McKinley Park Existing Conditions Report

To initiate the public’s involvement in the planning process, a workshop was held to hear from residents and stakeholders. The public kick-off meeting was held on July 18, 2018 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the National Latino Education Insitute with over 100 people in attendance, including several members of the Steering Committee. Participants learned about the planning process through a brief presentation by CMAP and discussed in small groups the following three questions with fellow neighbors:

What would you like to preserve about McKinley Park for future generations?

What do you consider to be the most important issues or concerns for McKinley Park that need to be addressed in the neighborhood plan?

What specific projects or actions would you like to see completed to address these issues and concerns?

Participants divided into 11 small groups with maps to identify shared priorities for the future of McKinley Park. Each group had a facilitator and participants were asked to locate their responses to the questions on the map using colored dots. Materials were available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The following is a summary of what residents and stakeholders identified as areas of strength, challenges, and opportunity.

What would you like to preserve about McKinley Park for future generations?

Over half of community responses related to preserving the neighborhood’s namesake park and access to green space, as well as continuing to support the programming and activities within the park district. The community strongly identified with McKinley Park as a gathering space, a hub for neighborhood activity, and as symbol of the natural beauty of the community.

Similarly, the community prides itself on the diversity of its residents and the welcoming attitude towards people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Meeting attendees reported their desire to preserve the close-knit community culture that exists in their neighborhood, and nurture the community engagement, activism and enthusiasm that is present in neighborhood organizations.

Public transportation and the variety of available housing stock made up about a quarter of responses, while another quarter acknowledged the importance of preserving the history of the CMD and community amenities including schools, libraries, and local businesses.

Figure 3.1: Assets to Preserve for Future Generations

Source: CMAP Public Kick-off meeting, July 18, 2018.
 

What do you consider to be the most important issues or concerns for McKinley Park that need to be addressed in the neighborhood plan?

There was overwhelming concern in the written responses for the potential for housing to become unaffordable to long-time neighborhood residents, see Figure 3.2. Gentrification and displacement were identified as priority issues to address, as well as protecting home ownership and rent control. A similar number of responses raised concern for struggling local businesses on the 35th Street commercial corridor. Respondents reported the need for more investment in local business development.

Concern for environmental quality and safe access to natural areas, including the river and existing green space, were also identified as high priorities. Community members raised concerns about the harmful environmental effects caused by industrial businesses, and discussed possibilities for establishing green, eco-industry businesses instead. Most participants expressed a desired to maintain the industrial heritage of the neighborhood but had also expressed health and nuisance concerns related to those uses. Discussion of the new asphalt plant arose as a major concern related to environmental quality, and highlighted the need for improved transparency in the land use development approval process. The community is envisioning a new direction for industry, and sees public engagement in the development process as essential to realizing this vision.

Respondents also identified issues regarding parking and traffic safety and quality of life issues as priorities to address in the neighborhood plan. Drag racing, vandalism, and gang activity were cited as issues causing blight and anxiety within the community. Residents recognize the potential for high quality of life in the community, and identify these traffic and criminal activities as barriers to maintaining the community values they represent.

Figure 3.2 Priority Issues to Address in the McKinley Park Plan

Source: CMAP Public Kick-off meeting, July 18, 2018.
 

What specific projects or actions would you like to see completed to address these issues and concerns?

After reflecting on the assets and priority issues of concern in their community, community members offered suggestions for projects that would address these issues and align with the community’s values. Their responses varied and are sorted into several categories, as displayed in Figure 3.3. Most project recommendations related to strategies to attract businesses to the 35th Street commercial corridor, closely followed by the need for improved transportation infrastructure and safety upgrades. Suggestions included building an incubation facility for new businesses. Providing financial support for new businesses was recommended through establishing partnerships with community organizations, and strategizing ways to incentivize new development. Projects to designate bike lanes, trails and construct pedestrian bridges were suggested to provide safe transportation options throughout the community, and improve connections between established community assets like McKinley Park and the river.

Community members also recommended projects related to environmental restoration and revitalizing the industrial areas, especially in the CMD. Project suggestions related to the adaptive reuse of buildings, focusing on using vacant land and restoring buildings on Pershing Road for markets and sites for community gardens. Encouraging more green-focused industrial uses was a common theme that emerged while brainstorming project ideas for the community.

Additionally, community-based project ideas were offered that focused on providing services and programming such as employment and educational opportunities for youth (idea: establishing a trade school to teach craftsman skills), and an immigration services facility on 35th Street. The community also suggested building a community center to use as a venue and central gathering space, community theatre, and cultural center to celebrate the diversity within the community.

Figure 3.3 Topic Areas of Specific Projects to Address Concerns

Source: CMAP Public Kick-off meeting, July 18, 2018.
 

Who was at the Public Kick-off Meeting?

Public meeting attendees were asked to complete a voluntary questionnaire to help us identy the demographics of the workshop and compare them to the 2016 American Community Survey data for the McKinley Park Community Area. Table 3.2 shows the polling results. This poll was optional and not all public meeting participants filled out the questionnaire.

Table 3.2. “Who’s Here Today” Meeting Polling Results 

Source: CMAP Public Kick-off meeting, July 18, 2018.
 

From "Neighborhood Throngs to Development Plan Launch; Council Members Elect Expanded Board," published July 19, 2018, in the McKinley Park News: