Alderman Reilly is extremely frustrated and disappointed with the ongoing violence in the 42nd Ward, which often occurs on or near a CTA Train station. In a recent meeting with Superintendent David Brown, the Alderman was promised that dedicated police details would be assigned to the Red Line and other CTA trains. This has yet to occur.  

Please click here to read a letter the Alderman sent to Superintendent David Brown, following the incident that occurred at Chicago Avenue & State Street yesterday evening. 

Alderman Reilly recently joined Rich Lenkov & Tina Martini of WGN Legal Face-Off (Alderman Reilly speaks at 22:00) and Steve Cochran of WLS-AM 890 Radio to discuss various hot topics affecting the 42nd Ward and the City of Chicago.

Earlier today, the Special Committee on the Chicago Casino met to further discuss the Bally’s Tribune casino proposal. The Committee was scheduled to take a vote today, but many aldermen believe the matter is being rushed too quickly and requires more time to review. 

Alderman Reilly was pleased with Chairman Tunney’s decision to delay the vote today.  A number of aldermen continue to express concerns about the truncated public process, the veracity of the casino financial analysis, and the rush to approval. Alderman Reilly will continue to advocate on behalf of residents and vehemently oppose Bally’s permanent and temporary casino proposals. A recording of today’s meeting is available here. 

The Casino Committee will reconvene to continue this discussion and conduct a vote on Monday, May 23rd at 1:00 PM. A livestream of that meeting will be available here at that time.

Alderman Reilly is hosting a Community Shred Day on Saturday, May 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Ohio Place Dog Park located at 360 West Ohio Street.

Households are limited to two boxes and shredding materials will be accepted until the shred truck is full. Please remember to remove all paper clips, staples and other bindings.

A representative from Alderman Reilly’s Office will be present to address concerns or questions regarding city-related matters.

We look forward to seeing you at the Community Shred Day!

This week, the City Council approved an ordinance authorizing a redistricting map for the City’s 50 wards. Based on 2020 Census Data, the 42nd Ward enjoyed dramatic growth in population - adding more than 30,000 more people. That population increase accounted for 58% of the City of Chicago’s entire population growth over the past decade. As a result, Alderman Reilly was required, by law, to reduce the population of the ward by nearly 30,000 people.

Alderman Reilly would prefer to continue representing all of the neighborhoods currently in the 42nd Ward - but given the need to reduce population - that simply could not happen.

Click here to view an interactive map of the new ward boundaries across the City.

GRI Holdings, LLC has filed a Special Use application to operate an Adult Use Cannabis Dispensary at 612 North Wells Street. The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will hold a public hearing on a later date to consider this application.

In advance of this hearing, the applicant must hold a public community hearing to explain their proposal and gather community feedback.

• When: Monday May 23rd at 6:00 PM
• In-Person: Westin Hotel, 320 N. Dearborn
• Via Zoom: Link to Meeting



• Meeting ID: 831 9197 3745
• Passcode: 594728

Alderman Reilly may choose to offer an opinion on the proposed Special Use applications to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), but the ZBA ultimately approves or denies them based on criteria in the Chicago Zoning Code. The ZBA is an independent, quasi-judicial body that will consider all public input and is not obligated to give special consideration to comments from the Alderman or Police Commander. Stay tuned to Reilly Reports for updates on when the public hearing will be scheduled.

Early voting for the June 28th primaries will begin May 26th at the Loop supersite, 191 N Clark, on May 26th. Any Chicago resident can vote at the supersite. The site will be open through Election Day for the following hours:

• Weekdays: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Election Day (June 28): 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

There will be extended weekday hours, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., from June 20 to June 24. The Supersite will be closed Monday, May 30 for Memorial Day.

To check your voter registration please click here. On-site voter registration will be available.

Earlier this week, PTS Corp / Bio-Pharm co-hosted a public community meeting with the River North Residents Association (RNRA) to discuss their proposal to open an Adult Use Cannabis Dispensary at 605 North Clark Street. This meeting was held as a requirement of their Special Use application, recently filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). If you were unable to attend that meeting, click here for more information and to contact PTS/Bio-Pharm about their proposal. 

Another community meeting has been scheduled for GRI Holdings, LLC to present plans for their proposal to open a dispensary at 612 North Wells Street:

• When: Monday May 23rd at 6:00 PM
• In-Person: Westin Hotel, 320 N. Dearborn
• Via Zoom: Link to Meeting
• Meeting ID: 831 9197 3745
• Passcode: 594728

Alderman Reilly may choose to offer an opinion on the proposed Special Use applications to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), but the ZBA ultimately approves or denies them based on criteria in the Chicago Zoning Code. The ZBA is an independent, quasi-judicial body that will consider all public input and is not obligated to give special consideration to comments from the Alderman or Police Commander. Stay tuned to Reilly Reports for updates on when the public hearing will be scheduled. 

