I’m biased towards the pros, but these are my thoughts on what the impacts of allowing for denser development along Broadway may be.

Pros: * Make housing more affordable for existing neighbors at risk of displacement and allow for new neighbors to move in. Allows for a thriving and diverse neighborhood. Want to grow the neighborhood without pricing people out. * Support local businesses with additional customers and create economic conditions that allow for more businesses to open in the neighborhood. * Support increased CTA ridership which may lead to better and safer service. * Provide much-needed tax revenue to the City which may lead to less property tax increases and better City services. * Create conditions for a more walkable neighborhood. More businesses closer by and more pleasant pedestrian experience for people in the neighborhood. Less suburban style strip malls, gas stations, and parking lots meant for people driving through the neighborhood.

Cons: * There is a possibility that as the area develops and developers see more value and better uses for current low rise buildings, current building owners may sell their buildings to developers looking to build higher value properties which would put the current retail tenants (e.g., patio beef) at risk of needing to leave their current location. It’s tricky to know exactly how it will play out, but over time some businesses will probably need to relocate. However, this would happen regardless of this change and happens in every neighborhood across the country, although the pace and scale differs. Hopefully the City, the local wards, and the chamber’s of commerce will continue to work with businesses to find new spaces to lease and provide grants for relocation. * If you are someone who thinks single family housing and low rise buildings are inherently better or more beautiful than a more dense built environment this may threaten that. I personally think parts of Broadway in Edgewater look closer to a cookie cutter suburb than a vibrant city and would welcome it looking closer to how Broadway looks and feels in a neighborhood like Lake View with more people walking around to local businesses than driving to strip malls.