31st Street Harbor & Marina

The 31st Street Harbor is one of the largest harbors built on the Chicago lakefront in last 50 years. Landside and marina portion of the project included the construction of a new marina with 1,000 new boat slips ranging from 30’ to 80’ in length; a public access boat launch ramp; a harbor facility with a boat supply store; Harbor Master’s office with a large conference/community room; a boater’s shower room with laundry facilities; and a large parking garage with 213 spaces that will also provide covered boat storage during the off season.

The new marina features the longest horizontal dock runs in the city of Chicago and provides the boating community with the latest advances in marina technology. Each dock includes LED lighting, sanitary sewer pump outs, integrated ice suppression systems, and phone, cable and internet connections.

Throughout the installation of the docks, every component of the docks and their utilities were closely coordinated to minimize any quality control issues associated with this type of work including decking replacement, float adjustment and weld repairs. A representative of the Chicago Park District’s dock management was on site full time to address any coordination and operational issues before they arose. The representative also inspected materials during fabrication and prior to delivery to the site.

The garage is cast-in-place concrete and was built into the ground and is covered by extensive green roof space that is part of the nearly four acres of new park space. A new play area connects the green roof area to the existing beach replaces a smaller, outdated playground.

The development embraces environmental and social sustainability, and received LEED Gold level certification