At the beginning of June 2022, Peoples Gas will begin installation of a 900' gas main on the south side of Bellevue Place, from Inner Lake Shore Drive to Rush Street.

On Monday, May 23, from 4:00pm to 5:00pm, Alderman Reilly is hosting an informational webinar via Zoom with Peoples Gas. During the webinar, Peoples Gas will provide an overview of their project and explain what residents should expect.

Since the webinar is limited to 500 attendees, we encourage you to register early to guarantee entry. Please click here to register for the webinar. 

There will not be open Q&A during the webinar, so please click here to submit a question in advance of the meeting.

On Monday, May 9, McHugh Construction began demolition of Cassidy Tire located at 344/350 N. Canal Street. McHugh's contractor (Atlas) will demo the building from the back (south side) to the front (north side). The demolition is expected to last 2 months. 

Immediately after the demolition is completed, construction of the 33-story mixed-use building will begin. During demolition and 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 numerous public benefits. Click here for a list of public benefits, and stay tuned to Reilly Reports for future updates on this project and implementation of these public benefits.  

All work is expected to take 24 months to complete (weather dependent). 

CDOT has scheduled emergency work on the Dearborn Bridge to begin June 6 (weather dependent). They will be conducting the following work:

• Replacing both sidewalks
• Replacing all of the bridge grating
• Replacing the beam structures 

The project is expected to last 12 months (weather dependent). 

The bridge will be reduced to one lane of traffic/sidewalk at a time. Bike traffic will be detoured to Clark Street.

Chicago and Halsted Intersection

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has scheduled emergency repairs of the Halsted Viaduct at Chicago Avenue this weekend. Detours will be in-place from Saturday, May 21 at 4pm to Monday, May 23 at 5am.

Please click here to review detour routes. 

311 W Huron Project

At the beginning of June 2022, ARCO Murray will begin 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). 

Crane Lift: 320 E Superior

Northwestern University will be conduction crane lifts at 320 E Superior on the following dates:

• Friday, June 10 to Saturday, July 23
• Monday, August 22 to Tuesday, September 27 

During the crane lifts, vehicular traffic on Superior, from Fairbanks to 340 East Superior will be prohibited. Additionally, the sidewalk on the north side of Superior, from Fairbanks to 340 East Superior will be closed. 

Chicago Spring Half Marathon

Life Time Fitness is hosting the Chicago Spring Half Marathon scheduled for Sunday, May 22. This event benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The following are the event details:

• Amplified sound from 8am-12pm - sound will be inside Maggie Daley Park and speakers will be facing away from residential buildings
• Maggie Daley Park is providing 20 security guards for the event
• Approximately 8,000 attendees (CPD has already given their approval)
• One vendor selling food/beer/wine in Maggie Daley Park

The race route is as follows:

• Races will start at Columbus/Monroe and head south to Roosevelt, east to the lakefront, south on the lakefront to 47th, north on the lakefront to Randolph, west on Randolph to Columbus, and south on Columbus back to Maggie Daley Park

CDOT Repaving Project:

Starting Thursday, May 19, CDOT will begin repaving Lower Carrol, from Wells Street to State Street. This project is expected to take 30 days to complete. 

Adams Street Bridge

IDOT continues their work on the Adams Street Bridge over I90/94. On Sunday, May 1, IDOT began installed support beams for the Bridge during the overnight hours. This work will continue for 2 more weeks. 

Randolph Street Viaduct Repair

Starting Monday, May 9, CDOT will be repairing the Randolph Street Viaduct, from Columbus to Field. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 8am-5pm. 

Throughout the project, at least one lane of eastbound traffic will be open. Westbound lanes will not be disrupted. 

The project is expedited to be completed mid-July (weather dependent). 

Peoples Gas Main Installation Project: Bellevue, from Lake Shore Drive to Rush

Beginning at the end of May 2022, Peoples Gas will install a 900' gas main on the south side of Bellevue Place, from Inner Lake Shore Drive to Rush Street.

The main will be installed in sections of 150'. Once the gas main is installed, service lines will be connected from the new main to each building on the north side of the street.

This will require trenching from the south to north side of the street. All work is expected to be completed by late July (weather dependent). Curb-to-curb restoration will occur in August. 

Peoples Gas Rush & Bellevue

On Monday, May 16, Peoples Gas will begin installing a new gas main at Rush and Bellevue. Parking will be prohibited on the north side of Bellevue, from Rush to the first alley east thereof during the work. 

This project will last 3 weeks. 

Ida B. Wells Repaving Project

Resurfacing of Ida B. Wells, from Congress Parkway to Columbus began on Monday, May 2. The work will include ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement and striping.

All work is expected to be completed by May 31.

