Expanding lakefront is costly idea
A letter to the Editor of the Chicago Tribune
April 11, 2008
This is in response to "City could foster better business by switch-hitting" (Commentary, April 4), by columnist John McCarron. McCarron is wrong in believing that extending the city's lakefront from Hollywood to Devon Avenues (through landfill) would add to the property values of those who live on the east side of Sheridan. In fact, quite the opposite is true.
A former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of engineers estimates that it would cost $100 million per mile for the landfill. This makes McCarron's "well-designed linear park" one of the world's most expensive parks. This cost, whether it comes from the federal or state governments, or the City of Chicago, would either increase our taxes or reduce our services.
Additionally, each mile of additional park requires park maintenance and additional police patrols, estimated at least $1 million annually.
This area has no public parking lots. Although some condominiums along this stretch of Sheridan Road offer public parking, it is limited and expensive. Most of the public driving to Edgewater will park in our retailers' parking lots, such as Dominick's, Jewel, CVS or Walgreens, or prowl our neighborhood streets searching for limited street parking space.
The extended beach and park would directly abut our properties on the east side with no buffer zone. The security of our buildings would be jeopardized as well as our tranquility. Also most of the buildings on the east side of Sheridan have their parking garages from the ground level and up several floors. Who pays for the security from beachgoers for the millions of auto inventory parked in our garages?
So do higher taxes, increased congestion, diminished security and added fees to our residents "add to our property values?" I think not.
—Sherwin E. Pakin