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Community-Driven Update

Community-Driven Zoning Update

Lexington Homes is proposing a six-story, 269-unit apartment building and 88 riverfront townhomes. After receiving CDZD intake paperwork from the developer, along with all up-to-date materials, we posted these documents on our website last week and are now collecting online feedback.

Please submit your feedback to help us gauge how neighbors feel about the proposal’s affordability, neighborhood fit, impact on green space, and other important issues. If you have any difficulties navigating the web pages, we are also happy to accept feedback and answer questions over the phone at 773.840.7880.

The next steps in the process will be a CDZD Partner meeting with the developer, and a Public Community Meeting. Our CDZD procedures require all developers to post physical notice of the Public Community Meeting at the site, and mail bilingual written notices no less than two weeks in advance to neighbors in a 750-foot radius of the site. Once we have confirmed a Public Community Meeting date with the developer and our CDZD partner organizations, we will also publicize the date as widely as possible through this newsletter, social media, and flyering.

This proposal would have substantial impact on the area, and it’s important that we hear from as many neighbors as possible. Feedback can also be submitted by emailing leanna@33rdward.org or calling our office at 773-840-7880.

Apply for Rent or Mortgage Assistance

On Sept. 7th, All Chicago opened an online application for rental assistance under the Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) through the Illinois Department of Human Services. For more info and to apply visit http://rentrelief.com/allchicago/.

For tenants/landlords who need help with the application, All Chicago has partnered with Catholic Charities, Heartland Human Care Services, Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Phalanx Family Services, and Spanish Coalition for Housing to provide assistance. Eligible households can apply online, by calling 311 or 312-744-5000 and asking for short-term assistance, or by contacting one of the partners listed above.

Reminder: a ban on enforcement of evictions in Illinois is in place through Oct. 3, after Gov. Pritzker again announced he would extend protections this week. While landlords can serve tenants with notice of eviction for unpaid rent, court hearings and enforcement in non-payment cases cannot proceed until after this date. 

Remember: Only the sheriff can evict, and it is illegal for landlords to remove your belongings, change the locks or otherwise attempt to force you out of your home without a court order. Please alert our office if your landlord is attempting or threatening to evict you illegally. 

If you have been served an eviction notice by your landlord or fear that you may, you can use a tool developed by the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Better Housing and Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO): https://rentervention.com/. This tool creates an Illinois Moratorium Declaration to protect you and your household from eviction for nonpayment of rent. You can also visit EvictionHelpIllinois.org, or call (855) 631-0811 for free legal aid, landlord-tenant mediation services, and connections to rental assistance programs.

If you know that multiple tenants in your apartment building are at risk of eviction and you are interested in creating a tenants’ union to collectively negotiate with your landlord, you can contact the Autonomous Tenants Union at 773-657-8700 or housing.atu@gmail.com. 

Dealing with an old eviction on your record that makes it difficult to find new housing? A new Illinois law makes sealing old eviction records less difficult for tens of thousands of tenants statewide. You can use the website https://rentervention.com/ to help with this process. 

Mortgage Assistance Program – Applications Ongoing

The Mortgage Assistance Program, provides assistance to low-to-moderate-income homeowners who have suffered an economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are having difficulty paying their mortgage.

The maximum amount of assistance available is $3,300. Grant amounts awarded will be based on the amount needed to bring your mortgage current.

Please note: Eligible homeowners will have the assistance paid directly to their mortgage servicer. If you received assistance in 2020 you are not eligible for this round of funds.

To be eligible you must:

• Be a resident of the City of Chicago
• Live in the home (single-family up to 4 units) for which you are applying for assistance. It must be your primary place of residence.
• Demonstrate your total household income was 120% or below the Area Median Income (AMI) prior to March 1, 2020. (Click to see table)
• Have a mortgage on your home that was current as of March 1, 2020, and is now delinquent. You may be on a forbearance plan.
• Have experienced a change in your financial status after March 1, 2020, due to the COVID-19 crisis

If you need assistance applying for mortgage assistance, you can also contact Neighborhood Housing Servicesat 800-831-7949 or email EmergencyAssistance@nhschicago.org.

