City Council may consider proposal to lower city's speed limit to 25 mph on Wednesday
CHICAGO — The City Council may consider a controversial proposal to lower the city's speed limit on Wednesday, in addition to considering two multimillion-dollar settlements and a plan to borrow $830 million for maintenance and infrastructure projects.
READ MORE: City Council to consider 2 multimillion-dollar settlements, plan to borrow $830M
If the speed limit measure is passed, the maximum speed limit on city streets would be reduced from 30 to 25 miles per hour. It would take effect in January 2026. Additionally, the maximum speed limit in alleys would be 15 miles per hour.
No streets controlled by the state would be impacted by this change.
The speed limit measure, introduced by Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) in July with the backing of transit and biking advocates, stems from the city's 2017 'Vision Zero' plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2026. Advocates say the measure would decrease traffic deaths.
Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines
The city's Council on Pedestrian and Safety Traffic, which La Spata chairs, passed the measure via 8-5 vote in October, sending it to the full City Council. A vote was scheduled for January, but alders elected to postpone it.
The Chicago Department of Transportation estimates the speed limit change could cost the city about $2.5 million.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
A Tampa cemetery is on sale again, reigniting debate over lost graves
Three years after the Tampa City Council unanimously rejected a land-use change for Showmen's Rest, a Tampa Heights cemetery, that would have allowed developers to build out the land, the parcel is up for sale again. This time, the cemetery isn't looking to change its zoning. But the City Council and nearby residents are still torn over a central question: Are there unknown bodies buried beneath the land? Owners of Showmen's Rest have said the portion of land up for sale has not been used for burials. But the Tampa City Council passed a motion Thursday to have city staff contact the property owner and ask if they could use ground-penetrating radar to address concerns about lost graves. 'Should there be graves there, individuals there, then we can look at steps forward,' said council member Guido Maniscalco, who made the motion. Maniscalco also requested a written report from city staff to update the council, which is due June 26. Although he did not mention the name of the property during the motion, Maniscalco confirmed with the Tampa Bay Times after the meeting that the report is about Showmen's Rest. Listed on Zillow for $750,000, the parcel of land at 3541 N. Blvd. is adjacent to the city-owned Woodlawn Cemetery. Showmen's Rest Cemetery hired a firm during the initial controversy more than three years ago that conducted two seismic studies that didn't find any lost graves. The Zillow listing states the seller will do another survey. 'The people that are going up against us keep insisting that there are bodies buried on this vacant parcel of land that we've never developed,' Showmen's Rest President John Perzia said. The cemetery has presented its seismic studies to the City Council, 'but nobody wanted to pay attention to it.' Perzia said the cemetery wants to sell this parcel, which was purchased from the city in 1971, to put it in a trust to keep up maintenance. They don't care who buys it, Perzia said, but they want to ensure their cemetery is preserved. 'I'm almost 70,' he said. 'When I pass away, who's going to take care of this place?' He said the city is welcome to buy the property, but city spokesperson Adam Smith said the administration is not looking to purchase. Perzia said neither he or his real estate broker had heard from the city on Monday afternoon. Maniscalco's motion on Thursday came after a previous council discussion of the cemetery on May 22. At that meeting, council member Bill Carlson also introduced the idea of setting aside city funds for ground-penetrating radar and addressing lost graves. 'What role can the city play? Because not everyone can pay for ground-penetrating radar and not everyone can afford just to give up their land,' Carlson said last month. The Tampa Bay Times reported in 2021 that there were 1,200 missing graves in the city, mostly those of influential Black residents, and the city is attempting to acknowledge and correct its role in erasing Black history. This year, the city erected a historical marker at Zion Cemetery, which was a Black burial ground before it was developed over. The city can't go onto privately owned land without the owner's permission to look for graves. If it does, the surveys are expensive. 'I was happy to hear the City Council is considering creating a fund for ground-penetrating radar,' said Rachael Kangas, director of the west central and central regions of the Florida Public Archaeology Network. 'That's usually the biggest issue we run into.' Kangas reviewed documents sent to her by Aileen Henderson, founder of The Cemetery Society, regarding the cemetery and its history, as well as research files her organization has on Woodlawn Cemetery and Showmen's Rest. 'According to the records I see, that entire block, including this parcel, were part of the original footprint of Woodlawn Cemetery and there is documentation from the newspaper that burials when the cemetery was first established were haphazard,' Kangas wrote in an email to Henderson that was shared with the Times. Additionally, Kangas wrote, the northwest corner of Woodlawn Cemetery was originally set aside for African American graves. She said documentation she read doesn't have details on the size of that area or where exactly the burials were. 'There is no reason to think this parcel of land is not part of a cemetery or that it doesn't contain unmarked burials,' Kangas wrote. Henderson said she also thinks Showmen's Rest could have lost graves and said she was excited to see the City Council take steps toward addressing the citywide issue. 'I don't blame the owner for doing what he has the right to do,' Henderson said. 'The reality is we have the supporting documentation that that is a cemetery.'
