McKinley Park Neighborhood Plan

THE VISION

A modernized Central Manufacturing District with new sustainable development and adaptive reuse projects that maintain local jobs and ensure the health and well-being of residents.

Introduction

McKinley Park has a strong industrial heritage, and the Central Manufacturing District (CMD) exemplifies that legacy. The CMD was once the first planned manufacturing district in the nation and housed big-name companies like Goodyear, Wrigley, and Spiegel. A wide variety of industrial businesses still operate in McKinley Park, some in close proximity to residential areas. Through the neighborhood planning process, residents and stakeholders reimagined the CMD as a space for modern and innovative uses that contribute to the local economy without having a negative environmental impact on the community.

• A significant portion of McKinley Park (26.6 percent) is devoted to manufacturing and industrial uses. In addition to the historic Central Manufacturing District, the neighborhood is located within the boundaries of the Stockyards Planned Manufacturing District. Industrial uses are primarily located east of Ashland Avenue, and along Pershing Road.
• Excellent access to the region’s freight rail network and the interstate makes it appealing for industrial businesses to locate in McKinley Park. Businesses ranging from home goods and food manufacturers to wholesale distributors operate within the neighborhood. Industrial uses have an economic benefit for the neighborhood and the city as a whole, but also pose environmental and mobility challenges to local residents.
• While the CMD remains a strong economic asset, residents are concerned about the close proximity of industrial uses to residential areas. Stakeholders are particularly concerned about the impacts of truck traffic on the neighborhood’s air quality. The community envisions a new direction for industrial uses, one that maintains local jobs, but also ensures the health and well-being of residents.
• Fostering a business-friendly environment is an important aspect of keeping industrial businesses and jobs in the neighborhood. McKinley Park is home to a wide variety of businesses that foster the neighborhood’s industrial base. Emphasis should be placed on connecting existing and potential new businesses with assistance programs and resources, as well as encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The CMD’s historic buildings are a neighborhood asset. Although many of the buildings are currently vacant, they present opportunities for future redevelopment. The CMD buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which offers various financial incentives for rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of designated buildings.

The CMD’s central location, large vacant spaces, and proximity to a robust transportation network are all assets that can help modernize the historic complex into a 21st-century manufacturing hub. Modernizing the CMD offers an opportunity to attract environmentally sustainable businesses to the neighborhood, and target light industrial uses that will be compatible with nearby residential areas. Modernization efforts should focus on preserving the historic building stock and unique character of the CMD, creating a supportive business environment for existing and potential entrepreneurs, and prioritizing the environmental and public health of the neighborhood. The following strategies aim to modernize the CMD into the regional economic asset that it is historically known for by attracting new sustainable development and adaptive reuse projects that maintain local jobs and promote the well-being and health of all residents. 

In 2018, the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development, in partnership with C40, marketed three city-owned properties in the Central Manufacturing District for redevelopment. While this process ultimately was unsuccessful, DPD is committed to continuing to work with diverse stakeholders, including C40 and the McKinley Park community, to create a vision for these buildings in a way that creatively incorporates green and carbon-neutral strategies, identifies appropriate adaptive reuse options that can serve the community, thoughtfully addresses existing and potential land use conflicts, and respects the historical character of the CMD.

While maintaining industrial jobs in the neighborhood is an important aspect of any future redevelopment of the CMD, the health and well-being of residents should be prioritized. A number of strategies can be used to mitigate potential adverse effects of industrial development, and balance environmental challenges with the economic benefits of industrial businesses.

Advocate for environmental justice and transparency in the development process

McKinley Park’s residents are engaged and passionate about improving the environmental quality of their neighborhood, as exemplified by the formation of the Neighbors for Environmental Justice group. An important accomplishment of this group is a resident-led initiative to install air quality monitors around the neighborhood, which allows community members to be more informed about McKinley Park’s air quality. Residents should continue to demonstrate leadership by advocating for environmental justice, and enhance these efforts by engaging the wider community and elected officials. Advocating for improved transparency in the development process, through activities like forming a volunteer zoning committee, is another way that McKinley Park residents can improve the environmental quality of their neighborhood. Community leaders should work with the neighborhood’s elected officials to ensure that residents can provide input on any major neighborhood development, and voice any concerns related to environmental or public health.

Target light industrial uses and modernize the CMD as a green manufacturing hub

The city’s zoning code permits light industrial uses, such as food manufacturing, in McKinley Park’s CMD and Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMD). Many of these types of businesses already operate in the neighborhood, and make up a substantial portion of McKinley Park’s industrial base. The CMD modernization efforts should build on already existing light industrial uses, and target non-intensive manufacturing businesses and sustainable renewal projects that will not have an adverse environmental impact on the surrounding community.

