From Roscoe Village, the nearest off-street river path runs south through Clark Park along the east bank of the North Branch. Clark Park covers 22.42 acres and includes the WMS Boathouse and a bike trail. Then you reach Belmont Avenue, and the trail ends. South of Belmont is about a mile of river with no trail along it. The Active Transportation Alliance has described Belmont itself as treacherous for walking and biking.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, neighbors can weigh in on that mile at an open house held inside it. Rockwell on the River, at 3057 N. Rockwell St., sits on the west bank between Belmont and Diversey. The venue is a good example of what is happening along that stretch. The river edge below Belmont is being redeveloped one property at a time, and some of those projects already include pieces of public riverfront. The open house is a chance to shape the public route before the remaining parcels are decided by default.
How far the river trail runs north of Belmont
The trail Roscoe Village has today was built in segments. The City of Chicago calls the finished route the 312 RiverRun. It is a continuous off-street path from Belmont north to Montrose. Heading north from the Belmont end, the main pieces are:
- Clark Park, on the east bank, where the path runs past the WMS Boathouse.
- The Riverview Bridge, which crosses the North Branch beneath the Addison Road Bridge. It is more than 1,000 feet long, was completed in 2019, and connects Clark Park to California Park.
- California Park, a 14.80-acre park just west of the river.
- An under-bridge path linking California Park to Horner Park.
When the City announced the last link in September 2021, it put the Irving Park Road Bridge project alone at $18.1 million. That gives a sense of what one segment can cost. It took years of separate projects to build a trail north of Belmont that now seems like it was always there.
The Active Transportation Alliance started a coalition in 2017 to keep extending the river trail, and its Chicago River Trail campaign page lists Friends of the Chicago River among the members. The coalition's focus now is the stretch south of Belmont.
Why the mile below Belmont is harder
In 2019, the alliance described the missing piece as roughly a mile between the end of the 312 RiverRun and the riverside path at Lathrop Homes near Diversey. North of Belmont, the trail runs through parkland. South of Belmont, the alliance said, the river edge is narrow, dense and industrial. For that reason it expected any near-term connection to use streets rather than a continuous path along the water.
The alliance's earlier action plan for the corridor around Roscoe Village, North Center and Avondale went further. It suggested better east-west access on Belmont, Logan/Diversey, Webster and Cortland. It also floated two alternatives where there is little room at the water's edge: a grade-separated bike path along Cortland or Kingsbury, or trail segments that float on the river. Those ideas came from earlier planning and give a sense of the options that have been on the table for years.
The feasibility study is newer. The Active Transportation Alliance scheduled Greg Osborne of Epstein Engineering to present the feasibility study for a Belmont-to-Diversey extension at its online advocacy chat at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Ten days later, the conversation moves to a room on the river.
Two riverfront sites already inside the gap
Within the missing mile, at least two properties have already turned private riverfront into places the public can use.
| Site | Location in the gap | What it has become |
|---|---|---|
| Rockwell on the River | 3057 N. Rockwell St., west bank, Avondale | A three-acre complex in a century-old former tannery. It opened in 2018 and has an 18,000-square-foot event space plus food, drink and marina businesses. |
| Riverfront townhomes on Oakdale | 2235–49 W. Oakdale, just north of Lathrop Homes | City Council approved 35 townhomes in May 2025, and the plan includes a public riverwalk extension. |
Rockwell on the River will also be home to Phase Three Brewing's first Chicago taproom. Block Club Chicago reported in August that the company, which has taprooms in Lake Zurich and Elmhurst, signed a lease for the former Metropolitan Brewing space at 3057 N. Rockwell. Metropolitan left that space in 2023. According to the same report, Phase Three plans to start with beer and hard seltzers and add a kitchen later. Metropolitan did not have one.
The Oakdale townhomes sit near the south end of the gap. They come with a stretch of riverwalk that will be open to the public. Each project adds river access on its own parcel. A trail needs those pieces connected to each other.
Neighbors have noticed how few public river access points are left along this part of the river. In a 2025 story on Avondale's riverfront, Block Club Chicago said the area was drawing more interest and development. It quoted an Avondale Gardening Alliance organizer who called Belmont the area's only "un-monetized" river access at the time.
What happens at the open house on Nov. 14
The open house is a drop-in event, not a presentation you need to arrive on time for. Block Club Chicago's November outdoor guide introduced it with a question that will sound familiar to anyone who walks south through Clark Park: "Ever wished you could stay on the river trail past Belmont?" Block Club says attendees can learn about the planned extension, ask questions and share ideas.
- When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Where: Rockwell on the River, 3057 N. Rockwell St.
- Format: Drop-in community meeting
- Details: The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce event listing, which describes the goal as filling "the gap between Belmont and Diversey"
From the middle of Roscoe Village, Belmont and Rockwell are both a short walk or bike ride west. Getting to the open house means crossing the same stretch the extension is meant to fix.
The rest of Nov. 14 on Roscoe Street
The open house ends at 1 p.m. At 3 p.m., The Dapper Fox and theworKshop design studio hold a grand opening at 2138 W. Roscoe St., Unit 1. The Chamber calendar lists the event from 3 to 8 p.m. It describes a newly remodeled storefront and showroom used as a mahjong studio and event space, with classes, private lessons, leagues, tournaments and private event bookings.
In between, Dewey's Café is a few doors east at 2036 W. Roscoe St. Eater Chicago reported that it opened Sept. 2 with coffee and lunch and plans to add all-day service.
The next few weeks have more on the calendar:
- Cornelia Arts Building December Open Studios: Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, noon to 4 p.m., at 1800 W. Cornelia Ave.
- Roscoe Village Winterfest: Organized by Roscoe Village Neighbors, Saturday, Dec. 5, at 5:30 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. Activity times vary, and the Roscoe Village Neighbors Winterfest page has the latest schedule.
Most of these events are within a few blocks of Roscoe Street, so you can get to them on foot from almost anywhere in the neighborhood. River access works differently. The trail that runs north toward Montrose still ends at Belmont, and the Nov. 14 open house is the next public meeting about what goes south of it.
If you're thinking about how a river connection might change daily life on your block, or what being close to the North Branch means for a home in Roscoe Village, the team at Chicago Home Partner is glad to talk it through with you. Schedule a complimentary market consultation, and we'll go over the blocks and the data with you.