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Affordable housing development in Batavia gets first green light from city: ‘I think this is something that we need'
A proposed subsidized multi-family housing project in Batavia recently received the first green light from members of the City Council, many of whom are touting the project as filling a gap in affordable housing in the city. On May 19, the Batavia City Council OK'd a request from the project's developer — Fox River Affordable Housing, a nonprofit arm of the Housing Authority of Elgin — to fund $1.2 million in land acquisition and engineering costs using the city's TIF, or tax increment financing, reserves, per a memo from the city's Community and Economic Development Director Scott Buening included in the meeting agenda. The total cost of the project is expected to be just over $24 million. Called The Residence at River Point, the proposed project is set to be built on the 400 block of South River Street, which officials say is a former limestone quarry site. The proposed development would include 72 units, according to a proposal included in the City Council's meeting agenda. Of those, 18 would be set aside for households earning at or below 30% of the area median income, or AMI. In addition, 38 units would be set aside for households earning at or below 60% of the area median income, and 16 for those earning at or below 80%. The area median income is a regional calculation and accounts for the Chicago metropolitan area, according to the Housing Authority of Elgin's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Martell Armstrong. According to Chicago's Department of Housing, the median family income for the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metropolitan area was $119,900 for a family of four in 2025. Income limits related to the AMI are adjusted for family size, however. For example, a single individual could qualify under the 80% limit if they made $67,100 or less, and under the 30% limit if they made $25,200 or less, whereas a family of four would qualify under the 80% limit if they made $95,900 or less, or $35,970 for the 30% limit. The project was generally well received by City Council members, who at recent meetings cited a need for more housing of this variety in the area. 'When I got my first apartment, it looked an awful lot like this,' City Council member Dustin Pieper said at a Committee of the Whole meeting in May. 'There's definitely a need for that. Especially in our community, there's a lot of younger folks who want to be working here, want to be living here. This would be great for that, I think.' City Council member Alan Wolff said not enough of this sort of housing is being built in the area, and that restrictions on constructing multi-unit buildings may be partially to blame. 'I think this is something that we need,' he said. According to a 2023 statewide report from the Illinois Housing Development Authority on the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act, Batavia's share of affordable housing — defined as being within the means of homebuyers making 80% of the regional median household income or renters making 60% of the regional median household income, per the authority — was at 23.5%. That's well above the 10% threshold that requires communities with low levels of affordable housing to submit a plan to the state as to how they'll build out a diverse housing supply. In Kane County, for example, Campton Hills, Lily Lake and Geneva all fell below 10%, according to the report. However, the percentage of affordable housing stock in Batavia is still significantly lower than some of its surrounding cities, like Aurora and Elgin, whose affordable housing stock is each over 50%, according to the 2023 report. A shortage of multi-family housing is not unique to Batavia, said Thomas Skuzinski, an associate professor at Northern Illinois University's Department of Public Administration, whose work focuses on local government management and who has previously done research on affordable housing. 'There's not as much multi-family (housing) as there could be,' Skuzinski said. 'There is just overall an imbalance that strongly favors single-family, detached homes. And that's pretty consistent across the U.S.' And an uptick in young adults who deferred moving out of their family homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing population of seniors on fixed incomes has only intensified the demand in the past few years, he said. Local officials' concerns While there was generally support from the city about the project, council members at the recent Committee of the Whole meeting also outlined some of their stipulations related to the project in Batavia. City Council members Kevin Malone and Abby Beck, for example, said they wanted to ensure the final product prioritized biking and pedestrian safety and accessibility. Jim Fahrenbach said he would support the project if it went through, but he thought too few of the units were allocated for those earning 80% of the average median income and noted that none of the proposed units were market-rate. 'We have lost a pipeline, and the question is, 'How do we replace that?'' Fahrenbach said. 