Prospect South

63rd Street-75th Street

Prospect South faces major issues of disconnection and vacancy, the roots of which can be traced back to the existence of Highway-71. Since this major infrastructural project was built only half a block away from Prospect Avenue, many home owners and businesses have been pushed out over time, leaving the area blighted. While Prospect Avenue used to be a major commercial corridor, what is left in Prospect South is primarily auto shops, gas stations, drive-through fast food, parking lots, and regional medical centers, with some various commercial uses sprinkled throughout. The concept for Prospect South is to create a hyper-accessible service corridor that connects the existing semi-urban “villages” and serves the local neighborhoods as well as the regional draws, while connecting back into the larger park system. The types of services that would be targeted for this corridor range from health and welfare to entertainment— including pharmacies, grocery stores, physicians offices, community centers, gyms, hotels, retail spaces, restaurants, theaters, and a variety of housing. In order to combat the issue of the proximity of Highway-71, infill and green buffer strategies working in tandem are necessary considerations. This approach utilizes a green infill strategy that allows opportunities for food resources, recreation, small business development, green infrastructure, and lot occupancy while phasing out vacant lots and buildings, auto shops, gas stations, buildings that are set back from the street, on-street surface parking lots, land-bank properties, and other sites that detract from the community. Development would begin at the major intersections (55th St, 59th St, 63rd St, Meyer Blvd, Gregory Blvd, and 75th St), where major redevelopment happens at the Research Medical Center and Alphapointe.