During the summer of 2012, a panel of 11 land use and development professionals toured the Irving Park Road Corridor and conducted an extensive review. Staff and study participants also held one-on-one interviews and four public meetings, engaging more than 150 residents, business owners, and property owners to gather feedback.

Recommendations from the Study

Final recommendations from the Irving Park Road Corridor Study outline strategies to strengthen and revitalize the corridor, centered on three primary goals:

• Attract new businesses
• Draw more people into the Village to shop
• Support existing successful businesses

Key implementation strategies include enhancing streetscaping along the corridor, reconfiguring parking areas, and improving bicycle and pedestrian access. The Panel also recommended that vacant and underutilized retail areas, such as the former Menard’s property, be considered for redevelopment into alternative uses, including recreational facilities, community services, or senior housing. 

The Village has made significant progress toward these goals, including the incorporation of senior living at the former Menard’s site, and continues to actively advance these recommendations.

Study Grant

This study was funded through a grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and conducted by the Urban Land Institute of Chicago (ULI).