OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
October 31, 2018
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO )
Ladies and Gentlemen: .
At the request of the Commissioner of Transportation, I transmit herewith an ordinance authorizing an acquisition of property for a North Branch Industrial Corridor transitway and trail.
Your favorable consideration of this ordinance will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago ("City") is a home rule municipality pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 (a) ofthe 1970 constitution ofthe State of Illinois and, as such, may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs; and
WHEREAS, on May 18, 2017, the Chicago Plan Commission adopted the North Branch Industrial Corridor Framework Plan, the result of a year-long intensive planning effort, informed by widespread public input, addressing land use issues arising in the North Branch Corridor ("North Branch Framework Plan"); and
WHEREAS, Chicago Terminal Railroad Company ("Chicago Terminal"), which is owned by Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC ("Iowa Pacific") owns or has certain interests in a line of railroad originating at Union Pacific's North Avenue Yard and proceeding east and south to Goose Island as depicted on Exhibit A which is attached hereto and incorporated herein, and certain extensions thereof ("Line"); and
WHEREAS, the Line runs through the area addressed in the North Branch Framework Plan; and
WHEREAS, based on the recommendations and vision for redevelopment articulated in the North Branch Framework Plan, the City's Department of Planning and Development ("DPD") and Department of Transportation ("CDOT") have jointly considered preliminary concepts for the transformation of a portion of the Line into a multipurpose trail and/or transit corridor that would provide numerous public benefits including the extension of the 606 Trail and the North Branch River Trail as outl...
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