UPTOWN — The developer behind a plan to bring on-land surfing to Montrose Beach made an appeal to a divided audience of Uptown residents Thursday night by promising new bathrooms as part of the renovations.
K. C. Hoos pitched renovating utility and sewer lines — "that haven't been touched in 60 years," the developer said — and replacing everything in the bathroom, including sinks, mirrors and toilets, as part of a bid to win support for the $2 million Chicago Surf park.
"The mirrors are useless, the restrooms are disgusting and the sinks are horrible," said Hoos, adding the old pipes sometimes force sewage back into the comfort station at Wilson Avenue.
His staff would also be in charge of restocking the bathroom with amenities and ensuring its cleanliness, he said.
The plan also calls for patio seating, on-site security, and 24/7 security cameras linked to the Town Hall District police in addition to the giant spray pool built for resistance surfing. The surf park would be available to people of all ages, but will have a height requirement.
While residents agreed the surfing idea seemed cool, some wondered about the benefits for the community. The attraction would likely bring more visitors to the already high-trafficked beach and the pricing for the surfing seems high for the neighborhood, residents said at the meeting.
Visitors would pay $40 an hour to ride at Chicago Surf and the attraction could serve about 60 people an hour, Hoos said.
A rendering of what the surf project might look like. [Chicago Surf]
Representatives from a number of park advisory councils voiced opposition to the project, which has been floating around for several years in search of a home.
At first, the project was proposed for North Avenue Beach, but there was already "too much traffic," Hoos said. Next, the project was proposed at Montrose Beach, but was "too close to the bird sanctuary," he said.
In 2015, Hoos told the Red Eye the project was postponed after objections from an unspecified group. The new location sits north of the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary and south of the dog beach.
The two-tier patio and surf park would be built on top of Montrose Points dunes. Dunes are rare in Chicago, since most of the city's dunes were wiped out more than a century ago, according to Chicago Tribune.
Ted Gindrich, a volunteer at the bird sanctuary, said he's seen a lot of changes at the beach over the years, such as the addition of trails and a skate park, but what has been constant is that the beach has remained "free and open."
"We don't need something like that down there. We should keep it free," he said. "It looks wonderful and it'd be great to have the bathrooms, but I'll always believe [the beaches] should be forever free and open."
The project is still just in its proposal stages, but Hoos said he's hoping to make it a reality by summer 2017.
Chicago Surf "is working with the Chicago Park District’s vendor management firm to identify an appropriate location for the proposed Surf Park concession," said Jessica Maxey-Faulkner, Director of Communications for the Chicago Park District. "The ultimate location will have to have community and aldermanic support."
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