Prioritize pedestrians and bicyclists in modernization efforts

Currently, McKinley Park’s industrial areas lack proper pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, which discourages many residents to walking or biking through this portion of the neighborhood. Incorporating pedestrian and bicycle-oriented improvements, such as designated bike lanes, clearly marked crosswalks, and enhanced streetscapes would result in a safe and efficient transportation network for all users, and improved pedestrian and bicycle access to the river. MPDC should collaborate with aldermen, CDOT, and community stakeholders to identify and prioritize improvements to the right-of-way within the CMD. Modernization efforts that include new development and adaptive reuse projects should prioritize treatments such as wayfinding, street furniture, bike parking, creative drinking water fountains, and public art to make the experience of walking and biking even better (see Chapter 5 for illustration examples).

Create ecologically functioning and aesthetically pleasing landscapes to buffer freight activity from nearby residential uses

While freight activity in McKinley Park provides economic benefits to the region’s industrial sector, it can have adverse effects on nearby residential areas. Truck and rail traffic can cause noise, congestion, and negative air quality impacts. One way to reduce the impact of freight activity on McKinley Park’s residents is to use landscape buffers to minimize the interference of freight on the community’s quality of life. Creating landscape buffers between freight intensive activities and residential areas can insert space between these two incompatible uses. The use of a landscape buffer in strategic locations, particularly in areas where residential property lines are next to industrial uses, could provide an aesthetically pleasing barrier to help improve issues of noise and air pollution. See recommendation 7.4 under the Enhance and Expand Parks and Recreational Opportunities chapter for opportunities to create landscape buffers for any new development along Bubbly Creek.

Figure 6.1 Example of Landscape Buffer

 Source: Courtesy of Keep Waxahachie Beautiful 

McKinley Park’s manufacturing district is home to a variety of industrial businesses that make it an important neighborhood economic center. There are a number of resources and assistance programs available to entrepreneurs, such as the City of Chicago’s Small Business Improvement Fund; however, many businesses owners are not aware of them. A potential partner in advocating for the neighborhood’s industrial base is the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council. The organization serves McKinley Park’s CMD and the larger PMD, and is a delegate agency of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development’s Local Industrial Retention Initiative (LIRI) program. The LIRI program connects potential employees to workforce training programs, and provides economic development services to businesses located in and around industrial corridors. Available services include marketing and public incentives assistance, city service facilitation, as well as educational and networking opportunities. Connecting businesses to resources available through programs like LIRI would foster the CMD’s business community, and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.

Create networking opportunities for resource sharing and business support

Networking and resource sharing opportunities are important tools for supporting small ventures and first-time entrepreneurs. In many instances, business incubators provide these services. McKinley Park’s 36Squared Business Incubator serves entrepreneurs by offering free trainings, connecting business owners to resources, and renting mixed-use spaces to interested tenants. In order to foster a supportive business environment in the CMD, regular networking events should be organized in partnership with the 36Squared Business Incubator and the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, to facilitate connections and collaboration between the neighborhood’s industrial businesses. Resource sharing within the CMD should be explored as a way to support small ventures and entrepreneurs, especially in buildings like 36Squared where multiple tenants work in close proximity to one another. Shared resources could include co-working spaces, shared commercial kitchens for food entrepreneurs, shipping and receiving services, as well as joint marketing and promotional assistance.

Develop a workforce training program with local operators

From "Institute Rolls Out Accredited Programs Toward High-Paying, In-Demand Jobs," published May 10, 2019, in the McKinley Park News.Growing McKinley Park’s industrial workforce is an important component of supporting the neighborhood’s industrial businesses. The city’s LIRI program offers a variety of workforce training assistance to industrial businesses in the CMD. MPDC should coordinate with the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council to market available workforce development programs like TIFWorks to the neighborhood’s industrial and manufacturing firms. Another available workforce development resource is the National Latino Education Institute, which offers workforce development and job training services for various types of trades, including jobs in the energy and construction sectors. These existing resources should be marketed to the community through avenues such as workforce development resource fairs, and networking events for industrial businesses. Recommendation 8.4 under the Create a Resilient Community chapter provides more information on available workforce training resources.

