PART FOUR: POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL
The Chicago Plan Commission requires that the Applicant address the Fourteen Basic Policies of the Lakefront Plan Of Chicago and the Thirteen Purposes of the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinance, as listed below, in a written statement to the Commission attached to this Application Form and labeled Part Four. The statement should indicate which policies or purposes are or are not applicable to the Applicant's proposal, and, for those policies and purposes which are applicable, the statements should discuss the potential impact of the proposal.

Fourteen Basic Policies

1.   Complete the publicly owned and locally controlled park system along the entire Chicago lakefront.
2.   Maintain and enhance the predominantly landscaped, spacious and continuous character of the lake shore parks.
3.   Continue to improve the water quality and ecological balance of Lake Michigan.
4.   Preserve the cultural, historical, and recreational heritage of the lakeshore parks.
5.   Maintain and improve the formal character and open water vista of Grant Park with no new above ground structures permitted.
6.   Increase the diversity of recreational opportunities while emphasizing the lake-oriented leisure time activities.
7.   Protect and develop natural lakeshore park and water areas for wildlife habitation.
8.   Increase personal safety.
9.   Design all lake edge and lake construction to prevent detrimental shoreline erosion.
10. Ensure a harmonious relationship between the lakeshore parks and the community edge, but in no instance will further private development be permitted East of Lake Shore Drive.
11.  Improve access to the lakeshore parks and reduce through vehicular traffic on secondary park roads.
12.  Strengthen the parkway characteristics of Lake Shore Drive and prohibit and roadway of expressway standards.
13.  Ensure that all port, water supply, and public facilities are designed to enhance lakefront character.
14.  Coordinate all public and private development within the water, park, and community zones.

An inconvenient word: "no"
Excerpt from Children's Museum Chicago Zoning Change Application
Comments by  Website Advisors

<-----This is the actual wording in the Chicago Zoning Ordinance that was apparently inconvenient to the Chicago Children's Museum. So as we can see below, the CCM lawyers simply eliminated the word "no", and solved the legal problem of proposing a "new above ground structure" that is over 14 times the volume of the current Daley Fieldhouse that has served Chicago and honored the memory of Mayor Richard J. Daley.
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PART FOUR: POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL
A. FOURTEEN BASIC POLICIES
1.Complete the publicly owned and locally controlled park system along the entire Chicago Lakefront.
The Subject Property is owned and controlled by the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago and will continued to be owned by one or both of these units of local government.

2.Maintain and enhance the predominantly landscaped, spacious and continuous character of the Lakeshore Parks.
Being primarily below grade, the project will not adversely impact the landscaped, spacious and continuous character of Grant Park. The above-grade portions of the project have been designed incorporate abundant landscaping and useable open space.

3.Continue to improve the water quality and ecological balance of Lake Michigan.
Not applicable.

4.Preserve the cultural, historical, and recreational heritage of the Lakeshore Parks.
The project preserves and enhances Grant Park's cultural, historical and recreational heritage. Grant Park and adjoining lakeshore parks contain a multitude of cultural and recreational facilities and institutions, including Millennium Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, Soldier Field. The project will be consistent with Grant Park's historical function as a location for such cultural and recreational facilities and institutions.

5.Maintain and improve the formal character and open water vista of Grant Park with __ new above-ground structures permitted.

The project has been designed to be consistent with this policy. The vast majority of the project is located below grade. With respect to above-grade architectural and sculptural elements, using Millennium Park (which was found by the Chicago Plan Commission to comply with this policy) as a guideline, the Co-Applicants are not proposing any architectural or sculptural elements that would be taller than the Harris Theater entrance structure on Upper Randolph Street. Above-grade portions of the project will be attractively landscaped and will include useable open space.

6.Increase the diversity of recreational opportunities while emphasizing lake-oriented leisure time activities.
The project will increase the diversity of recreational opportunities in Grant Park.

7.Protect and develop natural Lakeshore Park and water areas for wildlife habitation.
Not applicable.

8.Increase personal safety.
The project includes a unique plan for ingress and egress which takes advantage of all three levels of Randolph Street. The lowest level of Randolph Street will serve as a service entrance. The middle level will provide ingress and egress for vehicles and buses. The upper level will provide access for pedestrians. This design will reduce traffic congestion and contribute to personal safety.

9.Design all lake edge and lake construction to prevent detrimental shoreline erosion.
Not applicable.

10.Ensure a harmonious relationship between the lakeshore parks and the community edge, but in no instance will further private development be permitted east of Lake Shore Drive.
Not applicable.

11.Improve access to the Lakeshore Parks and reduce through vehicular traffic on secondary park roads.
The project includes an attractive pedestrian access from Upper Randolph Street directly to Grant Park, and will particularly improve access to Grant Park via Upper Randolph Street for persons with disabilities, as there is no such ramp currently.

12.Strengthen the parkway characteristics of Lake Shore Drive and prohibit any roadway of expressway standards.
Not applicable.

13.Ensure that all port, water supply, and public facilities are designed to enhance lakefront character.
Not applicable.

14.Coordinate all public and private development within the water, park and community zones.
Not applicable.

