Bikes
This Thursday: Two Very Different Street Fights
Chicago's transportation debates will take center stage this Thursday, March 5 — in two very different registers, roughly three miles apart.
At 5 p.m., Grand Avenue and Noble Street: Longtime BRT opponent Roger Romanelli is organizing a protest against the Grand Avenue Safe Streets Phase 2 project. The coalition wants the city to scrap plans for concrete-protected bike lanes between Damen and Ogden avenues — the would-be continuation of the corridor that already improved the stretch from Chicago Avenue to Damen — in favor of shared bus-bike lanes. Some local business owners worry about parking; supporters of Phase 2 point out that Phase 1 boosted both safety and bike use, and argue the compromise proposal isn't being made in good faith. Better Streets Chicago director Kyle Lucas put it plainly: "I think we'll only see [Phase 1's] full potential realized once both phases have been completed."
At 6 p.m., Portage Park Senior Center (4001 N. Long Ave.): CDOT's community open house for the proposed Portage Park Neighborhood Bike Network. Three new bike lanes (Central, Laramie, Montrose) and five neighborhood greenways are on the table for the 30th, 38th, and 45th wards. Ald. Sposato (38th) is still reserving judgment. The survey closes March 15.
If you're heading out to support safer streets Thursday evening, you could plausibly attend both. The protest wraps up before the open house begins.
A Reminder of the Stakes
Also this week: 18-year-old Hector Banuelos was struck and killed by a turning truck in a Melrose Park bike lane on Wednesday night. The crash serves as a sober backdrop to what can otherwise feel like an abstract debate about concrete and parking. Infrastructure decisions are life-and-death decisions.
Lead
Illinois Takes the CDC Fight to Court
The federal threat to Chicago's lead poisoning infrastructure has crystallized into a legal battle. On February 11, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed suit against the Trump administration over its attempt to terminate more than $600 million in CDC public health grants to Illinois and three other Democratic-led states. Among the targeted programs: lead poisoning prevention grants to 25 local Illinois health departments. Raoul called the targeting of Democratic states "a transparent attempt to bully us into compliance" with unrelated immigration enforcement demands.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the cuts on February 12, keeping the funding flowing while the case plays out. If the cuts ultimately take effect, IDPH would have to cut nearly 100 employees — the staff responsible for tracking which children have dangerous blood lead levels and connecting them with services. Without that surveillance infrastructure, Chicago's acceleration of lead service line replacements happens in an information vacuum.
A Bright Spot: Universal Testing on the Horizon
On the brighter side, Illinois is set to require universal blood lead testing for all children beginning July 1, 2026 — a state law closing the gap between high-risk ZIP codes and everywhere else. Until now, only children in targeted areas were routinely screened; the new requirement means no child slips through based on their address. The timing is imperfect given the ongoing federal staffing threats, but the law is on the books and the date is firm.
Residents can still request a free lead test by calling 311 or visiting chicagowaterquality.org. Income-qualified homeowners may be eligible for a free full service line replacement.
Vegan Food
The Great Vegan Contraction
The past several months have not been kind to Chicago's dedicated vegan dining scene. Since last fall, at least five fully plant-based restaurants have shuttered:
- Kitchen 17 (Avondale) — closed November 2025 after 13 years; creator of Chicago's original vegan deep-dish, which had shipped more than 20,000 frozen pies nationally
- Native Foods (Loop) — closed November 2025
- Chicago Raw (Streeterville) — closed November 2025 after 16 years
- Chicago Diner (Logan Square) — closed December 2025
- Bloom Plant Based Kitchen — closed February 21, 2026
What's behind the wave? A Chicago Tribune analysis from January identified several factors: mainstream restaurants have absorbed plant-based options, eroding the specialty niche that once made dedicated vegan spots feel necessary; rising labor and supply costs squeeze thin margins; and growth in plant-based eating has essentially plateaued, with vegans and vegetarians still comprising around 1–4% of Americans. The Chicago Diner cited lingering pandemic-era effects, declining foot traffic, and delivery-app fee structures eating into already slim margins.
Chicago still has roughly 30 fully vegan restaurants, including XMarket (the Midwest's largest vegan food hall, in Uptown) and Soul Veg City in Grand Crossing. Survival, by all accounts, will go to restaurants that build loyal community rather than relying on novelty. The scene isn't disappearing — it's consolidating around places that have earned their regulars.
Housing & Abundance
ADU Countdown: 29 Days
With April 1 four weeks out, a quick reminder that Chicago's citywide ADU ordinance takes effect on that date — opening building permit applications for coach houses, attic conversions, and basement units citywide (in multifamily zones and alderman-opted-in single-family zones). If you've been waiting to apply, the clock is ticking. Questions: adu@cityofchicago.org.
In Springfield, HB 5626 — the BUILD housing package — has a second Chief Co-Sponsor in Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth and the backing of the Chicago Tribune editorial board. No committee hearings have been announced publicly yet; the Illinois General Assembly's hearing schedule is worth watching if you want to weigh in.
City Council next meets March 18. Portage Park bike network community meeting: Thursday, March 5, 6 p.m., Portage Park Senior Center, 4001 N. Long Ave. Grand Avenue Safe Streets protest: Thursday, March 5, 5 p.m., Grand/Noble. Portage Park survey open through March 15 at chicago.gov. Primary election: March 17.