Dear Friends,  

This week-end is one of the busiest moving days of the year.  My office offers "No Parking -  Residential Move" signs for people moving in or out of the area.  Due to the large number of movers this week-end, I would like to ask your help by honoring the signs.  Allowing moving trucks space to park along the curbline will help keep traffic moving throughout the neighborhood this busy week-end.

Whether you are moving or not, it's a good time to clear out some of those old items that are not meant for the regular trash garbage or recycling.  Tomorrow morning from 9AM to Noon we will have a Shredding Day to destroy your personal documents that are no longer necessary.  Each resident can bring up to three bags of paper for shredding to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.  

At the same time and location, we will be collecting old pharmaceuticals.  Your outdated prescription and over the counter drugs will be safely disposed of without entering any of our precious water systems.   

There are occasional reports to my office of vandalism to cars.  While the vandalism isn't enough to justify filing an insurance claim, as the deductible is not usually met, there is still a need to report the incident to the police.  If these actions are not reported, there is no hint of the need for additional patrols in a given area.  If you find that your car has been damaged due to vandalism, call 3-1-1 and request that a police report be filed.  If anything has been stolen from the car, call 9-1-1 directly to file your report.

Each of these are simple actions that lead to a safer, healthier community.  We'll all be happier with the results.

I hope to see you tomorrow. 

Vi

     News Around the Ward

Garages and Zoning  

In the past, most garages did not go as far as the property line and SUV's were not the norm.  Things have changed but the Zoning Code did not reflect the changes.  When there is a standard 16 foot alley residents can build a garage to the property line.  If an alley is not standard, the permissible building line is eight feet from center.  Many residents have found that once a new garage is built across from them they have a great deal of difficulty accessing their own garage.

In reviewing the situation, it became apparent that the only option was to require a setback for new garages.  In order to preserve rear yard space, the setback that I introduced will be only two feet for garages.  This will strike a balance between providing sufficient alley space and maintaining a rear yard.

The amendment to the Zoning Code that I sponsored was passed by committee on April 22nd and is expected to be ratified by the City Council at the May 12th meeting.

Gas Stations

Two gas stations in the ward are undergoing changes and the results will be very different.

The station at LaSalle and North is having the underground storage tanks replaced.  A gas station will return to this site.

A PNC Branch, one-story, will replace the gas station at the corner of Wrightwood and Halsted.  PNC had long been interested in this location but had hoped to include a drive-thru as part of the building.  PNC amended their plans when advised that neither I nor the Wrightwood Neighbors would approve a drive-thru.  

I was able to limit the concentration of banks on streets that are classified as "pedestrian retail streets" in the zoning code.  This is a distinct classification of certain blocks on designated streets that carry additional guidelines and requirements. School News

Lincoln Park High School

The Lincoln Park High School Principal Selection Committee invites you to a community forum at 6:30PM on Monday, May 3rd to meet the top candidates to fill this important position.  Community members and parents are asked to arrive a bit early if you would like to submit a question for consideration at the forum.  The forum, which takes place in the assemly hall, will be followed by a less structured time with the candidates in the cafeteria so that you can meet individually.