B. THIRTEEN PURPOSES
To promote and protect the health, safety, comfort, convenience, and the general welfare of the people, and to conserve our natural resources.

i.        The project will contribute to Grant Park's character as a location for world-class cultural and recreational facilities and institutions. Further, as discussed above, the project has been carefully designed to minimize traffic congestion. Therefore, the project will promote and protect the health, safety, comfort, convenience and general welfare.

ii. To identify and establish the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection District and to divide that District into several zones wherein any and all development or construction, as specified in Article V hereinafter, shall be specifically restricted and regulated.
Not applicable.

iii.To maintain and improve the purity and quality of the waters of Lake Michigan.
Not applicable.

iv.To insure that construction in the Lake or modification of the existing shoreline shall not be permitted if such construction or modification would cause environmental or ecological damage to the Lake or would diminish water quality; and to insure that the life patterns of fist, migratory birds and other fauna are recognized and supported.
Not applicable.

v.To insure that the Lakefront Parks and the Lake itself are devoted only to public purposes and to insure the integrity of and expand the quantity and quality of the Lakefront Parks.
The project constitutes a public purpose consistent with other non-governmental cultural and recreational facilities and institutions located in Grant Park and adjoining parks, including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, and Millennium Park (Harris Theater and the Park Grill).

vi.To promote and provide for continuous pedestrian movement along the shoreline.
Not applicable.

vii.To promote and provide for pedestrian access to the Lake and Lakefront Parks from and through areas adjacent thereto at regular intervals of one-fourth mile and additional places wherever possible, and to protect and enhance vistas at these locations and wherever else possible.
As noted above, the project includes pedestrian access from Upper Randolph Street directly to Grant Park and will improve access to Grant Park via Upper Randolph Street for persons with disabilities.

viii.To promote and provide for improved public transportation access to the Lakefront.
Not applicable.

ix.To insure that no roadway of expressway standards, as hereinafter defined, shall be permitted in the Lakefront Parks.
Not applicable.

x.To insure that development of properties adjacent to the Lake or the Lakefront Parks is so defined as to implement the above-stated purposes, provided, however, that with respect to property located within the Private Use Zone as established by Article V, VI, and IX of this Ordinance, the permitted use, special use, lot area per dwelling unit, and floor area ratio provisions of the Chicago Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 194A of the Municipal Code of Chicago, shall govern except where such provisions are in substantial conflict with the purposes of this Ordinance or the Fourteen Basic Policies of the Lakefront Plan of Chicago.
The development of the project in compliance with the zoning regulations established by the Planned Development will not be in conflict with the purposes of the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinances or the Fourteen Basic Policies of the Lakefront Plan of Chicago.

xi.To achieve the above-stated purposes, the appropriate public agency should acquire such properties or rights as may be necessary and desirable.
Not applicable.

xii.To define and limit the powers and duties of the administrative body and officers as provided herein.
Not applicable.

xiii.Nothing contained in the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinance shall be deemed to be a waiver or consent, license or permit to use any property or to locate, construct or maintain any building, structure or facility or to carry on any trade, industry, occupation or activity which may be otherwise required by law.
Not applicable.


<---Amazingly, the CCM  had the nerve to leave out the inconvenient word "no". (see above)

Then they admit that a portion of the project is above grade, and therefore illegal based on the 1836 and 1839 dedication restrictions, accepted by the City of Chicago in 1844, upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1897, 1902, 1909, 1911, 1930, 1970, and confirmed by the Illinois Legislature in 1984.

The State of Illinois expanded Grant Park's boundaries in the mid-80's following the LSD realignment, and they acknowledged and reaffirmed Grant Park's special protections:
Public Act 84-978 (Grant Park Boundary Act):
"The extension of the territory of Grant Park by this Act shall be deemed a dedication of such additional territory for public purposes and shall incorporate the covenants of the original June 7, 1839 dedication of Lake Front Park, now known as Grant Park, prohibiting the erection of buildings in such territory."


However, it gets worse, then they claim that the Chicago Plan Commission has approved the Harris which is either wrong (or intentionally misleading.) According to the Millennium Park history, the Harris was quietly reviewed administratively by the Chicago dept. of Planning as a "minor change".
CCM Admission of above-grade covenant violation.  CCM avoids the actual wording of the Illinois Supreme Court decisions "no above ground buildings"
Note the omission of the historical reference to "forever, open, and free."
Note in #8 above that CCM claims that vehicles will somehow NOT arrive at their Main Entrance on Upper Randolph.
The private pay-for-play Chicago Children's MUSEUM does not meet the criteria and/or definition of a "museum", and only adopted that title to induce respect and donations.
The CCM proposal is in violation of the Basic Policy: #5. Maintain and improve the formal character and open water vista of Grant Park with NO new above-ground structures permitted.
This IS certainly applicable because past practice has been to make major administrative changes (i.e. Harris) under the guise of being "minor changes", without public input or knowledge. For example, 230 feet was added to the Aqua hi-rise as a "minor change".
The "dedication restrictions" required by law are clearly applicable and have been repeatedly upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Before this webpage was released, the CCM learned they were caught and "corrected" this deception one day before the Plan Commission hearing on May 15, 2008.
CCM Disappearing  "no"