EDGEWATER — The CTA plans to demolish two buildings on North Broadway in Edgewater — which are now home to Chicago Northside Toyota and a Public Storage facility — before completely rebuilding Red Line stations between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr avenues.
The property next to the tracks would be used as a staging area for construction crews and equipment, CTA spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said.
The CTA also plans to acquire the blocklong strip mall south of Ainslie Street, at 4837-87 N. Broadway, just north of the Uptown Theatre, for an additional staging area.
After construction, which could begin in 2017, the properties would likely be sold to select developers, she said.
The CTA also is considering building a second entrance to the Bryn Mawr station at Hollywood Avenue.
"But at this point we are not near any final designs," she said. "It remains a possibility, but it is not certain."
The two buildings at 5657 and 5637-43 N. Broadway are slated for acquisition and demolition.
Clemente Teng, a spokesman for Public Storage, which operates the facility at 5657 N. Broadway, said he could not immediately comment on the CTA's plans.
"Obviously, we think of our properties like our children. When we buy a facility, and when we build a facility, we typically own them forever," he said, adding that one of the only ways the company would sell a property is if it's forced through eminent domain.
Bob Loquercio, of Bob Loquercio Auto Group, which owns the Toyota dealership, didn't respond to multiple requests for comment last week.
Scott Freeman, who owns Bryn Mawr Jewelry Company next door to the station, said he fears he could lose business if the station were to shut down during construction.
"Closing down the station for a couple of months is not going to help much," he said. "I think commuters could care less what the station looks like."
The CTA has not released plans for station closures.
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