ROGERS PARK — A new plan to improve Howard Street recommends the creation of two community plazas and public art, among other things.
This month, the Rogers Park Business Alliance and the city of Evanston released their first joint plan to revitalize Howard Street, with a focus on solidifying the corridor’s identity and making the area safer.
In 2022, the group was awarded more than $99,000 in state funding to complete a study of the 1.25-mile Howard Street business corridor and create an economic recovery plan.
“For the first time in decades we will have a strategic plan for the Howard corridor that will include both sides of the street,” said Ald. Maria Hadden (49th).
“As the only Chicago community to receive a RISE grant from the state of Illinois, I look forward to the unique opportunity to partner with the city of Evanston and the Rogers Park Business Alliance to address the challenges facing the Howard corridor while also highlighting all the wonderful amenities that already exist.”
While creating the plan, organizers consulted with more than 700 residents and learned the area’s top priority is increasing safety, according to the One Howard Street Corridor Recovery Plan.
By improving the physical environment, drawing more people to the area and making it easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to get around, among other improvements, the plan suggests a variety of ways to help neighbors feel more comfortable traversing the corridor.
“We heard from youth, families, violence interrupters, business owners, cyclists, lifelong residents, transit riders and local employees,” Price said. “In nearly every conversation, a desire to feel more comfortable spending time on Howard Street shone through as the community’s top priority. That was our guiding point throughout the creation of this plan.”
For example, the document includes plans to create gathering spaces for neighbors so more people can enjoy the corridor. It recommends closing off the alley between Peckish Pig and Palmhouse to create Calahan Plaza, where people can come together for events.
Near the Howard Red Line station, the sidewalks along Paulina Street could be converted into Paulina Plaza by adding more public seating to create a flexible event space, according to the plan.
The plan earmarks the southwest corner of Howard and Clark Streets for a community garden. It also suggests implementing more programs at Willye B. White Park and adding strategic landscaping so it feels less like an open field.
Another recommendation seeks to solidify Howard Street’s brand identity. Right now, Evanston and Chicago use different signs along the corridor. The plan suggests Evanston should adopt the style of Chicago’s signs, and both cities should install more banners and wayfinding materials to direct visitors to local resources, businesses, transit and the lakefront.
There should also be more art along the corridor, including painted crosswalks and intersections, murals and sculptures, according to the plan.
The plan identifies at least 15 potential spots for new public art, including areas that are visible from the train to create a “good first impression” of the corridor.
Vacant storefronts were one of neighbors’ primary concerns about the corridor, according to the plan. The plan identifies vacant buildings and suggests potential development opportunities that would work for each location, from mixed-use developments to retail incubators and more.
Chicago and Evanston own large sites within the corridor, and each city plans to solicit proposals for housing developments for these lots in the coming year, according to the plan.
The plan also offers ways to reduce the barriers that prevent vacant storefronts from being filled. For example, the plan suggests expanding the permitted uses of ground-floor units so they aren’t limited to retail businesses.
Most of the other recommendations are designed to improve pedestrians’ and commuters’ experience on the block by updating bus stations, creating more seating options, planting trees for shade and increasing lighting throughout the street.
The majority of the recommendations, including the creation of the Calahan Plaza and public art, can be implemented within the next five years, according to the plan.
Some projects, like designing the Paulina Plaza and filling vacant storefronts, will be implemented in phases because they’ll require collaboration among government agencies and stakeholders.
To read the One Howard Street Corridor Recovery Plan, visit the Rogers Park Business Alliance’s website.
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