Introduction

The Wilson Yard Redevelopment Task Force was established in the winter of 1997/1998 to discuss the feasibility of the development of CTA land, generally west of Broadway between Montrose and Wilson, referred to as Wilson Yard. This area, often referred to as Wilson Yard, had been used for years as a repair and maintenance facility for the CTA. Changes in the CTA’s operations and an October 1996 fire of part of their facilities at this location made the area available for other uses.

The task force included representatives of the City of Chicago Department of Planning & Development (DPD), Alderman Shiller, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Truman College and Uptown Community Development Corporation (UPCORP). The objective of the Task Force was to begin to develop ideas on redevelopment uses and involve the community in the process.

This initial process started with a Saturday morning workshop attended by over 250 people. It included surveys, focus groups and individual interviews conducted over a 3-month period. It ended with a series of 2 charrette-type planning sessions that nearly 400 people attended and at which community residents, with the help of several examples, drew their own ideas onto potential plans. The consultant team involved throughout finalized their report to the City in mid-1999. From that report and process, a set of assumptions evolved.