Identify opportunities to locate space for startups and other ventures

Traditionally, manufacturing has needed at least 500 square feet of space per employee, which has left the CMD with large vacant spaces. This offers an opportunity for startup and other ventures to locate in the neighborhood’s manufacturing district. Sites like the two city-owned CMD buildings on Pershing Road have the potential to accommodate multiple firms and offer shared space, with room for startups to grow. The momentum from the C40 Reinventing Cities competition should be used to market these sites to potential entrepreneurs and light manufacturing businesses. Doing so would encourage the adaptive reuse of these historic spaces and support modern uses of the CMD. Recommendation 8.3 under the Create a Resilient Community chapter provides more information on marketing McKinley Park’s assets to potential entrepreneurs.

Although many of the buildings within the CMD are currently underutilized, their unique character and historical significance are neighborhood assets that can aid their future redevelopment. In 2014, Preservation Chicago listed the CMD as one of the most endangered sites in the city. Many of the CMD buildings are registered under the National Register of Historic Places, which offers financial incentives for rehabilitation projects. Encouraging preservation and reuse of historic buildings for modern uses would help activate the once bustling CMD, retain its unique character, and ensure that it remains a strong economic asset for the neighborhood.

Consider applying for Chicago Landmark designation

Landmark status can enhance a building’s prestige, as well as increase the value of the property and its real estate marketability. Moreover, a building’s landmark status unlocks various incentive programs to owners who make significant investment in rehabbing their property. The community should consider creating a landmark district that encompasses the CMD’s historic buildings, which would incentivize rehabilitation and preservation of this important asset. The process for creating a landmark district requires a substantial number of residents to express their desire to create such a designation to their alderman and the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. MPDC should organize a neighborhood campaign that can facilitate community discussions and educate the public about the benefits of the landmark status designation. Historic preservation organizations, like Preservation Chicago, have provided educational and outreach resources that could be used for these efforts.

DPD should encourage developers to seek resources and financial incentives that preserve and restore historic buildings

Historic preservation financial incentives should be used to rehabilitate and preserve the unique character of the CMD. Property owners who are interested in receiving incentives for rehabbing qualifying properties can participate voluntarily. Available incentives include the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program, which encourages the rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings by offering a 20 percent rehabilitation tax credit. Moreover, the Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program provides a 25 percent tax credit to building owners who undertake rehabilitation of their certified historic structures. Other potential incentives include the city’s Façade Rebate Program, funded through the Community Development Block Grant program. The program offers up to a 50 percent rebate on approved rehabilitation projects of industrial buildings. An eligible “façade” is the front face of the building, which typically faces the street and contains windows and the principle entrance to the building.

Identify educational opportunities to promote the CMD

Promoting the CMD can help efforts to preserve and rehabilitate its historic buildings. MPDC should coordinate with advocacy organizations like Preservation Chicago to educate the public on the historic significance of the district, and encourage adaptive reuse of its buildings. Preservation Chicago champions the city’s historic built environment through advocacy, programming, and events, such as lectures and tours. MPDC could use educational materials created by Preservation Chicago, like neighborhood preservation toolkits, which empower resident stakeholders to become advocates of historic preservation in their communities.

Any future redevelopment in the CMD represents an opportunity to enhance the environmental performance of a property and contribute to local natural resource enhancement. Integrating sustainable practices into the redevelopment process has the potential to improve climate resilience, water conservation, stormwater management, and water quality. Much of the land in McKinley Park’s industrial area is covered by impervious surfaces, which contribute to larger amounts of stormwater runoff during rain events, and an intensified urban heat island effect during hot days. Green infrastructure solutions, like native landscape materials and trees, can help mitigate the urban heat island effect, retain stormwater, promote carbon sequestration, and improve public health. These types of solutions should be promoted and incentivized in any future redevelopment of the CMD.

Consider design and policy guidelines for stormwater management treatments, including bioswales, rain gardens, and permeable pavers 

In order to mitigate the adverse effects of stormwater runoff in McKinley Park’s industrial areas, stormwater management treatments, such as bioswales, rain gardens, and permeable pavers, should be considered during any development or redevelopment project. The Bubbly Creek design guidelines outlined in Recommendation 7.4 discuss stormwater management requirements for any new developments along the river.

Recommendations related to city-wide green infrastructure programs, and strategies for encouraging these practices in the community, are found in recommendationations 8.1 and 8.2 under the Create a Resilient Community chapter.

Rain gardens are planted depressions that allow rainwater runoff from impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, roofs, and sidewalks, to filter into the ground.

Bioswales are broad, vegetated channels used for movement and temporary storage of stormwater runoff. These channels are often planted with deep-rooted native vegetation that can reduce the rate and volume of runoff.

