Community Corner
Bump Outs, Bike Lanes, Cobblestone on Clark: Vote Now
Developers want residents to vote online on how they should redesign Clark Street, with a few big ideas already on the table.
The deadline is looming for residents to voice their opinions on how Clark Street should be redeveloped as designers The Lakota Group enter their final phase of planning.
The Clark Street Task Force—consisting of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and The Lakota Group—say the online survey to vote on some big ideas is only open through Sunday night.
After hosting an open house May 1 to garner initial feedback, The Lakota Group fine-tuned designs based on what officials heard. And according to Lakota Group Vice President Kevin Clark, feedback practically centered on one thing: physical improvements.
“People across the board just said, ‘Nobody’s going to want to put a business here,’ so (we’re) showing ideas on how we plan to widen the sidewalk, be it temporarily, permanently, and in once case, redoing the whole street,” Clark said in July.
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At the task force’s second open house, they did just that. Designs depicted Clark Street with massive bump outs to house outdoor seating, as well as more defined bike lanes and branding, like a large “CLARK ST” monument arching over the road.
One design showed parking stripped on one side of the street to make way for up to 14 feet of sidewalk space on the street’s east side. Another showed 12-foot sidewalks on both sides of the street, two rows of parking but no protected bike lanes.
The final design showed parking on both sides, as well as protected bike lanes, but only 10-foot sidewalks with occasional bump outs. It also depicted one other idea: cobblestone streets.
Residents can vote online whether they want to see any or all of those features, as well as others like a trolley system, landscaped parking lots, redesigned intersections and even alleyway beautification.
Using the results gathered from the online survey and from July’s open house, the Clark Street Task Force will move into phase III. That includes introducing their strategic master plan to the public, as well as a strategy on how to implement the big changes.
Information on the existing conditions Clark Street faces can be found here, and more design ideas and renderings can be found here.
After taking a peek at both, head here to vote.
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