Bikes
Archer Avenue: The Project Isn't Finished, and That's the Problem
Two vulnerable road users struck by drivers in less than a month. That's the grim backdrop to today's Streetsblog Chicago piece on the Archer Avenue safe streets project — and to the loudest talking point coming from its opponents.
On February 10, a driver struck a cyclist near Archview Restaurant (3480 S. Archer Ave.). On March 3, another driver hit a scooter rider near the Archer/Pershing/Rockwell intersection. Project opponents have seized on both crashes to argue — as some put it on social media — that "the bike lanes didn't help." Streetsblog's John Greenfield counters the claim head-on: the protected infrastructure hasn't been completed. Posts, paint, and curbs are still expected spring 2026. What riders are navigating now is a half-finished stroad, not a protected corridor. Judging the project by crashes in an incomplete construction zone is a bit like blaming a surgeon for a post-op infection that occurred while the patient was still open on the table.
The underlying data is not ambiguous. CDOT's own November 2025 community meeting figures show the Archer/Kedzie corridors saw 2,425 crashes, 653 injuries, and seven deaths in the prior five years, representing 34% of traffic injuries in Brighton Park and 41% of traffic deaths — figures that predate the project. Five pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on Archer alone since 2020. The project was designed as a response to those numbers, and it's not finished yet.
The politics are straightforward too: aldermanic candidate Claudia Zuno, backed by the Urban Center lobbying group, has made opposition to the project a campaign plank ahead of the March 17 primary. Critics of the project are doing what politicians do — using incomplete evidence in a timely way. But Chicago's transportation press isn't obligated to echo it.
Tomorrow: Grand Avenue Showdown, With a Counter-Ride
Yesterday's preview of Thursday's dual Chicago transportation events gets an update: a counter-protest is officially organized.
Grand Avenue (5 p.m., Grand & Noble): Roger Romanelli's coalition will protest Phase 2 of the Grand Avenue Safe Streets project. Supporters of Phase 2 — sometimes calling themselves "GRASSheads" — are organizing a bike ride departing Daley Plaza at 4:30 p.m., riding past the protest on Grand Avenue and continuing to the Portage Park open house. It's a neat logistical move: you can show up, be counted, and still make the 6 p.m. meeting.
Portage Park Senior Center (6 p.m., 4001 N. Long Ave.): CDOT's community open house for the proposed Portage Park Neighborhood Bike Network. Three new bike lanes and five neighborhood greenways proposed for the 30th, 38th, and 45th wards. Survey open through March 15 at chicago.gov.
Housing & Abundance
State Bills Target ADU Barriers — and IML Pushes Back
Two companion bills to the BUILD package are advancing in Springfield, and they go after some of the specific friction points that have limited ADU production in Chicago and elsewhere.
HB 1813 would prevent municipalities from outright banning ADU construction — a backstop for the patchwork of local rules that currently let individual aldermen quietly smother projects before they start. HB 1814 would discourage construction of large-lot single-family homes, nudging the market toward smaller, denser units. The Housing Committee of the Illinois House approved both.
The Illinois Municipal League has formally opposed the broader BUILD package (HB 5626 and its Senate companions SB 4060–4064), labeling them "mandate bills" and "preemption bills." The IML's position is essentially that local governments should retain full home-rule authority over zoning — which in practice has historically meant local veto power over density anywhere a well-organized bloc of homeowners objects. The Tribune editorial board, backing the package, put it directly: Illinois is "at last" confronting its housing shortage.
No committee hearings for HB 5626 itself have been publicly scheduled yet. The Illinois General Assembly hearing schedule is worth watching for advocates who want to weigh in in person.
Meanwhile, 28 days until April 1 — the citywide ADU ordinance effective date in Chicago. If you're planning to apply, the city's FAQ is at chicago.gov/ADU, and questions can be sent to adu@cityofchicago.org.
Vegan Food
Bloom's Not Done Yet
A small but genuine bright spot in an otherwise sobering stretch for Chicago's plant-based dining scene: Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, which closed February 21 after the last post covered its departure, has signaled it intends to return in a new form. Chef and founder Rodolfo Cuadros described the closure as an evolution rather than an ending, with the goal of carrying Bloom's spirit forward for the community. No timeline or concept details yet — but it's worth watching.
The broader contraction remains real. The VegNews analysis adds one more name to the ledger: XMarket, the Midwest's first dedicated vegan food hall, which closed at the end of 2024 after just one year in operation — making the recent run of closures even longer than previously tallied. What's left is a leaner, more community-rooted scene. Kale My Name, Penelope's Vegan Taqueria, PLANTA Queen, Amitabul, Alice & Friends, and Soul Veg City remain anchors. PETA crowned Chicago the best city for vegans in the US as recently as June 2025 — a designation that feels a bit like winning Most Likely to Succeed right before a tough semester, but the underlying infrastructure of plant-based options (beyond dedicated restaurants) is still genuinely strong.
Tomorrow: Grand Avenue protest (5 p.m., Grand & Noble), counter bike ride from Daley Plaza (4:30 p.m.), Portage Park Neighborhood Bike Network open house (6 p.m., 4001 N. Long Ave.). Portage Park survey closes March 15. Primary election: March 17. Chicago City Council next meets March 18. Chicago ADU ordinance goes citywide: April 1.