Open space and Milwaukee Avenue (Part I)

One of the interesting things that came out of the Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Development Initiative, is the desire for open space.  Every single development scenario, not just the four I’ve featured here (see Scenario 1, Scenario 2, Scenario 3, Scenario 4), included open space of some sort.

Commenting on the imagined development scenarios in the last workshop of the series, the real estate experts did not necessarily agree, either stating that open space was not appropriate on Milwaukee Avenue or that there was already adequate open space in the area.

So who’s “right,” the community or the real estate experts? How about both?

What the community may not know

What many of the community volunteers didn’t know was what open space was already planned for Milwaukee Avenue, and perhaps they didn’t consider what already exists or the potential of what already exists.

The 2004 Logan Square Open Space Plan calls for a plaza

Spotlight on Logan Square Farmers Market

Last week, ABC7’s Hungry Hound focused on some of the prepared food and meal-making and meal-enjoying opportunities at the Logan Square Farmers Market (video below–sorry, ad embedded):

But, not to be out-shined by the prepared food vendors, a video of some of the farmers recently surfaced as well (video below) that not only spotlights the farmers, but is highly complimentary of the Logan

Show your love for great places in Logan Square

No surprise, there are Great places in Logan Square.  Submissions are in; voting has begun.  Among the entries for the Metropolitan Planning Council’s What Makes Your Place Great? contest are two in Logan Square:

New Wave Coffee on Milwaukee Ave.

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Planting peace at Paseo Prairie Garden

Last weekend’s Plant Peace, Harvest Justice! event at Paseo Prairie Garden was a great event at one of the Great places in Logan Square on a beautiful sunshiney day.  It was just the first of three Live Arts Events* leading up to the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival.

The day began with participants starting a collaborative painting (photo left) while talking about what brought them to the event and their own commitment to peace.

There were lots of activities to keep things going throughout the day like recorded and live music, artists and budding artists painting their individual masterpieces, which will be on display later this summer at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival.  Neighbors were stopping in to see what was going on all day long.

One of the highlights for me was a song about the Paseo