47th Ward Permit Parking Task Force Releases Findings

Convened in August 2011 by Ald. Ameya Pawar, the 47th Ward’s Permit Parking Task Force has now released its assessment, which boils down to: can’t live with it, can’t live without it so let’s try to fix what’s broken. Findings and a plan of action going forward were originally presented Jan. 18 and will be [...]

Debate Permit Parking in Lincoln Square at Public Hearing

With the skyrocketing cost of metered parking, drivers are increasingly searching for bargains (ie, free parking) on side streets, adding further fuel to the permit parking debate. What’s the balance between too much and not enough? Anyone who thinks the amount is just right? Anyone? Here’s your chance to share your opinion. Ald. Ameya Pawar’s [...]

Residential Component of Ravenswood Terrace Unveiled

The picture of the proposed Ravenswood Station/Terrace development on Lawrence Avenue (the six-acre parcel is currently owned by Sears) became a bit clearer Thursday night at a community meeting featuring representatives from the developers of both the commercial and residential components. Approximately 30 residents and a gaggle of suits attended the detailed presentation, hosted on [...]

Metra Construction Update Meetings Next Week

The Ravenswood Community Council and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) will be conducting two community update meetings on the status of the on-going construction along the Union Pacific-North Metra Line. The meetings are both on Tuesday, October 11 and will include representatives from Metra. According to an announcement made by RCC, they are: 10:00 a.m., Architectural Artifacts, [...]

Metra To Begin Bridge Reconstruction On UP North Line In Two Weeks

Hoping the second time is the charm, Metra plans to begin a major bridge reconstruction project on the Union Pacific (UP) North Line in the next two weeks that is projected to last until 2019 and, Metra claims will have no noticeable impact on rush-hour commuter schedules. “The rush-hour commuting schedule will not be impacted by [...]

RTA Offers Prizes to ‘Dump the Pump’

Though it goes against my nature to encourage more people to take public transportation, as I do so enjoy Brown Line trains where all the single seats are available, in the spirit of National Dump the Pump Day, let’s all ditch our cars this Thursday, June 16. Sponsored by the Sierra Club and the Natural [...]

Proposed 2011 Metra Budget Available for Public Review

The Metra Board of Directors recently approved the release of the agency’s proposed 2011 budget for public review. The budget includes $634.2 million for operations and a $407.5 million capital program. No fare increase is planned in 2011. Metra reported that lower than projected ridership and sales tax receipts coupled with higher insurance and maintenance costs [...]

UPDATED: Metra Announces UP Construction Delayed to 2011

UPDATE (10/1/10 10:30 a.m.): I asked the conductor this morning about the schedule change and he replied, “Pretend you’re in Dallas and you just woke up and found Bobby Ewing in your shower.” A few people had hard copies of the schedule (dated October 3) and it showed the “old” times from before the construction [...]

The New Platform at the Ravenswood Metra Station

What Does Metra’s Bridge Project Mean for Trucks in the Neighborhood?

Metra is about to undertake a project on the Union Pacific North Line to replace 22 bridges that are nearly 100 years old and build a new station at Ravenswood and Lawrence avenues. The station project has attracted most of the attention, including a lot of controversy over its exact location. But there’s another part [...]

Metra Open House Draws a Crowd

The auditorium at Bethany Retirement Center (4950 N. Ashland) was packed this past Tuesday for a Metra Infrastructure Project open house. Residents viewed plans for bridge and retaining wall construction on the Union Pacific North line, a $185 million project that starts this month and is expected to wrap up at the end of 2018. [...]

Metra Scraps Plan to Move Ravenswood Metra Station

Local residents who opposed Metra’s plan to relocate the Ravenswood Metra Station north of Lawrence Avenue (from its current location south of Lawrence) have had their concerns heard. As first reported by the Chicago Tribune, Metra and Ald. Schulter (47th) have decided not to move the station across the street into a more residential area. [...]

Metra Releases Revised UP-N Schedule, Reviews Plans for Ravenswood Station

On July 16 Metra released changes to the train schedule for the Union Pacific North line. A total of 22 bridges along the line are being rebuilt in a massive construction project that begins next month and is expected to be completed at the end of 2018. The revised schedule, which goes into effect on [...]

News and Notes: Trader Joe’s Expansion, Ravenswood Station, and a Suspicious Package

Trader Joe?s Prepares for Opening of Northcenter Expansion The expansion of the Trader Joe?s located at 3745 N. Lincoln Ave. will be completed sometime in early July, says company spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki. The grocery-store chain will add 4,000 square feet to its Northcenter store from the empty retail space next door that formerly housed a [...]