North & South vs. East and West

How much time have you spent thinking about the problems of retail in Rogers Park?  I have spent a lot of time.  It is a constant source of concern which makes it constantly on my mind.  I too would like to see a greater variety of retail, restaurants and other things I enjoy doing.  People often talk about Andersonville as a model.  People often talk about revitalizing Morse and Howard.  Occasional they speak of Jarvis. 

I have a thought:  East/West streets don’t work for retail.  Sound crazy?  Name a street that runs East and West between Howard and Addison that is commercially successful and east of Western.

Let me help you.  Argyle.  Some of you may say Bryn Mawr, but that is not accurate in my opinion.  There has been a great deal of investment and it looks nicer than it did, but it still has a great number of vacancies.  Nearly entire buildings on the corner of Winthrop and Bryn Mawr sit begging for tenants.  The difference between Bryn Mawr and Morse is that its retail is  geared towards the middle class shopper.  Lawrence might get a mention.  It isn’t there yet, but it’s better than it has been.

Where doesn’t it work well?  Howard, Jarvis Morse, Devon, Granville, Thorndale, Bryn Mawr, Berwyn, Lawrence, Wilson, Irving Park, Addison.  Every section of  these streets that is viable also borders Clark, Broadway or Sheridan.

Where doesn’t retail exist at all? Touhy, Pratt, Foster, Montrose, Damen, Ashland

Where East/West does work better is Belmont to downtown.  They have tremendous density, but even more so they have great amounts of disposable income.  To amass those resources they have the kind of housing stock that the proposed new zoning would allow for Clark and Western.  They used to have the kind of housing stock we have worked to protect: single families, two flats and three flats. 

Now think of North/South streets.  Clark is viable all the way down.  Broadway is viable.  Western is somewhat viable.  Most of Sheridan Rd., our most potentially viable commercial strip in Rogers Park, is largely not in play by community choice, but where it is commercial it works. Farther south Halsted is viable.

I am sure there is a reason.  My guess is that most people don’t have a reason to come east.  The streets that run east lead into the lake, but even when it leads to Lake Shore Drive it doesn’t help much.

So what do you think?