Bus lanes along Ashland Avenue will be up for a vote at Monday's East Village Association meeting. Members will vote on the CTA's Ashland Bus Rapid Transit as currently proposed: "Based on information EVA now has, is EVA for or against the Ashland BRT?" Reflecting concerns about the design, the EVA board last month left open the possibility of revisiting the issue if the plan changes. And changes are likely. The $160 million Ashland BRT proposal would restrict inner lanes to buses and emergency vehicles. Medians would stay in place. Bus stops would replace the left-turn lanes. The city's new transportation commissioner, Rebekah Scheinfeld, now wants to keep left turns on some intersections. As the CTA's planning officer, Scheinfeld was responsible for the original design.

East Village Association membership meeting minutes December 2, 2013 Submitted by Meghan Quinn 1515-17 W. Haddon St. Mark Sutherland discussed changes to his project since his November visit with the East Village Association board. The original unit mix included 8 studios, 24 1-bedroom units, 8 2-bedroom units and one large 6th floor penthouse apartment with its own entrance. After hearing concerns about the lack of 3-bedroom units for families, Sutherland made adjustments to the unit mix, leading to a current proposal of 4 studios, 24 1-bedroom units, 8 2-bedroom units, 4 3-bedroom units and the penthouse for a total of 41 units, the same unit count as the previous proposal. In the new plan, there are no longer borrowed-light bedrooms, and the average unit size increased. Additionally, the building height is down to 71.5 feet from 73 feet, with the height of the first five stories corresponding to the parapet on the building to the west of the project and the sixth floor set bac...

The CTA's preferred plan for high-speed buses will slow traffic on Ashland Avenue and a half-dozen parallel streets, according to a federally required environmental assessment . Ashland traffic will get 10% slower and Damen 3%. Wood Street and the smaller north-south streets nearest Ashland were not considered. Ashland would lose about 12% of its parking, which the study assumes would be absorbed by side streets. Augusta Boulevard and a dozen other intersections would have to be reworked to avoid "unacceptable" rush-hour delays, the city's Ashland Bus Rapid Transit analysis says. However, the document says waits already are unacceptable at Diversey, Clybourn and four other crossings. Residents can download the plan and email their comments to the CTA until Dec. 20. Catherine Garypie, who outlined the public comment process for EVA this summer, will give an update at Monday's East Village Association meeting.

East Village Association membership meeting minutes for September 9, 2013 Submitted by Meghan Quinn Business Minute: Ugly Mug Café owner Mikky Wright The Ugly Mug Café has been a 10-year dream of Mikky Wright to bring a community-driven coffee shop to West Town. After moving from Seattle to Wicker Park in 1997, Mikky lamented on the lack of cafes in the neighborhood. After owning and operating a few local businesses such as the Alliance Bakery and the Wicker Park Inn, he decided to bring his vision to life and create a vibrant, neighborhood-accessible shop. Sticking to the independent nature of West Town, Mikky created a coffee shop from the ground-up by using local vendors (such as Passion House coffee and Sweet Cakes bakery) and hiring a strong and friendly staff dedicated to the mission that the Ugly Mug should be open to everyone whether for a coffee, a sandwich, or just to stop by and say “howdy.” Ugly Mug is located at 1458 W. Chicago Ave., between Green Zebra and Unite Urb...

Catherine Garypie is a resident of the East Village, a member of EVA and an environmental attorney. She will give a short presentation at the 7pm Sept. 9 EVA meeting in the Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. By Catherine Garypie Express bus lanes along Ashland Avenue will not be built without an environmental analysis: It’s a requirement for federal funding. Here’s how the Bus Rapid Transit project will proceed and how you can participate. The Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration defines a BRT as “an enhanced bus system that operates on bus lanes or other transitways in order to combine the flexibility of buses with the efficiency of rail.” BRTs are up and running both in the United States and elsewhere. Chicago has one BRT currently operating: the Jeffrey Jump . Launched on Nov. 12, 2012, the Jeffery Jump J14 service runs from 103rd Street to Metra’s Ogilvie and Union Stations. Chicago is also developing a “Central Loop” BRT: bus-only lanes along Washingt...

East Village Association board minutes for August 19, 2013 Submitted by Meghan Quinn Upcoming speakers Neal McKnight will ask Catherine Garypie to speak in September about how to approach the BRT Environmental Impact Assessment. For October, we should ask the new LaSalle II principal. Ashland BRT The board discussed what stance should be taken, if any, on the Ashland Bus Rapid Transit. If there were an eventual vote, the Planning, Preservation & Development committee would make a recommendation in advance. However, we cannot take a stance at this point due to lack of information. Some questions we still would like answers to are: Will there be a new line item in the budget? Can road dollars be used? CTA mentioned the Loop BRT as an upcoming example to look at, but there are one-way streets and no parking in those locations, making it a very different situation and hard to compare to the conditions on Ashland. One of the crucial issues that will need to be addressed to gain s...

East Village Association membership meeting minutes, Aug. 5, 2013 Submitted by Meghan Quinn Guest Speaker: Congressman Mike Quigley Mike Quigley stopped by to talk about his work representing Illinois’ 5th Congressional District. He pointed out that there are approximately 750,000 people in his district, which covers a wide geographical area, and includes Old Town as well as Hinsdale. He touched on the well-known legacy of the 5th district, and infamy of a few of its past representatives, namely Dan Rostenkowski and Rod Blagojevich. Quigley has proposed smart policies to crack down on corruption and increase government transparency. He introduced the State Ethics Law Protection Act with Sen. Mark Kirk to target pay-to-play politics. Quigley supports issues such as environmental protection, equal rights, and ethical, open government. According to Quigley's website , during his time on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Quigley sponsored every piece of major environmental le...

Ashland Bus Rapid Transit talk shifts into passing gear at the East Village Association's Aug. 5 meeting. Two plans for express bus service are seeking EVA members' support. The Chicago Transit Authority hopes to reserve the inner two lanes of Ashland Avenue for new, high-capacity vehicles. Panning and policy specialists from the CTA plan to provide details Aug. 5, in a presentation postponed from July. The CTA plan would limit BRT stops to every half-mile and remove left-turn lanes. Brenna Conway and Max Muller from the Active Transportation Alliance backed the configuration as July 1 EVA guest speakers. They advocate wide sidewalks and street parking to encourage foot traffic. A competing plan from the Ashland-Western Coalition would instead revive the X9 Ashland Express bus in existing vehicle lanes. The buses would get traffic signal priority for longer green lights, a feature of the CTA project. The coalition proposal was presented to the EVA board July 8. Roger R...

The two lanes along the Ashland Avenue median would become express lanes for special buses in a $160 million project to open in 2016. Ever since the CTA's April announcement, a drive along the route between Cortland and 31st streets raises questions about how the express lanes will work -- especially when traffic stops for a delivery truck, a parallel parker, a narrow underpass or a queue of turning cars. Chris Ziemann, project manager for Chicago Bus Rapid Transit, will have some answers at the July 1 East Village Association meeting at 7 pm in the Happy Village Tavern, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave.