The City of Chicago, in partnership with the Chicago Central Area Committee (CCAC), will issue a three-year implementation report in May to ensure the Loop and adjacent neighborhoods retain their mixed-use vitality in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission today, staff from the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and CCAC provided an overview of the Central City Recovery Task Force, which formed this winter to consider and implement pandemic-recovery strategies for the central area and to build stronger connections to Chicago's neighborhoods.

Represented by more than 100 public and private sector partners, the task force’s report will seek to maximize the central area’s recovery as an epicenter of business and culture through 2024 while also serving as an anchor for growth and opportunity within adjacent neighborhoods and throughout Chicago.

“CCAC’s work of providing technical support are great examples of the private sector stepping up to generate immediate and actionable measures that will make a difference in the lives of all Chicagoans,” said CCAC Chairman Greg Hummel, senior counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

Originally conceived by the 2020 “Forward Together” recovery report, the Central City Recovery Task Force consists of four subcommittees that are being led by a pair of established civic partners, including:

• The Business and Commercial Subcommittee co-chaired by Jack Lavin, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Kelly Welsh, president of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
• The Tourism and Culture Subcommittee co-chaired by Mark Kelly, commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Event (DCASE), and Michael Fassnacht, interim president and CEO of World Business Chicago and chief marketing officer for the City of Chicago.
• The Residents and Community Subcommittee co-chaired by Bonnie Sanchez-Carlson, president and executive director of the Near South Planning Board, and Deborah Gershbein, president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents.
• The Transportation and Mobility Subcommittee co-chaired by Gia Biagi, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), and Dorval Carter, president of the CTA.

Early task force meetings have focused on amplifying transit safety initiatives and transit service options to build rider confidence; strategies to help reactivate vacant storefronts and the public realm; market Chicago's assets to attract expanding and relocating businesses; convene and prepare the arts, culture, and tourism sectors for a strong reopening; and provide additional community amenities and educational options to retain families in the central area.

The initiative is led by the office of Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot with support from DPD, other City of Chicago agencies, and the CCAC.

Formed in 1956, the CCAC is a consortium of central area businesses and corporations that work to improve the viability of Chicago’s central area within the region and nation.

The group will issue its report in May. Questions and comments can be directed to DPD at dpd@cityofchicago.org.