'A lot of this neglect of having these apartment complexes for folks to come in in their 20s and enjoy the community and grow into the community and then save for a home, is gone. So we need to replace it.' Fahrenbach told The Beacon-News it's well-known that Batavia needs more affordable housing, and said that this project, while it doesn't provide market-rate units, could increase development activity in the area and spur on market-rate projects. All of the units in the proposed project would have income-related stipulations, though the rent price tenants pay would be determined individually by the tenants' income and number of people in the household, Armstrong told The Beacon-News. The actual costs of the units are based on the size and number of bedrooms — about $315,000 per unit is what they're expecting. In terms of the project's classification, Armstrong also noted that 'affordable housing' is more of an umbrella term, and referred to the project as having an 'income mixing range' of 30% to 80% of the AMI. 'Workforce housing,' he explained, tends to refer to housing for households making 60% to 80% of the AMI. Batavia Mayor Jeffery Schielke noted that the limestone in the area might make the site challenging to build on and add possible unaccounted-for costs. But there have not been many affordable housing projects in Batavia in recent years, he told The Beacon-News, and he believes the demand is there for this sort of project. And the project could put that land to good use, Malone said at the May 19 City Council meeting and 'turn a literal rock field into someplace people can live.' Funding the project But, despite securing an early stage of city approval, the money isn't to be spent yet on the project, City Council members clarified before approving the request for the TIF funding. It's merely a promise of funding down the line, once the project is determined to be feasible. Armstrong said at a meeting with the City Council that Fox River Affordable Housing needed this promise from the city in order to submit its application for the Illinois Housing Development Authority's Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which he said would provide the project with a considerable portion of its total funding. The TIF money that the developers plan to use is also to be paid back to the city, in a way. Assuming the project continues, the city would allocate the $1.2 million, which would go toward the purchase of the land set at about $1 million along with soft costs like engineering and architectural plans, according to Buening. The city's approval is conditional on the proposal being taxable, Buening said, and its proposed location is within the city's TIF District 3, meaning it would generate TIF funding. Essentially, a TIF district freezes the amount of property tax revenue each taxing body receives from an area at the point at which the TIF is instituted. The extra or 'increment' taxes created by the development of the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area. The goal is to secure the land by the end of this year and begin construction immediately after, Armstrong said. But whether the project moves forward at all, he said, is contingent on the project being awarded the Low Income Housing Tax Credit developers are applying for. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit, according to IHDA's website, that helps move affordable housing projects forward. The maximum rent that can be charged on a property that receives this tax credit is 80% of the AMI — which is why there are no market-rate units in the proposed development. Rents are typically capped for a 30-year period in Illinois. What's next? Armstrong said that Fox River Affordable Housing and Housing Authority of Elgin expect to hear back about whether they've been awarded the tax credit later in June. He said the project would likely not be able to move forward without that funding source. The developers also have to enter into a redevelopment agreement with the city, Buening noted, and go through the zoning process. Should all go as planned, Armstrong said, the project's aim is to close on a deal for the land by the end of the year and immediately begin construction, as long as there are no major obstacles that push back their timeline. There are several factors that can slow down affordable housing projects, Skuzinski noted. In general, gaining public and city support for projects can require overcoming negative perceptions of affordable housing developments. 'There's a perception that property values go down whenever an affordable housing project or even a mixed-income project … go in, and that's just not true,' Skuzinski said. 'It has more to do with the design of the building, sort of what it looks like, how well it's managed.' Additionally, because affordable housing developments tend to have slimmer profit margins and less options for obtaining loans, Skuzinski noted, the loss of one source of funding can slow down or jeopardize the project. Amid discussion of the project at a meeting in May, Malone inquired about the availability of federal funding with regards to the project. Low Income Housing Tax Credit is a federal funding source that's allocated by state agencies, in this case the Illinois Housing Development Authority. But, while President Donald Trump's administration has slashed the budgets of a number of government programs, the housing tax credit appears to be safe for now. It could potentially even see an influx of cash if the Senate leaves that part of the recently passed House of Representatives' budget bill as is. Federal funding aside, Armstrong said the costs of materials and labor and interest rates have all driven up the price of construction since the pandemic, and they've made the Housing Authority of Elgin move more slowly and be more selective with what projects it takes on. And the added uncertainty of possible tariffs could also change their plans or slow progress. And, for the housing authority, unlike developers intending to sell their developments, there's also the added component of managing the property. 