Planning&Development
You may have received a letter or heard news about the rezoning of the parcel owned by Rosehill Cemetery that borders Bowmanville Avenue and stretches to Western Avenue.
In the late 1980s, a group of family members of people buried in the cemetery sued to halt development of land on the west side of the cemetery. As part of this lawsuit, a covenant was developed to limit what could be developed on the site. A parcel was set aside along Western Avenue, just south of Peterson, that could only be maintained as a nature preserve. Another parcel, the one that borders Bowmanville Avenue, was limited to institutional-type uses — such as a school, church, or a senior housing development. However, at that time, the zoning of that parcel was not altered to reflect that change.
The City of Chicago has entered into an agreement to purchase the area along Western Avenue to create the Nature Preserve. As part of that purchase agreement, SCI has negotiated with the City to update the zoning of the parcel along Bowmanville to reflect what is allowed by the covenant.
A copy of the letter sent to property owners in the immediate vicinity of the parcel is posted here. The zoning change is on the committee agenda for October 18. In addition, Alderman O’Connor and a representative of the City of Chicago law department will be at the BCO’s October 20 meeting to give an update on the project.
At this time, the BCO does not know of any specific development planned for the site, though we continue to be involved through the Alderman’s office to ensure the neighborhood continues to be informed. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the BCO at planning@bcochicago.org or our hotline.
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BCO Launches Block Captain/Block Club Program!
Do you know who your block captain is? If not, then your block probably needs a volunteer to step into this important role. We have established a program to help blocks get organized in how they share information amongst themselves and with other parts of our community.
Click here to go to the membership page for more information
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2010
The P&D committee regularly meets the last Monday of each month.
Call the BCO toll free line and leave a message for Jeff to get details for the next meeting.
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2009
Special Planning Open Meeting
Let them Eat Chocolate
5306 N. Damen Avenue
April 30, 2009 7:00 p.m.
The BCO is hosting an open meeting to brainstorm and discuss commercial development along Damen and Foster. All community members are invited to attend. The committee also seeks more neighborhood volunteers – both residential and commercial – to contribute to this important project.
1) Damen-Foster Commercial Development Project: The planning committee is launching an initiative to recommend strategies to develop and improve the commercial corridors along Damen Avenue and Foster Avenue. The committee hopes to develop a plan that is beneficial to local residents and businesses. We will look at challenges of development in this recession and create a realistic plan based on current and future economic scenarios. The committee will seek the input of residents, local business owners, community development experts, and the alderman.
2) Project Safe Sidewalk: There are a number of sidewalks in disrepair throughout the community. The committee plans to identify and catalog those that are badly damaged and in need of repair and will work with the community and the alderman to get them fixed. If you would like to help on this project, or if you know of a damaged sidewalk to report, please contact the planning committee at planning@bcochicago.org.