The Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, along with the support of community partners, business owners, and residents, created a community plan that identifies potential sites for Community Economic Development (CED) projects within an equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) framework.

Northwest Side CDC worked with the Lakota Group to bring the community together in envisioning exciting and viable development concepts for key sites along Grand Avenue, including testing and refining community-driven concepts.

This work provided a comprehensive understanding of the infrastructure needs of residents in Belmont Cragin. This information was used to develop a plan for addressing those needs, which will improve the quality of life for residents and the community as a whole and create sustainable, permanent community jobs.

The plan is focused on the stretch of Grand Avenue located within Belmont Cragin, a neighborhood on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Through its implementation on Grand Avenue, the plan aims to improve connectivity and access for the neighborhood and the Northwest Side more broadly.

The Lakota Group supported the Northwest Side CDC and the 36th Ward with project design, community surveying, data collection, and creating project collateral. The Lakota Group carried out professional planning and design support services for envisioning development concepts for key sites along Grand Avenue in Belmont Cragin. They worked closely with Northwest Side CDC, property owners, and the community to test and refine a series of visions for potential development sites. The concepts developed were guided and influenced by the City of Chicago’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Policy, as well as the shared vision of community stakeholders.

The Northwest Side CDC, the 36 Ward, and the Lakota Group (an urban planning consulting firm) worked with a steering committee composed of residents, business owners and community stakeholders to identify, create and develop a plan for Grand Ave.

This pre-development planning effort was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Northwest Side CDC will apply for additional funding to support the execution of the planning findings.

We have created and published the plan. The implementation process will involve conversations with community members, partner organizations, government agencies, and elected officials.