Permeable pavement are pavers, asphalt, or concrete that allow for the absorption of rainwater. This system is applicable for alleys and parking stalls that are relatively flat and tend to pond during heavy rain events.

Image 6.1 Example of Rain Garden

Incorporate sustainable design features in the restoration and construction of buildings

The large flat roofs of buildings in the manufacturing district offer an opportunity to integrate sustainable design features such as solar panels or rooftop gardens. All renovations and new construction should incorporate to the greatest extend possible the strategies outlined in the Chicago Sustainable Development Policy. Available incentives and resources for incorporating sustainable design features into the restoration or construction of CMD buildings should be promoted to building owners and developers.

Image 6.2 Example of Bioswale

Source: City of Chicago

Consider recommendations from previous city industrial planning efforts

Many of the plans created as part of the city’s Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative include recommendations related to sustainability. 34 Any modernization effort of McKinley Park’s CMD should be consistent with the city’s previous recommendations for industrial corridors. Recommendations related to stormwater management, air and water quality, and the impact of industrial development on the community’s environmental and public health should be considered during any future redevelopment of the CMD.

Image 6.3 Example of Permeable Pavement

Source: City of Chicago

Prioritize rehabilitating and improving structures over teardowns

Tearing down structures like the historic CMD buildings can release dust containing lead and asbestos into the air. This can have negative effects on the air quality of the surrounding area, and may pose health concerns to nearby residents, especially children and those with existing respiratory problems. Moreover, demolition of buildings produces debris that is often not recycled and can contain hazardous material that ends up in a landfill, which can contribute to groundwater contamination. Any redevelopment in the CMD should prioritize rehabilitation of existing buildings over teardowns to ensure the health and well-being of McKinley Park’s residents and preserve the unique character of the CMD. A number of financial incentives for rehabilitating historic buildings are outlined in recommendation 6.3.

2019 Chicago River Design Guidelines (Rec 6.1)
The Chicago River Design Guidelines, adopted by the Chicago Plan Commission in January 2019, outline how properties along the Chicago River should be developed and improved. All new development within 100 feet of Chicago waterfront triggers a mandatory Planned Development and need to provide a minimum setback of 30 feet (60 feet for Bubbly Creek) from the top of the river’s bank, and will need to comply with the general goals set forth in any waterway design guidelines adopted by the Plan Commission.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/...

City of Chicago Small Business Improvement Fund (Rec 6.2)
The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) program uses Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues to help owners of commercial and industrial properties within specific TIF districts to repair or remodel their facilities for their own business or on behalf of tenants. Program participants can receive grants to cover between 25 percent and 75 percent of the cost of remodeling work, with a maximum grant of $100,000 for commercial properties and $150,000 for industrial properties.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/...

Local Industrial Retention Initiative (LIRI) (Rec 6.2)
Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development funds several nonprofit organizations as delegate agency partners for the LIRI program. LIRI agencies provide assistance to industrial businesses primarily in the city’s industrial corridors with the purpose of retaining those businesses in the city and supporting the industrial corridors.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/...

City of Chicago Landmark Designation Process (Rec 6.3)
An outline of the city’s landmark designation process.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/landmarks_designationprocess.html

Preservation Chicago (Rec 6.3)
Preservation Chicago protects and revitalizes Chicago’s irreplaceable architecture, neighborhoods, and urban green spaces. The organization influences stakeholders toward creative reuse and preservation through advocacy, outreach, education, and partnership.

• Landmark Designation Resources:
  https://preservationchicago.org/neighborhood-preservation-workshops/
• Neighborhood Preservation Toolkits:
  https://preservationchicago.org/neighborhood-preservation-toolkits/

https://preservationchicago.org/creating-landmark-district/

Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program (Rec 6.3)
The program encourages private sector investment in the rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings, through a variety of tax incentives.
https://www.nps.gov/tps/tax-incentives.htm

Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program (Rec 6.3)
The program offers tax incentives to owners of certified historic structures who undertake certified rehabilitations.
https://www2.illinois.gov/dnrhistoric/Preserve/Pages/statecredit.aspx

Chicago Sustainable Development Policy (Rec 6.4)
The goal of the policy is to enhance the sustainable performance of projects receiving city assistance. It requires development projects that are receiving financial assistance or special approvals from the city to include sustainable elements.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/sustainable_development/chicago-sustainable-development-policy-update.html

Future Energy Jobs Act (Rec 6.4)
The state of Illinois provides hundreds of millions of dollars to support community solar programs in lower-income neighborhoods.
https://www.futureenergyjobsact.com/