January 20, 2023

Alderman Reilly Reports

Dear Neighbor:

As you may know, I will now be running for re-election, unopposed this year, following my, one-time opponent, Chris Cleary’s, withdrawal from the 2023 City Council Election.

Chris Cleary is passionate about Chicago’s future, as evidenced by his ability to qualify for the 42nd Ward Aldermanic Ballot for the February 2023 Election.

After having met with Mr. Cleary, it was evident that he is a smart, earnest and hard-working young man. I also understand his motivations for running were genuine and focused on improving our downtown ward.

During our meeting, we realized that we shared similar views on many of the challenges currently facing the 42nd Ward.

It also became apparent that Chris wasn’t familiar with all of the efforts I’ve been making to improve public safety downtown with strategic investments in new technology, lighting and convincing Sheriff Dart to deploy the dozens of Sheriff’s Deputies now patrolling downtown.

I am glad that we met face-to-face, to discuss these issues and resolve our perceived differences through conversation, rather than an expensive, nasty and divisive campaign.

I applaud Chris for his strong interest in serving our city: so strong that he was willing to invest his own money to pursue public office. At a time when few people are willing to make sacrifices to serve their communities, it is refreshing to know there are individuals, like Chris, who are interested in public service.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your alderman. Over the next four years, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the next Mayor to get Chicago back on track again.

Sincerely,

Brendan Reilly

Alderman - 42nd Ward

President Pro Tempore

Safe Streets Pilots Ordinance

At the January 18th City Council Meeting, Alderman Reilly co-sponsored and introduced an ordinance (O2023-874) to establish two automated traffic safety pilots downtown. Each pilot will use new technology to discourage drivers from obstructing bike lanes, bus lanes, commercial loading zones, and crosswalks.

Pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable roadway users and when they are unable to use the spaces in the right-of-way specifically designed for their safety, they are put at risk. Enforcing laws that prohibit the obstruction of bike and bus lanes, crosswalks, and misuse of commercial loading zones, will remind drivers of their responsibility to be mindful of other roadway users to improve street safety.

The ordinance would establish two two-year pilot programs within the boundaries of Lake Michigan to Ashland Avenue and from North Avenue to Roosevelt.

Smart Streets Pilot

This first pilot would authorize the City to ticket registered vehicle owners by mail for various infractions, including parking in bike lanes, bus-only lanes, crosswalks, bus stops, and no parking zones. This pilot would discourage drivers from illegally parking in places that put our most vulnerable road users — people walking, biking, rolling, and taking transit — in dangerous situations, such as forcing bicyclists to merge with motor vehicle traffic.

This pilot would also promote a more reliable, efficient, and accessible bus service by deterring drivers from parking in bus-only lanes or at designated bus stops. Efficient bus service is critical for reducing traffic, especially downtown.

The ordinance allows for cameras to be fixed on City poles or on the front of City or CTA vehicles. Once data is collected, it will be individually reviewed and then sent to the Department of Finance (DOF) to be processed. When the City begins camera enforcement of parking or standing violations in areas with posted signs, the ordinance proposes a 30-day warning period for first-time violators, and anyone ticketed within 30 days of the installation of a new camera.

Smart Loading Zone Pilot

This second pilot would use license plate reading camera technology to facilitate more efficient driver or company payment and to enforce parking violations within commercial loading zones designed for the loading and unloading of commercial vehicles. The pilot aims to prevent double-parking that puts drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians in unsafe conditions, decrease vehicle idling and reduce emissions, and create a more efficient system for payment and drop-offs for commercial drivers.

Alderman Reilly is hopeful this pilot program will lead to safer streets and more efficient movement in travel lanes. The camera-based safety pilots would start within months from passage and conclude in June of 2025. Stay tuned to Reilly Reports for more information.

18th District Council Candidate Forum:

Tuesday, January 31

The Gold Coast Neighbors Association & The Old Town Merchants & Residents Association have partnered to sponsor an 18th Police District Council Candidate Forum. It is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.

The candidate forum will take place at Moody Church located at 1635 North LaSalle Dr. Admission is free, but advance registration is required. Please click here to register for the event.

In July 2021, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance creating a new model for police oversight, accountability, and public safety. The ordinance creates two bodies: a citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, with power to advance systemic reform, and District Councils, which will be elected in each police district and work to improve policing and public safety in the district.

District Councils will be created in each of the City’s 22 police districts. They will be made up of three people elected in regular municipal elections every four years. The first District Council elections will be on your ballot in February 2023, when Chicagoans will also vote for candidates for aldermen and mayor.

This forum will give candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves and their positions to the community. It will also give residents a chance to hear how those candidates answer questions on important safety issues.

For questions, please email [email protected], call 773-510-7327, or visit their website www.goldcoastneighbors.org.

