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City plan commission approves pedestrian mall for Nativity Jesuit Academy to add green play space to Near South Side
Summary
The commission approved converting a section of South 29th Street into a publicly owned pedestrian mall that will provide a locked school‑controlled play area during school hours and remain open to the public outside those hours; the school will maintain the space and keyfob‑controlled gates will serve the parking area, not the pedestrian mall.
The City Plan Commission on Jan. 27 approved an ordinance (file 241341) establishing the Nativity Jesuit Pedestrian Mall on South 29th Street from West Orchard Street to a point roughly 180 feet south of West Orchard Street in the 8th Aldermanic District.
Department of Public Works coordination manager James Washington explained the conversion process: the street will remain public right‑of‑way but be limited to pedestrian uses once the city converts it from a Class B highway to a pedestrian mall; Nativity Jesuit Academy will operate and maintain the plaza and adjacent private parking during school hours, and the space will be open to the public when not used by the school.
Nativity Jesuit representatives said the project will create roughly 18,000 square feet of green and hard‑scape play area where students currently exercise on a parking lot. The planned amenities include a 50‑by‑80‑foot artificial‑turf soccer area, netting around the playing area (proposed at about 20 feet high), a small basketball court, decorative concrete planters at street entries to stop vehicle intrusion, 4‑foot decorative fencing around the soccer field, pedestrian paths, bicycle parking and timed security lighting (presenters referenced lights timed to turn off at about 9 or 10 p.m.). The academy and the School Sisters of Saint Francis, which share nearby property, said they participated in neighborhood meetings; the developer and school reported door‑to‑door outreach and multiple public meetings with residents.
Presenters emphasized that the plaza walkway is not gated to the public; fences and gates will be used to secure school parking and controlled access points, and the academy said those gates will be keyed for emergency access by police and fire and equipped with remote opening capability. The academy will maintain the plaza and sign a maintenance/developer agreement with the city; DPW said city maintenance expectations for a public right‑of‑way will be established as part of that agreement.
The commission’s motion to approve passed by voice vote. Supporters at the hearing included parents, a board member and neighborhood residents; BOSA gave the project unanimous positive recommendation at its hearing and extended the typical 10‑year authorization to a 20‑year term in its motion (as recorded in the meeting file).
