A proposal for a Walgreens at the corner of Kimball and Lawrence has been circulating the community. The building currently houses business such as Payless Shoe Source and the Huddle House Grill, plus the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce and the North River Commission. This property, owned by Albank, was sold to a developer building a Walgreens. While we’re not necessarily opposed to a drug store, we are opposed to some of the plans proposed for this space.

The developer plans to build traditional Walgreens store with parking for 17 cars in front and has filed for a zoning variance to install two-way 30-foot-wide driveways on both Kimball and Lawrence. As we know how packed that corner can be when people wait for busses and cross for trains, particularly after school lets out, this is a clear hazard to pedestrian traffic in the center of our community.

We are actively working with the 33rd ward to encourage revisions to the proposal, and have pulled in organizations such as Active Transportation Alliance and Center for Neighborhood Technology for comment and recommendations for a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly development in keeping with the function of the intersection and character of the neighborhood.