Main stretch of Lincoln Square closes to traffic for a week for construction
One of the main stretches of Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood is closed to traffic this week, giving pedestrians a unique chance to enjoy themselves.
Alderman Matt Martin
, who represents the 47th Ward where the North Side neighborhood is located, said the 4700-block of North Lincoln Avenue closed to vehicles from Monday and will remain closed through Saturday, April 26, for construction at the intersection of Lincoln and Leland.
As a result, Chicagoans have a unique opportunity to enjoy Giddings Plaza without car traffic and support local businesses, Maritn said.
Ald. Martin said businesses including Bagel Miller, the Book Cellar and August Food and Wine are part of a week-long sidewalk sale during the closure, which includes special deals, and take-and-go treats.
Vehicle traffic on Western Avenue is not affected.
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Chicago Tribune
6 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Alderman seeks power to ban short-term rentals from Chicago precincts
If a Far Northwest Side alderman gets his way, Chicago City Council members could gain the authority to block short-term rentals like Airbnb's from popping up in their wards. Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, is pushing forward legislation that would give aldermen the ability to unilaterally ban new rentals on a precinct-by-precinct level. The rental companies could overturn the bans by collecting signatures from 10% of the precinct voters, around 150 to 200 signatures, he said. Napolitano, whose ward includes Edison Park and surrounding areas near O'Hare International Airport, argued the amendment he seeks is about 'being able to advocate for your residents when it becomes a problem,' citing party complaints in particular. 'Because it doesn't exist right now,' he said. 'We can't advocate for them at all.' The City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee is set to consider the legislation Wednesday. If it advances, it could face a full City Council vote next week. Airbnb criticized the proposed ban, arguing in a statement it threatens to destabilize short-term rental tax revenue earmarked to fight homelessness and aid domestic violence survivors. 'The proposed ordinance amendment is an unnecessary violation of Chicagoans' constitutional property rights and echoes the city's dark history of 'Restricted Residential Zones,' which once controlled who could visit, travel through, and own homes in certain neighborhoods,' Airbnb Public Policy Manager Jonathan Bucker said in the statement. There has been a 78% decrease in the rate of party reports made to Airbnb in Chicago since 2020, according to the company. Airbnb pointed to efforts to curb parties, among them reservation screenings and support lines. It also touted the $191 million Chicago hosts earned last year, as well as the tourist spending in neighborhoods the company says the stays generate. The city's current short-term rental ordinance allows for precinct-level bans only after 25% of the precincts registered voters have signed a petition requesting the ban. Some aldermen, like Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, have pushed forward with signature-collection efforts that have blocked Airbnb in large swaths of their wards. Napolitano said his measure 'flips the script' to place the onus on companies instead of residents. He likened the powers his ordinance would grant aldermen to the one they already have over new liquor licenses going into neighborhood businesses: 'Open it up, drop some in and close it again.' He said he would 'look at' a ban in problem areas immediately if the amendment passes, but would leave other spots untouched. Even after aldermen voted last month to require short-term rental companies to share more data with them, Napolitano said the added transparency is not enough because he does not have the power to fix issues 'in real time' when parties happen in his ward's single-family homes. 'It isn't fixed by Friday or Saturday, but they're gone by Sunday, and then the neighbors are left to deal with the problem, and then it pops back up two, three weeks later,' he said. Pre-existing short-term rental units would be allowed to continue operating if rentals were banned in a precinct, Napolitano said. He shared concerns that the rentals drive up housing costs or harm tax revenue brought in by hotels, but added that his goal is 'not to hurt Airbnb.' 'We can't go into this and destroy an industry,' he said. 'It does work in a lot of areas, it does work well, it does help some residents to keep a home because it brings a substitute income.' The one-bed, one-bath Airbnb that Jackeline Torres and her husband rent out from their Norwood Park home would be grandfathered in if Napolitano, Torres' alderman, banned rentals in her area. Still, the City Council effort to control where Airbnb's can go bothers Torres. The paralegal rents out the separate upstairs space to help pay for rising property taxes, she said. Short-term rental bans would be 'intrusive to my privacy' and rights, she argued. 'An alderman shouldn't restrict who I allow into my home and my freedom of allowing people to stay in my home,' Torres said. 