SLN logo pos neg 200
 
July 2019   Newsletter 
Upcoming
SLN Events
Kayaking
6:00 pm, Aug. 7
launch from Lawrence's Fisheries 

Printer's Row Ice Cream Social 
6:00, Aug. 20 
Printer's Row Park 

Member's Meeting 
Aug. 28 
Grace Place- 637 S. Dearborn
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UPCOMING EVENTS

Kayaking on the South Branch 
Wed., Aug. 7 
Launch from Lawrence's Fisheries, 2120 S. Canal
Safety briefing begins promptly at 6:00 pm 




Paddle up the quiet South Branch of the Chicago River to Harrison and back, with a half-dozen pauses to catch your breath and learn about the river's history and future. Enjoy a sunset paddle with South Loop Neighbors and Kayak Chicago. 

Cost is $50/person. Purchase tickets at this link.


Printers Row Ice Cream Social 
Thurs., August 20, 6:00 pm 
Printers Row Park  
632 S. Dearborn St. 


Come out and enjoy a free ice cream social sponsored by the South Loop Neighbors in partnership with Friend of the Park. 


Members Meeting: State Legislator Forum
Wed., August 28
Grace Place  
637 S. Dearborn St.

Our next public meeting for our membership will be an opportunity to hear what our legislators have been working on in Springfield. The five State Legislators who represent various portions of our area, State Reps. Sonya Harper, Lamont Robinson & Kam Buckner and State Sens. Mattie Hunter & Robert Peters have all been invited to participate. The legislators will each provide a brief overview of activities within their respective offices and then field policy questions as well as questions from the floor. 

DEVELOPMENT

Wells-Wentworth Connector  
Construction is under way on Phase 3 of a project to connect Wells St. in the South Loop with Wentworth Ave. in Chinatown. Excavation for drainage and utilities began in late April on the 62-acre site Related Midwest calls  "The 78."

Phase 2 is relocating the roadway between Archer and Cermak, next to the Chinatown branch library, to straighten the offset intersection with Cermak. Wentworth will be closed completely between Archer and Cermak until July 29 to facilitate the relocation.

Phase 1 was the reconstruction and widening last year of Wentworth from 17th to Archer.   


One Central: Not So Fast

Recent news stories, that perhaps should have been worded more carefully, have led some people to believe that the state legislature "funded" a transit hub and shopping mall that would be the base of several highrises on air rights over Metra's Weldon Yard, near 14th and Lake Shore Drive.

The  General Assembly did authorize the state to negotiate with Landmark Development regarding the project, so the possibility of the developer applying for a federal loan program would not be foreclosed. It isn't clear, however, that the project would qualify. 
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has seemed cool to the One Central project. "I have questions as to whether or not we need a transportation hub," Lightfoot has said. "They're going to have to make the case, and they're going to have to go through a rigorous community process."

Meanwhile, on July 15th, 3rd Ward Ald. Dowell convened a meeting where Dept. of Planning and Development officials explained just what development entitlements for the air rights project are already vested.  DPD says it has only had one meeting with Landmark Development, and requested several specific pieces of information. None have yet been supplied. The preliminary sketches shown by Landmark at previous One Central meetings are not possible under the current zoning. However:
  • The planned development ordinance for Central Station has at least 2000 dwelling units approved but not yet used. It also has 3.1 million sq. ft. of office space, and 2,500 hotel keys that can be traded in for additional dwelling units.
  • Some 4.7 million square feet of bulk is approved and not yet used. For comparison, what's built out so far in Central Station (and approved, such as NEMA's big sister) north of 14th St. is around 5 million square feet.
  • The planned development ordinance for Central Station includes language that vests the approvals once certain amounts of development took place within a specified time. The usual rule is that property owners have no rights to their future zoning, but the Central Station ordinance was structured (in the early 1990s) to reward timely construction of the early phases, and improvements such as parks, with guarantees regarding the future phases.
A "documenter's writeup" of the July 15 meeting is online here. The presentation shown at the meeting is available as a PDF here.

IN BRIEF

    
Man Fatally Stabbed 
Man in 50s fatally stabbed on July 13 while riding Red Line in South Loop. Click here for full Tribune article. 

Farmer's Markets 

 

  • Federal Plaza City Market (50 W. Adams): Tuesdays through Oct. 29
  • Daley Plaza (50 W. Washington): Thursdays through Oct. 24 
  • Printers Row City Market (700 S. Dearborn): Saturdays through Oct. 26
  • Maxwell Street Market (800 S. Desplaines): Sundays year round 
Live Local - Shop Local 
The South Loop is a vibrant neighborhood and as it continues to grow, it becomes increasingly more important  for residents to support local small businesses. The benefits of shopping local are documented through a number of  studies. 

