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EVA approves 2026-27 officer slate

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EVA members meet at West Town Bakery Cafe, 1916 W. Chicago Ave. Donation supports West Town Branch Library events East Village Association membership meeting July 7, 2026, West Town Bakery Cafe, 1916 W. Chicago Ave. Presiding: Neal McKnight, president EVA elected its 2026-27 officers on July 7, planned future meetings and approved a donation to support programs at the West Town Branch Library. Marjie Isaacson moved and Neal McKnight seconded accepting the slate, which was approved after brief introductions from the nominees: President Neal McKnight Vice President Christina Slaton Treasurer Brandon Winter Secretary (vacant) Newsletter/Webmaster Stephen Rynkiewicz Membership meetings were schedled to take place, starting in September, on the first Tuesday of the month at West Town Bakery Cafe, 1916 W. Chicago Ave.: Sept. 1 Oct. 6 Nov. 3 Dec. 1 Jan. 5 Feb. 2 March 2 Members suggested a school enrollment and board candidate forum before the...
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EVA to vote on Augusta Boulevard zoning change

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The Oct. 8 East Village Association meeting will be at a new location, Golden Years at 1938 W. Chicago Ave. Members will vote on a recommendation to Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) on a proposed zoning change at 1807-09 W. Augusta Blvd. The EVA meeting at Golden Years (formerly High Dive) starts at 7pm with a presentation by Nate Hutcheson and Holly Burd on their effort to rewrite the Chicago charter in a citywide vote to change local government processes. The developer is seeking a rezoning for the two lots from 2-flat RT-4 zoning to RM-4.5 residential multiuse zoning. M15 Land Investments would raze the existing building at 1809 Augusta and build a new 3-story residential buildng with 6 units and 6 on-site parking spaces. Site Plan (Kutlesa Hernandez Architects) EVA Developer Questionnaire (M15 Land Investments) The 100-foot-deep lots on Augusta would allow only 4 dwelling units under the current zoning, and the upzone would permit the 6-flat. The height would stay consist...
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Wood Street blocks to run southbound

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Alderman Daniel La Spata was the June 11 EVA guest speaker. Wood Street greenway improvements will make the street one way southbound traffic for vehicles from Crystal to Division and Cortez to Augusta, while maintaining two-way bike lanes. "A lot of people use Wood Street as a cut-through," Ald. Daniel La Spata told EVA members at the June 11 meeting. "They were simply using Wood Street to avoid the congestion along Milwaukee Avenue or Augusta." Updates on the project are on the 1st Ward website . The annnual East Village Block Party will be Aug. 9 on the 800 block of North Winchester, starting at noon with entertainment from School of Rock. The bounce house returns for kids. Bring a dish to share; there will be pizza from Roots and cake balls from West Town Bakery.
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EVA backs St. Maria Addolorata church preservation

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The closed St. Maria Addolorata church, 528 N. Ada. 'A winning solution will be found' East Village Association membership meeting April 9, 2025, at Roots Pizza, 1924 N. Chicago Ave. Presiding: Bob Zwolinski, president The East Village Association voted April 9 to support preservation of the closed St. Maria Addolorata church, 528 N. Ada, and opposing its demolition. "St. Maria Addolorata Catholic parish and school were a vibrant part of our community for almost a century," EVA's letter of support says. "Santa Maria parish served countless thousands of neighborhood immigrants and families, many of whom still live in its shadow. Even after its closure, the structure remains an anchor within the community and a landmark clearly visible from outside it." Arcitect Joseph Bagnuolo used stained glass windows throughout his Midcentury Modern design. Preservation Chicago named the building threatened after the Archdiocese of Chicago listed the prop...
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Police commander supports satellite office in West Town

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Chicago Police 12th District Cmdr. James M. Baier is joined by Officer Ozzie Caravallo and Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) speak to EVA members on March 12 at Roots Pizza. East Village Association membership meeting March 12, 2025, at Roots Handmade Pizza, 1924 W. Chicago Ave. Presiding: Bob Zwolinski A Grand Avenue site is earmarked for a satellite Chicago Police station, the new Near West police commander and a West Side alderman told East Village Association members on March 12. The second location would pay "huge dividends," said James M. Baier, a Mount Greenwood resident and former Lincoln District (20th) commander. "This is a target rich environment," Baier said. "The whole area is booming, thriving. This is where people want to come to." The district hosts 130 street festivals, the most in the city, and a Bally’s Casino is set to open at the end of 2026 at the former Chicago Tribune printing plant site. In a November 2024 advisory referendum, a sa...
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Donations, city funds treat East Village's ash trees

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The Chicago Bureau of Forestry tags trees after treatment. By M. Isaacson Ash trees are still being treated in East Village for emerald ash borer infestation, thanks to the generosity of donors to the Friends of Ash Trees East Village GoFundMe. Treatment will continue until the ash trees begin to lose their leaves, or until we run out of money. East Village joins a number of communities in Chicago that started treating their ash trees with private funds. However, not everyone can afford such a project. The East Village Association supports securing funding for all still-viable ash trees in Chicago to be treated routinely. Chicago has had an inconsistent policy concerning treating ashes. All ash trees in the City were treated in 2013-14, and a subset of that group was treated in 2018-19. Then no treatment occurred until this year, when the city Bureau of Forestry received a grant of $1 million and treated 6,186 ash trees. We were fortunate to be able to have some of the East ...
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