'We are generally in it for the … lifespan in the building,' Armstrong said. That's something the Housing Authority of Elgin wants to do more of, he said. It currently manages 164 units of Low Income Housing Tax Credit properties, he noted, but have a third-party entity that manages some of its other properties. They've also co-developed some projects, but intend to be the sole developer on the Batavia units. Armstrong said the authority worked with the city of Batavia to identify this potential project and the proposed location. 'I'm not in the business of going somewhere and telling them what's good for them,' Armstrong said. But the housing authority is willing to work with cities which identify a need for affordable housing, he said. And, with projects like these, he said one of its goals is helping individuals of different income levels live in the same community. 'We're trying to deconcentrate poverty and do this in areas of opportunity,' Armstrong said, 'where people can have pride and lives in areas that provide jobs and education and so on.' These kinds of projects are one way of supporting social mobility for both low-income and working class individuals and families, Skuzinski noted. 'There can be a benefit to allowing for social networking and ties across income classifications,' Skuzinski said. 'One of the best ways to do that is either through affordable housing projects that are in higher-income neighborhoods, or through projects that are themselves mixed-income. And it seems like the one in Batavia's trying to kind of do both.' And, despite the challenges affordable housing projects bring, he said he thinks this project is well-positioned to move forward. 'When you have professionalized local governments working with a developer that's well-known, that's when these can be a recipe for success,' Skuzinski said. 'Why wouldn't you want to go ahead with something like this?'
3 hours ago
Who is Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay who was shot during a campaign rally in Bogota?
Conservative Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot and seriously injured during a campaign rally in the capital, Bogota. The brazen attack captured on video shook a nation that decades ago regularly saw kidnappings and killings of politicians and high profile people. Uribe Turbay, 39, who has announced he intends to run for president next year, was in serious condition following surgery Sunday, a day after the shooting, and doctors said he was going through 'critical hours.' Here's what to know about the conservative politician: A member of the right-wing Democratic Center party, Uribe Turbay launched his presidential bid in March. He has become a prominent opposition voice against the government of President Gustavo Petro, the first leftist politician to become the leader of Colombia. Petro cannot seek reelection in 2026. Uribe Turbay, whose family had also suffered political violence, launched his presidential bid in March. In October last year, he had posted a video on social media announcing his intention to run, choosing the mountains of Copacabana in the department of Antioquia as a backdrop. The country will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026. 'A place with deep meaning for me,' he said in the video. 'It was here that my mother was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar and was killed when I was about to turn five.' His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was abducted by the Medellin Cartel and killed in 1991, one of Colombia's most violent periods. The attack on Uribe Turbay on Saturday shocked the nation and revived memories of an era when political violence affected Colombian public life. Uribe Turbay entered politics early, being elected to Bogota's City Council at age 25 in 2012. In 2016, he was appointed the city's secretary of government by then-Mayor Enrique Peñalosa. In 2022, he became senator after being invited to run by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, no relation. Uribe Turbay was born into a prominent political family. He is the grandson of former President Julio César Turbay Ayala, who served from 1978 to 1982, and the paternal grandson of Rodrigo Uribe Echavarría, a former director of the Liberal Party. He was not considered a front-runner in next year's race, according to recent polls, and was still facing competition within his political coalition. In his pre-campaign messaging, Uribe Turbay focused heavily on security, seeking to inspire investments and promote economic stability. The senator is going through what authorities have described as 'critical hours' after undergoing surgery at a private clinic in Bogotá. 'He survived the procedure; these are critical moments and hours for his survival,' said Bogotá Mayor Carlos Galán early Sunday after receiving information from the medical staff at the Fundación Santa Fe clinic. 'His condition is extremely serious and the prognosis is reserved,' the clinic added hours later in a new medical report. Police arrested a 15-year-old boy for the shooting who they considered the perpetrator. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. Colombia's Ombudsman's Office condemned the attack, saying the country 'cannot allow a return to dark times when violence sought to silence ideas, candidacies or political leadership.'