'One person shouldn't determine that.' Her unit is rented out over half the year, she said. It's been available for three years. Most of the guests she welcomes are traveling professionals or tourists visiting nearby family. Safety is top of mind for the mother of three young children, and it has never been an issue while renting, she said. 'We always had a positive experience with the people who were staying here,' she said. 'It supplemented our already existing income and gave us a little extra cushion to make sure we were in a better financial position.' Three different guests have even decided to look for homes in the area after their stays, she added. But while Torres said her Airbnb rental has helped keep her in her home, Ald. Jessie Fuentes worries rentals might push her residents out of theirs. Parts of Fuentes' Northwest Side ward include some of the city's fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods, she said. And in pockets of her 26th Ward like East Humboldt Park, where many of the ward's short-term rentals are concentrated, Chicagoans are making the difficult decision to stay and face higher costs or leave, she said. 'When you begin to short up the amount of units in our communities because we're putting so many of them online for Airbnb, it sort of begins to also inflate those prices,' she said. Fuentes added that she gets 'a lot of concerns' from residents about rental parties that are 'disruptive to the natural ecosystem.' 'I am not anti-Airbnb,' she said. 'I just think there needs to be some form of regulation.'
Eater
7 hours ago
- Eater
Heritage, The Ukrainian Village Restaurant That Redefined Caviar Service, Will Close
During Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar's eight years in Ukrainian Village, Chef Guy and Tif Meikle have witnessed how perceptions of dissolved for an item once thought reserved for only the rich and famous. Heritage was part of the rise of the unstuffy caviar bar. Tif Meikle says part of that was attributed to the neighborhood. Many with Eastern European roots don't have the same apprehensions about enjoying sturgeon eggs. The restaurant spread that ethos and became a welcoming bar and restaurant that not only embraced the Meikles' backgrounds, but also the backgrounds of its staff. The restaurant weathered a fire and that pandemic, each time returning and reinventing itself, rewriting the love letter to Chicago that Guy Meikle hoped Heritage would fulfill. 'It started out wanting to honor my family and Tif's family — all those that came before us,' Guy Meikle says. 'We started throwing all of our staff's memories into it, their identities… we eventually became such a safe haven for everyone.' Heritage's story at 2700 W. Chicago Avenue is about to end. The Miekles announced they'll close their restaurant on Saturday, August 30. The Miekles praised their landlord, but say they couldn't afford the proposed lease increases: 'Do I have the stomach for it?' Guy Miekle asks. 'We just kind of looked at it and felt it was time.' Fighting back tears, Tif Meikle says they're hopeful to have a great summer, but their priority is to enable their 30 or so workers to use Heritage as a springboard to find new jobs. The restaurant will host its regular slate of summer events, including an August 1 block party and a Father's Day lamb roast. Additionally, its basement remains ready to host private parties. Making caviar 'approachable and fun' is something Tiffany Miekle is proud of, and something 'we didn't think could happen in our lives.' The Mielkes showcased paczkyi and other popular European staples that Chicagoans cherish. But they would invite other cultures to the party, too. The menu includes ramen, Korean fried chicken nuggets, and more. Through eight years, Guy Miekle says he and his wife have tried to treat staff the right way, and wish more restaurants did the same. The couple hopes the next tenant who occupies the space enjoys success. 'I still think it's the best job that you possibly can have, I have loved having my own business,' he says. Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar , 2700 W. Chicago Avenue, closing on Saturday, August 30 Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar See More: Chicago Restaurant Closings
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicago could force Uber and Lyft to hike driver pay
Rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber could soon be forced to pay Chicago drivers more if an ordinance up for debate Thursday moves ahead, a change the companies say would cause the cost of rides to skyrocket for passengers. Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd, said his measure would make sure rideshare drivers make more than minimum wage and get paid when they wait for and drive to riders. But critics and the companies say the legislation will raise costs and could even put many drivers out of work. 'While prices have increased for years, pay for drivers has decreased,' Rodriguez said. 