McKinley Park Existing Conditions Report

A “first-of-its-kind” focus group with business and property owners was held on September 19, 2019, at the 36Squared Business Incubator. The event drew dozens of local business owners and operators who gathered to identify shared priorities for economic opportunities in McKinley Park. An interactive small group activity was used to ask participants to provide their input on advantages, challenges, and opportunities of owning a business or property in McKinley Park. Two activities were used to provide feedback, a handout for each participant to fill out, and a mapping exercise where they indentified assets and challenges as a group. Each small group presented their ideas with the whole group, with a number of common themes emerging. Common challenges identified include zoning regulations and working with the city, lack of a business support network, and need for resources and incentives to help startups and existing businesses.

From "Development Council Advances Neighborhood Planning at Business Focus Group," published September 25, 2018, in the McKinley Park News:

Jorge Vega, left, shares the results of his breakout group's brainstorming at the September 19, 2018, focus group with the help of Ricardo Lopez from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.