Ward Zoning and Planning Committee Meeting: 4/26/06

Alderman Smith began the meeting with some community updates:

• The money for the clean up of 6151 N Sheridan has been secured.
• Nookies is signing the paperwork necessary to purchase the property on the south side of Bryn Mawr, just west of Kenmore, to establish its restaurant.
• Construction is beginning at the ‘wedding cake building’ at 4701 N Broadway.
• The Gowdy campus parking lot at Foster and Kenmore work is moving forward; it will be a heavily landscaped parking lot and will be available for community use, but no details were provided.
• Senn H.S. campus construction work is ready to proceed after the close of the academic year.
• Work is being done on the internal systems at the Broadway Armory.
• Re-zoning of Clark Street is to take place upon the completion and passage of the Broadway re-zoning.
• Foster & Sheridan has new lights and will undergo some construction to make the intersection safer and easier for pedestrians to navigate.
• The Hollywood-Sheridan intersection will undergo construction next year to make it safer and more pedestrian friendly; the design work is to be completed this year.

First item on the agenda was the Broadway re-zoning issue which has been in the discussion phase for some 2 years. Traditionally Broadway has been designated B-3 (most intensive retail). Due to the interests of the various block clubs and associations along the east and west sides of Broadway there has been much disagreement as to what the best or most appropriate zoning should be. As a result, Alderman Smith offered a compromise mixed zoning solution, the details of which can be found on the 48th Ward website: at http://www.masmith48.org/ in the Economic Development section, or directly via: http://www.masmith48.org/broadwaycompromiseproposal.html A motion was offered to accept the compromise plan, seconded and a vote taken. The proposal was adopted with 21 in favor, 0 opposed and 5 abstentions. Carmen Winona abstained.

The second item on the agenda was for the Salvation Army facility at Lawrence & Marine. They are proposing to alter their 3rd floor, from offices currently to additional family rooms for their residents. In addition there will be some significant upgrades to the landscape and surfacescape surrounding the building. After the presentation, a motion was made to accept the proposed changes, seconded and a vote taken. The neighboring block clubs, including Gunnision, Castlewood, Margate and UCC, were in attendance and all signified the Salvation Army as a good neighbor. With that the vote was 24 in favor, 0 opposed and 4 abstains. Carmen-Winona voted yes in alignment with the neighboring block clubs.

For the last item you may look at an attachment (pdf) that I reconstructed. The alderman would like to gather input from community members on what our schools should be teaching and providing the students. There is a cover letter as well as a 2nd page for a list of 10 ideas. These can be anything you want; for instance whether schools should provide more of the arts, or more of the sciences, more types of physical education... or, for that matter, whether schools should provide less of anything. It doesn’t matter. The important thing is to try and lend your voice to help shape the curriculum of the students to better prepare them for the future. Any and all ideas are welcome. You may submit these suggestions directly to the ward office or send them to my attention and I will provide the material to the Alderman at the June WZPC meeting.