'Almost half the time, they are working, but not getting paid.' Rodriguez's ordinance would raise driver pay during rides to $1.50 per mile and 62.5 cents per minute in July 2026. It would also establish a $7 minimum driver payout for each trip. The City Council's Workforce Development Committee, chaired by Rodriguez, is set to discuss and vote on the measure Thursday. If it passes, it could face a final vote from all aldermen next week. That timeline is far too tight, Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, argued Monday afternoon. The Beverly alderman is concerned the ordinance could 'put a gaping hole' in the city's budget by making cost-averse Chicagoans less likely to take rides that generate tax revenue. 'We don't know what this is, but we do know in just a matter of months we are going to have the most difficult budget vote in the history of the modern era,' O'Shea said. 'Can we afford to take another hit?' O'Shea said 'everybody' believes rideshare drivers need to be paid better, but added that he fears the ordinance will make it more expensive for working class Chicagoans to take rides. It is unclear what effect the ordinance will have because the committee and the administration of Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has appeared to remain neutral throughout the debate so far, have not shared analysis, he said. In addition to pay raises, Rodriguez's ordinance would require fare breakdowns be shared with both riders and drivers. It would also add driver safety measures — like requiring passenger identities to be verified — and would reconfigure the driver disciplinary process by giving drivers a seven-day notice ahead of suspensions and details explaining why they have been deactivated. Both Uber and Lyft blasted the potential forced pay hike Monday. Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin likened the ordinance to laws in New York City that have 'forced thousands of drivers out of the app for hours at a time.' 'This misguided policy could nearly double ride fares, pricing out communities that depend on us while reducing driver earnings as demand plummets,' Macklin said. 'We support fair driver compensation, but this disastrous proposal will leave riders, drivers and Chicago worse off.' A 500-person poll commissioned and shared by Uber and conducted by pollster Impact Research determined 62% of likely Chicago voters consider rideshare 'an everyday necessity' and 63% oppose the pay-hike proposal. 'The proposed legislation, as currently drafted, would dramatically raise ride costs for Chicagoans by nearly 40%, slash city tax revenues by tens of millions of dollars, and force workforce reductions impacting up to 10,000 drivers,' Uber spokesperson Josh Gold said. 'This approach risks undermining both affordability for riders and economic opportunity for thousands of working families.' Rodriguez's proposal faces considerable changes if lobbyists for the rideshare companies convince enough of his colleagues to vote against it. The companies are likely to place pressure on the City Council and on Johnson, who has so far avoided publicly taking sides. And the companies have pressured local politicians before. Uber used its presence on huge numbers of Chicago phones to share messages urging riders last month to act as the Illinois General Assembly weighed new rideshare taxes to fix a massive transit funding shortfall, and Lyft has shared similar political messages in the past. The ordinance comes amid a long-running feud by competing powerhouse unions to organize rideshare drivers. The Service Employees International Union Local 1 and Mechanics' Local 701 have backed the ordinance with their 'Chicago Gig Alliance' coalition. These unregulated rideshare corporations are reaping millions of dollars in profits off the backs of Chicago workers,' Ronnie Gonzalez, special representative to the machinists union's Midwest chapter, said at a City Hall news conference last month sparked by Block Club Chicago's reporting that Uber had overcharged local riders. 'It's time to hold these companies accountable and ensure that wealth created in Chicago stays in Chicago.' But the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 opposes the measure. The union, which has already signed a labor peace agreement with Uber to ease its driver-organizing efforts, believes it it is not 'the right timing' to move ahead on the pay raises, according to Marc Poulos, executive director of Local 150's labor-management group. Poulos said the New York-inspired legislation is 'fitting a square peg in a round hole.' While many drivers there are full-time professionals, many Chicago drivers work more flexibly for Uber and Lyft, he said. The ordinance could compel the companies to end that flexibility by making less dedicated drivers too expensive to employ, he said. He also believes the ordinance does not do enough for drivers regarding workplace injury and de-activation. 'There's just a number of things why we would love to see this ordinance be delayed,' Poulos said. But Rodriguez said he does not buy the claim that higher pay for drivers will lead to higher costs for riders. Prices have already risen, he said, and if they rise again, it 'would be a decision of the companies.' 'Industry will always say that the sky is falling when you're raising rates, but the fact is that we know increasing worker pay makes our economy better,' he said.
