Audrain Answers: Harper Court, the Near Future

(In this article, Cal Audrain responds to an earlier Hyde Park Urbanist post.  Hopefully, Cal will grace this blog with his wisdom from time to time.)

I agree with James that both the Harper Court parcel and the parking lot should be looked at.  In fact to do best by the combined site, it would probably be beneficial if a couple of adjoining properties could be acquired and included.  And the visioning effort by the community should cover other developable sites in the community.

I don't see the issue as being whether the Harper site or the parking lot site should be developed for retail, but rather, how to lay out the entire site for a good mix of retail, parking, office, studios, housing and public space.

I think a focus on an open space on Harper does make sense.  You don't want it on Lake Park precisely because that is where the buses, cars and trucks are.  And you don't want it all indoors.  In spite of what James wrote, outdoor spaces are important for a variety of reasons and there are ways their use can be extended into the shoulder seasons of spring and fall and even events in the winter season.   This is part of place making.  I envision the open space being about the size of the present area, but pushed East to allow the street to open up and placed at grade, as suggested by Aaron Cook,  so the usable area is larger and so it can flow onto the sidewalks and across the street as needed.  And to allow easier handicapped access.  I hope to see more than one restaurant opening onto the space designed with outdoor seating and with the kind of winterizing they use in Paris for their sidewalk cafes, with awnings, canvas sides (or movable glass panels that seldom get moved) and heating units.  They work in all but the worst weather.

I think the area can, in time, support a large enough development that it will be multi story and there will be pedestrian access at the first and second level.  Ideally, service would be put below grade to separate it from the pedestrians and allow a central loading dock arrangement for the entire complex.

Lake Park has the greatest visibility to the site, but I would put the major retail entrance at the Northwest corner of 53rd and Lake Park, hopefully in a high rise structure that would twin with the bank building to become a landmark entry to the entire shopping area.

The parking deck, of whatever number of levels is necessary, would be entered off Lake Park from the middle of the block, and North-South pedestrian flow would be on Harper and on an extension of old Lake Park running through the new development.

I would like to see the entire first level devoted to retail and restaurants, with services, like phone companies, moved to a second level.  The upper floors of the various buildings in the complex could be a mix of more retail, offices, artist studios, and housing.  Maybe a boutique hotel would fit in.

An overall development of this size could take a variety of building heights, possibly including 2 or 3 high rise structures. There is no reason to limit any of it to 3 or 4 stories.  Again, as Aaron Cook noted, the buildings to the West and North of Harper Court are 5 stories, to the East is a railroad embankment.  5 stories around the open space with perhaps one taller structure for accent, with a couple of buildings of 12 or more stories at the Lake Park edge could be very attractive.  As pointed out at the workshop on December 8, the location, along Lake Park and adjacent to a Metra stop is ideal for higher density.

This is a lot of development, especially combined with the pending redevelopment of the Harper Theater and the Village Center site.  The community and the market probably could not absorb it all  right now. So a plan is needed that would allow it to be phased, with different architects and different developers doing separate parcels.  However, it is necessary to look at the big picture and to look beyond the current market.  Don't fill up too much with one use, just because it is a hot commodity right now.  Be patient.  Save space for other uses that will come along later.

Comments

[george]

OK, folks, the survey on Harper Court priorities is now live. PLEASE take the (average) 6 minutes to answer the questions. And then forward the link to ANY and EVERY one you think might have an opinion. www.hydepark.org/survey. That's it.

The more opinions that are gathered, the more valid this format will be. So please take the time. Skip any questions you don't want to answer, mark low priorities as such, and GIVE US YOUR OPINION. Then send the link to any one else who has ideas about Harper Court (and the adjacent parking lot). Hyde Park can do development well--it just needs community input.

Thanks! George (HPKCC)