New images of Lincoln Yards released just before Amazon reps tour site

A dog park, sledding hill and open air market are featured

By Sara Freund Mar 22, 2018, 1:20pm CDT

Lincoln Yards, the massive development from Sterling Bay, aims to transform the old Finkl Steel plant and other nearby industrial sites into an active retail, office and residential area. New images for the project were released on Friday, just before Amazon reps were expected to tour the city for Amazon’s second headquarters.

The group of Skidmore, Owings & Merril-designed images show a few new concepts for Lincoln Yards and offer a different perspective. Most previous renderings from an aerial view failed to convey how the development would feel at ground level. They’ve depicted a flashy sports stadium (slated to be the home of a professional soccer team) and zoomed out cityscapes of modular glass buildings.

In the most recent renderings, there are landscaped walkways, bike paths and racks, people shopping at the farmer’s market, kayakers in the river and children playing in fountains and a splash pool. A dog park, maybe one of the largest in the city, features ball runs, fresh water pools and a Canine Fountain (a possible play on Crown Fountain using adorable pugs?).

The curvaceous public space intends to be an entertainment district with open air markets, sidewalk cafes, wide pedestrian walkways and areas for recreation not only in summer but winter as well. On those extra snowy days, the developer envisions a sledding hill and other winter events at Lincoln Yards.

The project also includes an expansion of the 606 which will connect to a skate park and climbing wall underneath the Kennedy Expressway. The plan suggests replacing the Clybourn Metra station with a Lincoln Yards station—a modern multi-modal hub with parking and retail that will intersect with the 606 extension.