Friends of the Parks

What is the Last Four Miles Initiative?

The Last Four Miles Initiative aims to establish complete, uninterrupted public access to Chicago’s cherished lakefront, fulfilling a quest shared by generations of citizens and civic leaders to preserve Chicago’s public shoreline “open, clear and free.”  To achieve this goal of a publicly accessible lakefront, the Last Four Miles focuses upon the remaining portions of the lakefront where public access is banned.

Two lakefront stretches which total approximately four miles are not part of the lakefront parks:  two miles of land along the south lakeshore and two miles on the north lakefront where there are gaps between small parks and beaches with no continuous lakefront path.

Through a community-based planning process, Friends of the Parks is preparing to propose concepts to complete these last four miles, with NO Lake Shore Drive extension, no marinas, and no commercial development.

Why is Friends of the Parks undertaking the Last Four Miles?

2009 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Daniel Burnham’s and Edward Bennett’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, which declared:  “The Lakefront by right belongs to the people – not a foot of its shores should be appropriated to the exclusion of the people.”  This significant principle was re-affirmed by the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinance in 1973 with its mandate to “complete the publicly owned and locally controlled park system along the entire Chicago lakefront.” The 2009 Burnham Plan Centennial highlights our generation’s need to work to complete the lakefront park system for our children and grandchildren.

What is the mission of Friends of the Parks?

Friends of the Parks is a 35 year old park advocacy organization whose mission is to protect, preserve, improve and promote the use of Chicago’s parks and forest preserves.

How is Friends of the Parks Developing the Last Four Miles Initiative?

The Last Four Miles initiative is shaped by a community-based planning process.  Friends of the Parks conducted visioning and design sessions to gather ideas for lakefront park space from residents in city neighborhoods on Chicago’s south and north side. In addition, Friends of the Parks has met with advocacy organizations throughout the city to encourage planning for the future of Chicago’s public lakefront parks.

Does FOTP have a pre-conceived plan?

Friends of the Parks has no pre-conceived plan for completing the lakefront park system.  Friends of the Parks began with community-design sessions with residents of various city communities.

The concepts for design of the new lakefront park space have been produced by an architectural team based on the ideas generated from the visioning sessions and design charrettes conducted in communities including South Shore, East Chicago, Edgewater, and Rogers Park.

Is the Last 4 Miles a “front” for a roadway project?

No. The concept plans do not include an extension of Lake Shore Drive.  Friends of the Parks is committed to completing the last four miles of lakefront parks with no Lake Shore Drive extension, no marinas, and no commercial development. The Last Four Miles seeks to complete Chicago’s lakefront parks for walking, playing, bicycling, swimming and enjoying the natural resource of Lake Michigan.

What are the benefits of Chicago’s Lakefront Parks?

Parks and beaches provide open space for recreation and scenic beauty, as well as protection against flooding and the force of Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is a powerful and fluctuating force.  No one can predict what the future lake levels will be.  There are many variables at work:  climate change, regional precipitation and commercial and industrial dredging of the St. Clair River, which drains into the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean, to name a few.

Second, for safety and the well being of all Chicagoans, citizens need the expansion of the lakefront bike trail north from Hollywood to Evanston and south from 71st Street to the city’s border.  People take their lives in their hands trying to walk, run or bike on Ardmore and city streets north to the border or on South Shore Drive to the Indiana border.   The completion of the lakefront pedestrian path along the lakefront is essential for the health, safety and quality of life for this and future generations of Chicagoans.

What about engineering studies?

An engineering firm was hired in late 2008 to review the concept park designs.  The engineering review will determine the feasibility of the concept design, the ability to secure permits for limited, clean lakefill, the appropriate beach orientation, as well as potential cost estimates.

What about environmental requirements?

Illinois has specific state laws in place stating that filling in Lake Michigan is permitted for creating land for public use.  These laws were critical to the late 1800s and early 1900s filling that was done to create Chicago’s lakefront parks.  More recently, the Loyola University expansion into the lake in 1990 was halted by court order not because of any environmental issues, but because the new land would not be public.

Any final design for beach enhancement and/or landfill would have to meet city, state and federal environmental requirements.

How much will the Last Four Miles cost?

A general cost estimate for the project will be determined by the consulting engineering firm and will be included in the final report.

What about riparian rights?

Riparian rights in Illinois are entitlements to lake and meandering stream banks, including Lake Michigan, which extend to the water’s edge or low water mark.

Illinois law states that the title of the bed of Lake Michigan is held in trust for the benefit of the people of the state of Illinois.  (Public Trust Doctrine stated in 615 ILCS 5/24).

Illinois Submerged Lands Act (6 IlCS 605/1 et seq.) states that Illinois has title to submerged lands as well as land that was formerly submerged and illegally filled, reclaimed or occupied.

The State granted the Chicago Park District authority to fill extensive areas of submerged lands along Chicago’s shoreline for purposes of creating public parkland (70 ILCS 1570).  The State authorized the granting of public trust property in exchange for the riparian rights for usage of the waterfront.  This trade-off procedure, authorized by the Illinois State Legislature, was used to construct the northern sections of Lincoln Park.