The Lake View neighborhood on Chicago's North Side celebrated the opening of a one-of-a-kind community project on Friday.
City officials debuted the first phase of the "Low-Line" project, a pedestrian corridor under the CTA tracks from the Brown Line stop at Paulina to Ashland Avenue.
The first phase is the "Paulina Plaza" at the Paulina stop, transformed from a dark and underutilized space to an area with enhanced lighting, seating and public art.
In total, the "Low-Line" will be a half-mile long art walk and garden under the CTA tracks, connecting the "Paulina Plaza" with two other similar community spaces at Ashland and Southport.
In the works for seven years, the "Low-Line" project was spearheaded by the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce. The "Paulina Plaza" cost roughly $300,000 and was funded by a property tax levied in the surrounding Special Service Area.
The second phase, connecting the project from Paulina to Ashland, is slated to be completed in 2019 and chamber of commerce officials said they hope to fund it through donations.
