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Neighbors Aim to Make Wilson 'L' Stop More Functional, Pedestrian-Friendly

By Mina Bloom | April 13, 2015 5:58am
 A rendering of an auxiliary entrance to the Wilson Red Line on West Sunnyside Avenue.
A rendering of an auxiliary entrance to the Wilson Red Line on West Sunnyside Avenue.
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Chicago Transit Authority

UPTOWN — A group of neighbors wants to make sure the area around the rehabbed Wilson "L" stop includes "welcoming and beautiful" public spaces that are both functional and pedestrian-friendly.

So they created a group they dubbed the Wilson "L" Public Space Committee a couple of years ago to come up with ideas for the "dead zones" under and around the station in the hope that city agencies will incorporate them into the $203 million Wilson Red Line renovation project.

"It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us and we don't want to fall short," said Julianne Scherer, chairwoman of the committee.

"We don't want the city to just put down planters. That's not the goal. The goal is to look at this as a bigger urban-planning project with pedestrian activity and beautification."

Mina Bloom says they hope to have support from the alderman:

Now that construction has begun on the deteriorating "L" stop, Scherer and other committee members are hoping to present their ideas to the CTA soon.

Those ideas include pedestrian walkways, a plaza with rotating art exhibits and public events and speakers that would play low-level music to showcase Uptown as an entertainment district, among others.

Scherer said they're hoping the rehabbed "L" stop will be as transformative as the nearby streetscape planned for Argyle Street. So far, nearby business owners and Ald. James Cappleman's (46th) office are on board with the committee's mission, Scherer said.

Cappleman supports the committee's mission, but has not seen their latest plans, according to Cappleman's chief of staff, Tressa Feher.

Scherer and other committee members are waiting for more drawings from the CTA to move forward. They're also hoping Cappleman will make it known that he's behind the project.

"We need him to be at the helm to make this a reality," Scherer said. "This is a bigger city investment. It really does require city departments that have the knowledge and understanding of how we can make it happen."

That said, Scherer said so far the alderman's office has been helpful throughout the planning process.

In addition to presenting to CTA officials, the committee hopes to meet with the alderman's office and then host a larger community meeting in the coming months.

"I want to make sure we get the community involvement and see how we can make this one of the best 'L' stations that has been done," Scherer said.

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