NORTH LAWNDALE — Major changes are coming to Ogden Avenue in North Lawndale as part of a years-long effort to revitalize roads in the neighborhood.
The revamp, dubbed the Ogden Avenue Corridor Improvements Project, will see the road reimagined to improve safety and create a multimodal transportation corridor and a hub for neighborhood activity. Ald. Monique Scott (24th) announced the plans in a Jan. 26 Facebook post.
The work would focus on Ogden Avenue between Western Avenue and Pulaski Road.
The improvements could include road geometry and intersection improvements, resurfacing, better water drainage, new sidewalks, pedestrian safeway signs, ADA-compliant ramps and crosswalks, curb extensions, bike stations, new street lighting, traffic signals, updated markings, seating areas and landscaping , according to a flyer from the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Scott, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, said on Facebook the project is part of Invest South/West.
The project is in its beginning phases. The city’s flyer shows a timeline that includes city-hosted meetings and workshops this year to get neighbors’ feedback.
Meeting dates for neighbors have not yet been announced, but people interested in the project can follow its website for updates.
The street, named after Chicago’s first mayor, William B. Ogden, was once a major road that stretched for at least 10 miles from Lincoln Park to suburban Naperville.
The city’s transportation department is in the first phase of the project, according to the flyer. This stage will include gathering ideas from neighbors, design development and cleanup. It will be followed by public meetings and neighborhood workshops into winter 2024.
Ogden Avenue long has been a focus for redevelopment among West Siders.
Revitalizing the thoroughfare is a central component to the North Lawndale Quality of Life plan. West Side neighbors spent years demanding that the CTA restore the No. 157 Ogden bus between the Pulaski Pink Line and Downtown. The route was restarted in 2020.
Other major developments along Ogden Avenue area include Lawndale Redefined, a $31.4 million plan to build a community arts and tech center, affordable housing and a grocery store with a rooftop bistro on vacant land at 3400 W. Ogden Ave.
Nearby will be Grace Manor, a $31 million development of a former police parking lot into a six-story affordable housing apartment complex at 3201-3423 W. Ogden Ave.
Developers also are pursuing a plan to build a hotel along the stretch. Proxima Management is eyeing four vacant lots at 3536-3556 W. Ogden Ave. for the project.
Also along the stretch is Ogden Commons, 2642 W. Ogden Ave., a complex designed to address some of the social conditions that lead to poor health outcomes, such as a lack of food access, a struggling local economy, poverty and housing instability.
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