Another short data story for you. I am a huge proponent of TOD, or transit-oriented development, to concentrate greater numbers of housing units (and people) near transit stations using designs that promote walking and biking while limiting driving.
The Chicago Transit Authority station with the highest number of new construction permits issued within two blocks in the last six months is…the Addison Red Line station next to Wrigley Field, with 22 permits. Granted, 17 of these are for event tents at the stadium.
Two of the permits were for 10 residential units in two buildings, two of them were for the Cubs-owned hotel across from Wrigley Field, and the last was for the mixed-use Addison Park on Clark development.
The Ashland Orange Line station on Ashland Ave. at Archer Ave. came in second place, with 13 permits. I was a little surprised, for a couple of reasons.
The station isn’t pedestrian friendly: the nearest housing and retail is over a block away, and you must cross wide, high-traffic volume streets to reach it.
There is a lot of new development happening around several stations along the Brown and Red Lines on the north side (like Addison).
Check out the Ashland station’s Place page on Chicago Cityscape and you’ll get a better picture at the nearby development. Eleven new single-family houses have been permitted, most of them across Bubbly Creek from the station (so the walk to the station is even longer than two blocks).
The other two permits were for tents. I’d rather the Department of Buildings didn't lump these into the “new construction” category.