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Bikes & Transit ​

Council to Vote on Parking Scofflaw Pilot ​

The citizen parking enforcement ordinance heads to City Council on Tuesday after clearing committee earlier this week. The measure, sponsored by Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), creates a Street Operations Task Force targeting bus lane, bike lane, and crosswalk violations outside the existing Smart Streets camera zone.

The two-phase plan would eventually let neighbors submit photos or video of parking infractions via the 311 app. Phase one applies only to commercial vehicles while the city develops the dispatch system, which must launch by December 31.

Business groups pushed back hard, arguing delivery drivers already struggle with limited curb access. They won exceptions for trucks actively loading and warnings for first offenses.

Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th), a co-sponsor, told WBEZ: "I think the reason why you see a lot of bad behavior right now is because there is absolutely zero enforcement."

Immigration ​

COPA Sanctuary Amendment Also Up Tuesday ​

The Council will also vote on expanding COPA's authority to investigate alleged violations of the Welcoming City Ordinance. The joint Immigrant & Refugee Rights and Police & Fire committees advanced the measure 19-3 last month.

COPA Chief Administrator LaKenya White told committee members her office is prepared to investigate 40 complaints filed against CPD over its interactions with federal agents since June. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling supports the probe going to COPA rather than Internal Affairs, telling aldermen the public wouldn't "trust" an internal investigation.

Mayor Johnson called it a "common-sense measure" to "maintain the trust that we have built between law enforcement and immigrant communities."

Housing ​

Plan Commission Eyes Fulton Market Towers ​

Three major residential towers are scheduled for Plan Commission review February 19:

ADU Countdown: 46 Days ​

Chicago's citywide ADU ordinance takes effect April 1. The pilot program that began in 2021 will expand citywide, though individual wards must opt in.

Food ​

Bloom's Final Valentine's Day ​

Bloom Plant Based Kitchen serves its last Valentine's Day dinner tonight before closing permanently February 21. The Wicker Park restaurant earned a spot on TimeOut's best vegan list during its four-year run.

Chef Rodolfo Cuadros told VegNews the closure is "evolving rather than ending"—the team plans to return with a new vegan concept.

Black Restaurant Week: One Week Left ​

Chicago Black Restaurant Week runs through February 22, with nearly 40 restaurants offering fixed-price specials. The event marks 100 years since Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in Chicago in 1926.

First-time participants include Mahari, an African fusion spot in the former La Petite Folie space in Hyde Park.

Tools ​

New 3D Zoning Visualizer ​

Chicago Cityscape launched a 3D Building Visualizer this week that generates models showing what could theoretically be built on any Chicago lot—height limits, setbacks, and FAR constraints included. Useful for anyone curious about development potential in their neighborhood.

City Council meets Tuesday, February 18 at 10 a.m.