Chicago Planning Department Rejects 'Overparked' Six Corners Proposal

Chicago's Department of Planning and Development (DPD) has rejected a proposed development due to its "auto-centric plan" and "too much car parking," as well as its failure to include housing, writes John Greenfield. According to a Streetsblog Chicago article by John Greenfield, The Shops at Six Corners proposal called for more than 800 parking spaces and used the majority of the property for surface parking.

In a letter from the DPD, the department stated that "community stakeholders wanted to see the site developed to medium-scale density with a mix of commercial and residential land uses," and that the developer, GW Properties, "should engage in a community-led visioning process before resubmitting its application." Community members praised the DPD's rejection of the "overparked" proposal. In addition to calling for a housing component, the DPD indicated several additional requirements including a parking demand analysis, multilevel garage parking to minimize surface lots, separated pedestrian pathways, and design guidelines such as "avoiding large expanses of blank walls in areas with heavy foot traffic." According to the DPD, "the current proposal does not meet the standards of design excellence. Building design should consider and respect the character of the existing building stock in the Six Corners neighborhood."