Sept. 18: Free Recycling/ Shredding in Avondale

Our office is partnering with other northwest-side legislators to host a free electronics recycling/ document shredding/ prescription drug takeback/ Covid-19 testing event. Join us on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 9 – 11AM at Avondale-Logandale Elementary, 3212 W George. 

Facebook event. 

Sept. 18: Blood Drive at Christ Lutheran Church

Donate blood, save a life! Our community partners at Christ Lutheran Church and Versiti will host another blood drive on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 10AM – 3PM. 

Sept. 18: Green Garage Sale

The annual St. Benedict Parish and School Baby & Kids Green Garage Sale will be Saturday. Sept. 18 from 8AM – 3:30PM.

COVID precautions will be in place.  Attendees are encouraged to register for a time slot in advance here or using the QR code below.

Infrastructure and Construction

Lead Service Line Replacement Program

The Department of Water Management has started Phase 1 of the lead service line replacement program and has provided the following information on two programs for qualifying homeowners who want to replace their lead service lines. If you are interested in participating, please visit www.LeadSafeChicago.org for more information:

• Homeowner-Initiated. The City will waive up to $3,100 in permit fees for any resident homeowner who  wishes to replace their lead service line. The fee waiver will not be available if the request is made in  conjunction with a structural renovation.  
• Equity Program. To offer assistance to those most in need of lead service line replacement, residents  whose water persistently tests over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Action Level of 15 parts  per billion of lead and have a household income below 80% of the area median income, may qualify for  a free lead service line replacement. For the Equity LSLR Program, residences must be owner-occupied  and either a single-family or two-flat home.  

If you have not yet had your water tested using the free lead testing kits that are provided by the city, please contact my office at 773-887-3772 or 311 to request a free water test kit.

Summer is construction season, and we know residents want to be able to plan ahead for street closures and parking disruptions. As a periodic reminder, we keep a map of the ward updated with all the information we’ve received to date from city agencies, utility companies, and other project managers. You can check out the construction map here. 

You can also use the city’s ChiStreetWork portal, where you can search by address. Irving Park Bridge Project After the shared-use path under the bridge connecting Clark Park to Horner Park was reopened last week, crews are preparing to repave the portions of Irving Park on either side of the bridge starting after Labor Day. This will take several days (removing existing asphalt, adjusting utilities, and laying new asphalt) during which traffic will be managed accordingly. The final road markings should be striped by early in the week of 9/13. Street Resurfacing

West Irving Park Road from North Ravenswood Avenue to North Kolmar Avenue. 

The work will include ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement as needed for ADA and drainage compliance, bus pad construction, pavement patching, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement, and striping.

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above.  These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, while adhering to rush hour restrictions, for the completion of the work.  All work on this corridor is scheduled to be completed November 30, 2021.North Sacramento Avenue from North Elston Avenue to North Milwaukee Avenue  

The work will include ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement as needed for ADA and drainage compliance, pedestrian refuge island, pavement patching, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement, and striping.

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above.  These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, while adhering to rush hour restrictions, for the completion of the work.  All work on this corridor is scheduled to be completed October 29, 2021.

Applications Open for ‘Claiming Our Space’

The Kedzie Center, in collaboration with 2nd Story, is building a dynamic program for students who identify as DACA/Undocumented and reside in the North River area. Over the course of ten weeks, students will learn how to tell and shape their own personal stories/narratives in a positive way. Every student will be compensated for their time.

Participation is limited so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Program Schedule:
Thursdays, October 7 thru December 16 (with taking off for Thanksgiving), from 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Qualifications:
Students must be between the ages of 17 and 24
Students must be either DACA or Undocumented
Students must have been enrolled in school within the last six months

Application Process:
1.) Submit Your Application
2.) A 20-minute conversation with a Representative from The Kedzie Center, 2nd Story, and/or the North River CommissionOffice Hours:

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Monday: 12:00 PM – 7 PM

Tues – Thurs: 10 AM – 5 PM

Friday: 9 AM – 4PM  

️E-mail info@33rdward.org anytime for service requests or general queries

️ Call us at 773-840-7880 during business hours

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter

Check out our ward website for info on services and events: https://www.33rdward.org/

Best,

Rossana Rodriguez