Updated Nov. 18, 2024

Introduction

The City of Chicago, through the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), is working on several roadway improvement projects in Jackson Park that will support the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) and the South Lakefront Framework Plan update.

When these projects are completed, they will support a revitalized Jackson Park. Since it was originally designed by renowned landscape architects Olmsted & Vaux in 1871, Jackson Park has undergone multiple transformations in the last one hundred years which have altered the original design, including the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.

The Chicago Park District’s South Lakefront Framework Plan (1999) outlined many of the proposed improvements now under consideration. The Park District recently completed a planning process (in April 2018) to update the South Lakefront Framework Plan, specifically for Jackson Park and South Shore Cultural Center. The 2018 Framework Plan update provides a plan for the next several years to respond to neighborhood needs and historic context, provide a vision for improvements, serve as a planning tool and outline priorities to deliver improvements in a coordinated manner.

Various proposed park projects and accompanying roadway changes within Jackson Park require a federal-level environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Mitigation Measures: Updates and Notices

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (Section 106)

NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the effects of their actions on the environment and Section 106 of the NHPA requires federal agencies to consider the effects of their actions on historic properties. There are different procedural requirements for each of these laws and they are commonly completed concurrently. For this project, the National Park Service will serve as the lead federal agency for the NEPA process and the FHWA will serve as the lead for the NHPA process.

This coordinated process is encouraged by recent federal policies announced in Executive Order 13807 and further detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding implementing the principle of “One Federal Decision” for proposed infrastructure projects.  This policy direction allows for a comprehensive review of all potential effects of the federal decisions.

Purpose of Federal Review

The purpose of this review is to provide a process for FHWA and NPS to work with the City of Chicago, the State Historic Preservation Office, other federal and state agencies, and the public to evaluate and, if necessary, mitigate the effects of their respective proposed actions, as described briefly below:

Federal Highway Administration – Proposed Action: Approval of potential funding for roadway improvements consistent with the City’s South Lakefront Framework Plan and in support of development of the Obama Presidential Center and City-initiated road closures.

National Park Service – Proposed Action: Determination and mitigation of any conversions of recreational uses to non-recreational within Urban Parks Recreation and Recovery Act (UPARR) designated areas (in this case, within Jackson Park only).

In addition to Section 106 and NEPA, Section 4(f) is a separate regulatory requirement that protects publicly owned parks, recreation areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and privately and publicly owned historic properties and which only applies to FHWA actions. For more information, visit the 4(f) Tutorial on the FHWA's website or download a PDF summary.