Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
QFT
at every L stop.
in every neighborhood.
is there any city with a legacy rapid transit system that allows as much suburban-ass crap nextdoor to its train stations as chicago does?
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The most recent revisions to the zoning code enforce P-Streets design standards within 1/2 mile around all rail stations in the city (CTA and Metra). Driveways/curb cuts are banned, blank walls are discouraged, buildings must come up to the street, etc. This doesn't eliminate the "suburban-ass crap" that already exists, but it does make it difficult to renovate or rebuild, or to add new suburban-ass crap.
This is a no-brainer around most of our train stations, but where it gets interesting are the many L stops in expressway medians. The Dan Ryan especially is lined with suburban crap. I don't see a way for any of that to get built now. That's a good thing, but I don't know what other land use makes sense. It's only a matter of time until people begin to complain that they can't build a gas station/strip mall or expand a church parking lot. In several other cases, P-street designations have been (temporarily) repealed to allow for expansions of McDonalds or other fast food restaurants. The new rules seem a little harder to bend, but if there's a way, aldermen will find it...