Filmings

Wise Guys

Wise Guys be filming a new series in Chicago. In order to establish baseline/beauty shots, they will be filming using a drone on Sunday, May 22 from 8:30am-5:30pm. 

There will be intermittent traffic closures (one block at a time) on Dearborn, from Wacker to Jackson. Each block will be closed for a period of 5 minutes with a 10 minute break between closures. 

They will have 6 Production Assistants on standby to move barricades in and out of the streets during the 5 minute incremental closures. In addition they will have two officers with squads, one at each end of the block.  

Pedestrian traffic will flow as normal and businesses will remain open and unimpeded. The drone work is strictly in the street and never on the sidewalk.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Natasha Parker-Olguin (location manager) (773) 297-3906.

Millennium Park Music Festivals 

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced the return of the following free summer music festivals in Millennium Park:

• Chicago Gospel Music Festival (June 4 from 3–9pm)
• Chicago Blues Festival (June 9 – 12
• Millennium Park Summer Music Series (June 20 – August 18)
• Chicago Jazz Festival (citywide and in Millennium Park including Jay Pritzker Pavilion): Thursday – Sunday, September 1–4
• Chicago House Music Festival and Conference (Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park): Friday, September 16 T
• World Music Festival Chicago (citywide): Friday, September 30 – Sunday, October 2

Crane Lift: 7 West Monroe Street

On Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4 from 8am-8pm there will be a crane lift at 7 West Monroe Street. Throughout the lift, Monroe, from State to Dearborn will be closed to vehicular traffic. The crane will remain on-site during the overnight hours.

There will be barricades, detour signs, and traffic control on-site throughout the lift.

Gas Main Replacement - Michigan, Chestnut to Cedar

Peoples Gas continues it's gas main replacement on Oak Street/Walton Street, between Michigan Avenue and Rush Street. Work hours may vary throughout the project, but are currently anticipated to be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

All openings will be covered and secured during non-work hours. This portion of the gas main replacement is expected to be completed at the beginning of July.

Gas Main Replacement - Michigan, Monroe to Lake

On Monday, February 7, Peoples Gas began a gas main replacement on the west side of Michigan Avenue, from Monroe to Lake. Work hours will be 9am-4pm.

This project is expected to be completed in August 2022 (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 summer of 2022 (weather dependent).

LG Construction: 751 N. Hudson and 451 W Chicago 

LG Construction has recently broke ground at 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. 

430 N. Michigan Lobby Renovation

Starting in mid-September, GNP Realty Partners will be renovating the lobby at 430 N. Michigan Avenue. Throughout the project, there will be a 40’ urban canopy on the sidewalk in front of the building. In order to place the canopy on the sidewalk, the planter bed and City Information Panel (CIP) at this location will be temporarily removed. Both the planter bed and CIP will be reinstalled upon completion of the project. 

The project is expected to be completed in May 2022. 

South Water Street Viaduct Replacement

In March 2021, the Chicago Department of Transportation began demolition of the South Water Street Viaduct, between Lower Beaubien Court and Stetson Street. Work hours are 8am-8pm, daily. 

As of May 10, vehicular and pedestrian access will be prohibited on the Upper and Lower levels of South Water Street, between Lower Beaubien Court and North Stetson Street. There will be barricades and detour signs in-place throughout the duration of the project. 

This project is expected to be completed in July 2022 (weather dependent). 

Overnight Parking Ban Downtown

Until further notice, overnight parking will be restricted on the following streets during the weekend:  

• Both sides of Oak, between Michigan and Clark 
• South side of Oak, between LaSalle and Wells 
• Both sides of Chicago, between Michigan and Wells 
• Both sides of Ohio, between Michigan and Wells 
• Both sides of Hubbard, between Michigan and Wells 
• North side of Illinois, between Dearborn and Clark 
• Both sides of Illinois, between Wabash and Dearborn 
• Both sides of Rush, between Grand and Ohio 
• Both sides of Rush, between Erie and Oak 
• Both sides of Wabash, between the Chicago River and Grand 
• Both sides of State, between Kinzie and Oak 
• Both sides of Erie, from Rush to Wells 
• Both sides of Huron from Rush to Dearborn
• Both sides of New Street, from Illinois to North Water
• Both sides of Columbus Drive, from Monroe to Balbo 
• North side of Wacker Drive, from Wabash to Michigan
• North side of Wacker Drive, from Franklin to Columbus 
• Both sides of Wacker Drive, from State to Wabash 
• Both sides of Stetson, from Randolph to Wacker 
• Both sides of Columbus Drive, from Randolph to Wacker 
• Both sides of Beaubien Court, from Randolph to Lake 
• Both sides of Randolph, from Harbor to Michigan 
• Both sides of Ohio, from Michigan to Fairbanks
• West side of Larrabee, from Erie to Huron

As always, please make sure to read all posted signage before parking your vehicle downtown.