42nd Ward Development Proposal:

153-157 West Ohio Street

153-157 W. Ohio Street LLC recently acquired the subject property, a mid-block, 5-story (mostly vacant) commercial-office building generally located at 153-157 West Ohio Street.

The building owner proposes to convert the existing building from commercial/office to all residential. The proposal is to establish thirty-five (35) dwelling units on floors 1-5, and include some meaningful, yet discreet, communal amenities and outdoor space on the 5th floor and roof deck. The building does not currently contain parking, and none is proposed with this project. Most of the construction would be within the interior; with minimal changes to the exterior entryway and rooftop (but no expansion of the building height). All loading would be conducted through an existing internal loading berth, accessed by the alley. Click here for additional information.

Since no expansion of the building is proposed with this project, the building will continue to comply with the existing DX-7 Zoning. The developer must obtain a Special Use from the Zoning Board of Appeals in order to allow for a residential use on the ground floor, as well as a Variation to waive the parking requirement, for a Transit Served Location (TSL). This proposal does not require any additional approval from Alderman Reilly or City Council.

As part of Alderman Reilly’s transparent community process for new developments, your comments and observations are welcome on this project. Please click here to take a survey to provide your feedback.

Grant Park Framework Plan Meeting

CAPS Meetings

18th District: (312-742-5778 / [email protected])
Beat 1831 Meeting scheduled on Tuesday, January 24th at 5 PM
Beat 1832 Meeting scheduled on Tuesday, January 24th at 6 PM
Beat 1833 Meeting scheduled on Thursday, January 26th at 5 PM
Beat 1834 Meeting scheduled on Thursday, January 26th at 6 PM
1st District: (312-745-4381 / [email protected])
There are no CAPS meetings scheduled for the remainder of this month.
12th District: (312-746-8306 / [email protected])
There are no CAPS meetings scheduled for the remainder of this month.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

CFC Production

On Sunday, January 22, CFC Production will be filming at 71 W Monroe Street. During the filming, parking at the following locations will be restricted:

South side of Monroe Street from Clark to Dearborn
East side of Clark Street from Monroe to Marble Pl

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chris Charles (location manager) at 312-952-9327.

Peoples Gas Project: Oak and Rush

Peoples Gas has began working in the intersection of Oak Street and Rush Street. Next week, PGL will be installing a gas main on the east side of Rush Street, from Oak Street to Oak Place.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of February 2023.

Helicopter Lift: 333 West Wolf Point

On Saturday, January 21, from 8am-12pm, there will be a helicopter lift at 333 West Wolf Point Plaza. During the lift, the following will be closed:

Orleans, from Wacker to Kinzie
Wolf Point Plaza, from Franklin to Orleans

151 N Michigan:

Power Construction will be installing a tower crane on Beaubien Court for the project at 151 N Michigan Avenue. While the crane is in place, Beaubien Court, from a point 23' north of Randolph Street, to a point 100' north thereof will be closed to vehicular traffic. The crane will be in-place for 8-10 weeks.

The following will be closed throughout the duration of the project:

Sidewalk on the north side of Randolph, from Beaubien Court to Michigan Avenue
Sidewalk on the east side of Michigan, from Randolph, to a point 100' north thereof
Beaubien Court, from Randolph to a point 100' north thereof

Pedestrians will be directed to use projected walkways that are placed in the curb lanes on Randolph and Michigan. The project is expected to be completed at the end of 2023.

Temporary Bus Stop Elimination

Until March 2024, the westbound bus stop at Grand and St. Clair will be temporarily removed.

Stop ID Number: 761
Route Stopping: #29 – State, #65 – Grand, #120 – Ogilvie/Streeterville Express, #121 – Union/Streeterville Express

Randolph Street Viaduct Repair

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has completed Stage 1 of this project, which consisted of replacing the deck on the northernmost eastbound lane on Randolph, between Columbus to Harbor.

During Stage 2, CDOT will replace the deck of the southernmost eastbound lane on Randolph, from Columbus to Harbor. Sidewalk repairs on the south side of Randolph are also part of Stage 2. Construction is scheduled to resume at the beginning of April 2023.

The concrete barriers are in-place because CDOT needs a physical barrier that separates Stage 1 from Stage 2.

State & Lake Utility Relocations

Utility companies began relocating utilities in advance of the State and Lake CTA project. Train services will not be disrupted during utility relocations.

At least 1 lane of traffic will remain open (1 lane each direction on State St) at all times, but other driving and parking lanes may be closed.

Construction equipment and materials will be stored on the street, including during time periods between active work. Work will primarily occur 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturdays, but there will be limited work during nights. Utility companies are aware of and required to abide by the Chicago noise ordinance, which limits noisy work during overnight hours.

