Grant Park’s soon-to-be revamped new north end could feature a skate park under a new plan unveiled Wednesday night at a community meeting held in Streeterville’s Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Drive.

North Grant Park, currently known as Daley Bicentennial Plaza, is set for a massive revamp next fall to replace a leaky roof for the parking garage beneath it. As a result, the entire park will be torn up from Randolph to Monroe streets.

The park district has $35 million earmarked to rebuild it, though, as part of the deal that leased the parking lots to a private operator in the first place.

With that money, the park district has hired New York-based landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to reshape what’s now a concrete-dominated plaza into a winding, mostly green park.

At the first community meeting held in October, the plan was fairly well received except for the elimination of Daley Bi’s tennis courts.

At Wednesday night’s meeting, the park district and Van Valkenburgh’s team proposed moving the tennis courts to Peanut Park just to the east, or possibly in Lakeshore East Park to the north.

The biggest new feature that’s changed since the last plan is the addition of a skate park in the new plan’s northwest corner — a flowing concrete plaza that O’Neill said was requested by some at the last meeting. It’ll also feature a scooter plaza.

Bob O’Neill, head of the Grant Park Conservancy, said that the tennis courts were being removed in an effort to reduce the amount of concrete in the new park. When asked how adding a skate park jibed with that stance, O’Neill said skateboarders and others can make much more efficient use of space.

“The issue again becomes how much paving do we have for two, maximum four people playing tennis. That’s lot of tennis for a very minimal use per person,” O’Neill said. “When you go to 35th [Burnham Skate Park, just east of Lake Shore Drive], that’s far more used by people than a tennis court. With skateboarding, there are more people doing it in the same amount of space.”

The park’s tentative design also features a meandering ice skating loop with a climbing wall at its center, a play garden and rolling hills from which people will be able to see the lake.

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By Larry from West Loop
Posted: 01/05/2012 1:01 AM

The skate park is a GREAT idea. Let\'s face it, Millennium Park is for tourists and suburbanites. Let\'s build something for CITY residents, especially kids (of all ages, not just little kids). Something to INTERACT with.

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By Leif from loop
Posted: 01/04/2012 2:21 PM

Bob O'Neill says only 4 people play tennis. On most days, Park Instructors give lessons to 60 people, and some days more as school kids come all over the city. Skateboarding is good and performed in a line, tennis courts are in a box and would not interfere with skateboarding. Tennis courts in SE would not take up much room. Why are they destroying 100 % of trees.

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By Andres from South suburbs
Posted: 12/24/2011 2:24 AM

I might not be a citizen of Chicago, but I visit the city like it were a second neighborhood. I\'d love to see the addition of a skate park to what hopes to be an eco-friendly area. I\'ll keep my fingers crossed!

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By Edward from West Loop
Posted: 12/23/2011 3:15 PM

A skate park downtown would be amazing! Easy access for all the skaters(cta) where as Wilson\'s neighborhood is \"sketchy\" and 31st isn\'t so convenient. A park here would be perfect! Downtown location would also reduce the amount of skating done on private property in the surrounding area. The park is also low maintenance for the city. PLEASE PLEASE BUILD THIS PARK!

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By Edward from West Loop
Posted: 12/23/2011 3:15 PM

A skate park downtown would be amazing! Easy access for all the skaters(cta) where as Wilson's neighborhood is "sketchy" and 31st isn't so convenient. A park here would be perfect! Downtown location would also reduce the amount of skating done on private property in the surrounding area. The park is also low maintenance for the city. PLEASE PLEASE BUILD THIS PARK!

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By Kent Garett from Wicker Park
Posted: 12/23/2011 2:44 PM

YES PLEASE HAVE THIS BUILT!

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By Kent Garett from Wicker Park
Posted: 12/23/2011 2:44 PM

YES PLEASE HAVE THIS BUILT!

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By Ted from Everywhere Chicago
Posted: 12/23/2011 5:19 AM

I definitely appreciate the comments left by skaters. I love how educated and coherent the comments are. Thanks!

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By Colter Sonneville from Logan Square
Posted: 12/15/2011 4:48 PM

Look at that spectacular park rendering! I wish Van Valkenburgh would give me a job in their rendering factory!

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By Dave
Posted: 12/15/2011 9:20 AM

A skate park in our front yard?Really?

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By Noah Wasserman from Arlington Heights
Posted: 12/15/2011 6:24 AM

I am very excited for the if the skatepark is built because I love to skate I can't wait for it to happen Let's make skating legal!

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By Peter M from Lakeview
Posted: 12/14/2011 8:15 PM

I hope this skatepark becomes a reality. Bicentennial Plaza always a meeting and great skate spot when I was in the rollerblading community and to see that tradition continue in the building of an awesome new meeting and skating spot would be tremendous.

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By Mike Duff from Bridgeport
Posted: 12/14/2011 6:53 PM

I would love to see this happen. The city could use a larger new park.

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By Erik Repak from Chicago
Posted: 12/14/2011 6:49 PM

Great idea. Takes a long time before city officials can see that a skatepark is something much more benificial for the community then something that appears pretty such as the picasso in daley center, which I did enjoy when I was much younger!

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By John Haynes from Logan Park
Posted: 12/14/2011 6:31 PM

I would love to see this happen! I would use it constantly!

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By Collin Martin from Haymarket Square (West Loop)
Posted: 12/14/2011 6:04 PM

Amazing! I'm very excited to hear about a skatepark being built. The same firm appears to have built the Hudson River Park in Chelsea, Manhattan, NY. They seemed to do a great job with that and especially with the skatepark. Does anybody know when and where the next meeting will be?