South Loop Neighbors especially urges residents to shop at local businesses that have partnered with the South Loop  Neighbors as Community Builders. Community Builders are businesses that are members of the SLN and who  recognize that a partnerships between SLN and local businesses creates an optimal environment for our neighborhood  to maintain and increase the vibrancy of the South Loop!  Please visit our website to learn more about our Community Builders.  

Local Business Happenings:

Totto's Market Opens in Printers Row
Totto's Market, located at 741 S. Dearborn in Printers Row has opened. The market specializes in "perishables that are fresh and provisions that are carefully considered."    

Harbor Restaurant Coming 
Four restaurant veterans with a passion for sailing plan to open Harbor (1312 S. Wabash) this fall.  Chef/partner Anthony Bernal (formerly of Mastro's Steakhouse) will oversee an American menu that "pays homage to the Great Lakes and local rivers," but will expand enough to include a raw bar of oysters, shrimp, crab and clams. 

Opening Soon:  
  • Grail Cafe: 715 S. Dearborn  
  • Overflow Coffee: 1449 S. Michigan  
  • The Lucky Well: Roosevelt Collection 
  • Pacino's: Roosevelt Collection
  • Moody Tongue dining room and bar: 2515 S. Wabash. Opening late summer
Remodeling:
  • Kroll's South Loop: expected to reopen July 30
  • Wabash Tap: expected to reopen September 1 

Closings: 
  • Bella Bronze: 1503 S. Michigan 
Community Builder Spotlight 
Everywhere Wireless 

Everywhere Wireless owns, manages and controls a Gigabit Internet Network, designed for multi-family communities and businesses here in Chicago. The Network is designed and engineered with multiple points of redundancy, including power, distribution and connectivity. EW offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee and can deliver speeds of more than 1,000 Mbps, also known as Gigabit Speeds.

For more information, visit   https://ewfiber.com

   

Other Neighborhood Events

CAPS Meetings

Beats 121,122,123 & 124 
Meetings will be held the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm, with two exceptions: Jul. 9 & Oct. 8. The meetings are held at 525 S. State Street.   The next meeting is August 14, 2019.

Beat 131 & 132 
Meetings will held the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm. The meetings are held at the 1st District Station, 1718 S. State Street. The next meeting is August 20, 2019.

Beat 133
Meetings will be held the 3rd Wednesday of every minty at 6:30 pm. The meeting are held at Prairie Shore, 2901 S. Martin Luther King Drive. The next meeting is August 21, 2019. 






For More information or to purchase tickets, go to  South Loop Beer Fest

Take a Free Tour of McCormick Place Roof Farm
August 29,  5:00 - 6:00 PM
 
Reserve your space for the first tour of the season. Tour will meet at the South Loop Farmers Market (1936 S. Michigan Ave.) info tent at 4:30PM and walk a short distance to McCormick.  Walk-ups Welcome!
 


_______________________________________
 
Movies in the Parks
Movies in the Parks brings big-screen entertainment to local parks for the nineteenth season. All movies begin at dusk.  

Chicago Women's Park (1801 S. Indiana Ave.)
Thursday, August 1st: Jane Eyre
Saturday, August 24th: First Man

A full list of movies can be found at  www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/movies-parks.

Northerly Island 
Learn to Kayak for Beginners 
August 8, 22, 29, September 12, 19 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
For more information or to register, go to  Kayak

Family Fishing 

August 17, 24 8:00 -10:30 am 

Museum Free Days 
Art Institute of Chicago: Every Thursday evening from 5 -8 pm for Illinois residents 
Shedd Aquarium: August 26-27
Pritzker Military Museum & Library:  August 4 (Birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard)
 
Women's Park 
Midsommer Flight (Shakespeare Theater) 'The Temptest': August 3 at 6:00 pm, August 4 at 2:00 pm, August 10 at 11:00 am, and August 11 at 2:00 pm 

Star Party: August 23 7:30- 10:30 pm
 
Fred Anderson Park: 1611 S. Wabash  
Summer Concert Series
Carroll/ Arty/ Ward: July 28 6:00 pm

Ping Tom Park: 1700 S. Wentworth    

Ping Tom Memorial Park: Aug. 18 at 6:30 pm 

Wintrust Arena and Soldier Field events
www.WintrustArena.com for a full list of events
 
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED

Grills Night Out  -  July 20


Getting the grill ready!