Bikes
Grand Avenue: Bikes vs. Buses?
The second phase of the Grand Avenue Complete Streets project—which would extend protected bike lanes from Damen to Ogden Avenue—is facing organized opposition from a coalition of business owners and advocacy groups who want the city to prioritize buses instead.
The Grand Avenue Committee, which includes property owners along the corridor and the Fulton Market Association, held a press conference outside CTA headquarters this week pushing what they call a "compromise": shared bus-and-bike lanes modeled after Chicago Avenue, running from Ashland to Wells Street in River North.
"This is a winning solution and a compromise," said Roger Romanelli, executive director of the Fulton Market Association. "Making our CTA buses the highest possible priority, and not prioritizing bicycles ahead of buses."
Local business owners cite parking concerns. Anemarie Aiello, who has managed a currency exchange on Grand for 35 years, says the first phase of construction has already hurt business: "When they're protected there's absolutely nowhere to park." Peter Rios, who owns Alliance Bakery, fears the concrete barriers will make customer pickups impossible.
Better Streets Chicago's Kyle Lucas disagrees, noting that the completed first phase "makes a huge improvement for cyclists who want to visit the corridor and get to and from Downtown."
The debate highlights a persistent tension in Chicago street redesigns: when space is limited, who gets priority?
Two Pedestrian Deaths on Touhy in Three Weeks
An 84-year-old man was struck and killed Tuesday morning while crossing Touhy Avenue at Central in Niles—the second fatal pedestrian crash on Touhy in less than a month. A tow truck driver fatally struck another pedestrian just 1.6 miles east, at Touhy and Kildare in Lincolnwood, in mid-January.
Touhy Avenue is a high-speed arterial with limited pedestrian infrastructure—a reminder that even as the city debates protected bike lanes downtown, suburban arterials remain among the most dangerous places to walk in the region.
Immigration
COPA Vote Set for February 18
As previewed in Monday's edition, the full City Council will vote February 18 on a proposal granting COPA authority to investigate whether CPD officers violated the Welcoming City Ordinance by assisting federal immigration agents.
COPA's new chief administrator, LaKenya White, has confirmed her office is prepared to investigate 40 complaints filed against CPD since June over its interactions with ICE and Border Patrol.
Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson's "ICE On Notice" executive order continues making headlines. Chicago is now the first city to create infrastructure for investigating and referring federal agents for criminal prosecution—though whether Cook County or federal prosecutors would actually pursue such cases remains unclear.
A "Spring Surge"?
A DHS source indicated last fall that up to 1,000 federal agents—four times the number present during fall operations—could return to Chicago in March. Whether this materializes, and how the city responds, will likely dominate local politics in the coming weeks.
Housing
Encampment Closures Draw Criticism
Housing workers called the city's encampment closure policies "unconscionable" this week, as the first quarter deadline for clearing Legion Park approaches.
The city's plan: move residents indoors, then enforce overnight camping bans to prevent encampments from reforming. Critics argue this simply pushes people from park to park without addressing underlying housing shortages.
The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness has consistently warned that "encampment closures—especially when viable housing alternatives are not offered—do nothing but push people from neighborhood to neighborhood."
ADU Countdown: 55 Days
April 1 approaches. The citywide ADU ordinance will expand eligibility to all multifamily zoning districts (except downtown), roughly a 135% increase in eligible area. Applications open April 1.
Bloom Plant Based Kitchen's final weeks continue through February 21. The Future of Protein Production conference comes to Chicago February 24–25.