150 E Ontario Construction

W.E. O'Neil began construction of a 23-story building at 150 East Ontario Street. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm (8pm during caisson pours). Some weekend work will occur.

Throughout the project, the following will be closed:

150' of sidewalk in front of 150 East Ontario
150' of curb lane in front of 150 East Ontario

Pedestrians will be directed to the sidewalk on the south side of the street at Ontario/Michigan and Ontario/St. Clair. The entire project is expected to take 23 months to complete.

Chase Tower Clark Street Tunnel Project

In mid-July, Berglund Construction began repairs on the Chase Tower Clark Street tunnel at 23 S. Clark Street. The project scope consists of repairing Chase’s below-grade tunnel structures that cross below Clark Street at 23 S. Clark St, and will require excavation of Clark Street in that area to access the tunnel structures to perform repairs.

There will be one lane of southbound traffic open at all times. Berglund will have flaggers and barricades in-place throughout the project.

The project will last 26 months. Berglund would like to begin mid-June. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 8am-5pm.

535 N. St. Clair Street Project

Demolition of 535 N St. Clair is completed. LendLease has mobilized for construction and they have began pouring caissons. Throughout the project, there will be a protected pedestrian canopy on the north side of Grand, from St. Clair to a point 100' east thereof. The entire project is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2024.

Cassidy Tire Construction

Construction of the 33-story mixed-use building is underway. Throughout construction, McHugh Constriction will occupy the curb lane on the west side of Canal along 344/350 N. Canal Street's property line. The construction company has leased the area north of the building from the railroad to use as a staging area. Additionally, they will use the parking lot south of the building as a staging area too.

As a reminder, this project is contributing to numerous public benefits. Click here for a list of public benefits, and stay tuned to Reilly Reports for future updates on this project and the implementation of these public benefits. All work is expected to take 24 months to complete (weather dependent).

311 W Huron Project

In June, ARCO Murray began construction of a new building at 311 W. Huron Street. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm (8pm during caisson pours). Throughout the project, the following City right-of-way will be occupied:

Sidewalk/curb lane on the south side of Huron, from Franklin west to the end of 311 W Huron's property line - approximately 150'. The sidewalk will be used to store their concrete pump, dumpster, and hoist dock. Trucks will back into the site at this location too. Jersey barriers will be placed in the curb lane to create a protected pedestrian path.
3' of the sidewalk on the west side of Franklin, from Huron to the first alley south thereof. This leaves 6' of clearance. They will need to push the fence out a few feet during excavation.
150' of the east/west alley bounded by Huron, Franklin, Erie, and Orleans will be closed. The closure is from Franklin to a point 150' west thereof.

The project is expected to be completed in September 2023 (weather dependent).

214 West Erie Street Renovations

On Monday, December 13, Crane Construction began renovations of 214 West Erie Street. During construction, the following will be closed:

Sidewalk/curb lane in front of 214 West Erie Street. The curb lane will be used as a pedestrian walkway. Crane Construction will place jersey barriers and ramps in the curb lane to protect pedestrians and provide wheelchair access.
Close 100' of the north/south alley adjacent to 214 W Erie Street. This is a T alley and residents of 222 W Erie will still be able to access their parking garage from the alley entrance on Franklin and Huron.

This project is expected to be completed in early 2023 (weather dependent).

LG Construction: 751 N. Hudson and 451 W Chicago

LG Construction continues work on 751 N. Hudson Avenue and 451 W. Chicago Avenue, which are adjacent parcels. Work hours will be 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday.

Throughout the project, the following will be closed:

Sidewalk/curb lane/traffic lane of the east side of Hudson, from Chicago to the first alley south thereof
Sidewalk/curb lane/traffic lane on the west side of Sedgwick, from Chicago to the first alley south thereof
Sidewalk/curb lane on the south side of Chicago, from Hudson to Sedgwick

There will be a protected pedestrian walkway in the curb lane on the south side of Chicago Avenue, from Hudson Avenue to Sedgwick Street.

This project is expected to take 18 months to complete (weather dependent).

354 North Union Construction

The Onni Group is constructing a 33-story residential building with 373 units. Work hours will be 8am-8pm, daily.

Parking will be prohibited on North Union, from West Kinzie to the cul-de-sac west thereof throughout the project. All construction equipment and vehicles will be staged on the Onni Group’s property. This project will take approximately two years to complete.

Dearborn Street Bridge Project

CDOT began emergency work on the Dearborn Bridge in June 2022. They will be conducting the following work:

Replacing both sidewalks
Replacing all of the bridge gratings
Replacing the beam structures

Due to supply chain issues, the project is expected to be completed in April 2023 (weather dependent).

The bridge will be reduced to one lane of traffic/sidewalk at a time. Bike traffic will be detoured to Clark Street via the north side of Upper Wacker Drive.