chicago is combined with the sewage system which becomes overloaded during small rain events prompting the water management district to release untreated water into Lake Michigan. This is why beaches close the day after storms.
The city and the Chicago Plan Commission have an opportunity here to require that the parking garage be redesigned to have no impact on the stormwater system by treating all the water on site, through either a mechanical system, or a natural system combining a green roof (instead of a fifth level of parking) and ground-level bioswales.
The Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development has reviewed the Pritzker parking garage proposal for Rogers Park and found it to be in conformance with the Lakefront Protection Ordinance.
I believe the report's finding is based on flawed analysis.
The report and the developer have failed to demonstrate the basis of the parking demand. The report then contradicts itself by saying that no new traffic would be generated by the garage. If a parking demand isn't being met, it's not as if cars are on the streets going in circles overnight until they need to be driven to work the next day. They either don't exist, or they aren't being moved. When the supply increases, the cars that don't exist in the neighborhood now (because there's no place to park them according to the report) will move in and out of that garage every day.
The report is ludicrously ignorant of current stormwater issues. While the stormwater from the site currently flows into Lake Michigan untreated, according the report, the stormwater from the parking garage will also flow into Lake Michigan untreated. This is because the stormwater system in Chicago is combined with the sewage system which becomes overloaded during small rain events prompting the water management district to release untreated water into Lake Michigan. This is why beaches close the day after storms.
The city and the Chicago Plan Commission have an opportunity here to require that the parking garage be redesigned to have no impact on the stormwater system by treating all the water on site, through either a mechanical system, or a natural system combining a green roof (instead of a fifth level of parking) and ground-level bioswales.
The Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development has reviewed the Pritzker parking garage proposal for Rogers Park and found it to be in conformance with the Lakefront Protection Ordinance.
I believe the report's finding is based on flawed analysis.
The report and the developer have failed to demonstrate the basis of the parking demand. The report then contradicts itself by saying that no new traffic would be generated by the garage. If a parking demand isn't being met, it's not as if cars are on the streets going in circles overnight until they need to be driven to work the next day. They either don't exist, or they aren't being moved. When the supply increases, the cars that don't exist in the neighborhood now (because there's no place to park them according to the report) will move in and out of that garage every day.
The report is ludicrously ignorant of current stormwater issues. While the stormwater from the site currently flows into Lake Michigan untreated, according the report, the stormwater from the parking garage will also flow into Lake Michigan untreated. This is because the stormwater system in Chicago is combined with the sewage system which becomes overloaded during small rain events prompting the water management district to release untreated water into Lake Michigan. This is why beaches close the day after storms.
The city and the Chicago Plan Commission have an opportunity here to require that the parking garage be redesigned to have no impact on the stormwater system by treating all the water on site, through either a mechanical system, or a natural system combining a green roof (instead of a fifth level of parking) and ground-level bioswales.