Update: Photographs from early March 2018 showing a little progress at two of the eight lots.
Chicago’s planning department is turning vacant lots on the South and West Sides into small stormwater management parks. The eight lots are scattered across the Humboldt Park and North Lawndale community areas. Building permits were issued last week.
Three of the sites will have a solar panel, three of them will have a rainwater runnel. Some will have plazas with permeable pavement, others will have underground water storage before water gets into the sewer, and others will have a small parking lot with permeable pavement.
By adding these features to the vacant lots, the lots can divert or slow a lot of rainwater and adjacent property runoff from entering the city’s combined stormwater sewer. When there is a lot of rain, water enters some parts of the sewer too quickly, and combined with sewerage from buildings, overflows the system. Water can back up into people’s houses, or flood streets.
The architect on the permit is George Geldis, of AECOM, and the general contractor is Friedler Construction. Friedler has worked for the city and the Chicago Park District on numerous projects, including La Villita Park in the Little Village neighborhood, and the Big Marsh bike park in Deering.
The planning department was also responsible for disposing of over 900 vacant lots to people who own a property on the same block through the “Large Lots” program. These lots, sold for $1 and cleared of any back taxes or liens, were approved at yesterday’s housing committee meeting, and should be approved at today’s City Council meeting.