Craft brewer Forbidden Root tapped a rich seam last year. EVA backed its plans for a brewery and tap room, now headed toward a May opening. Curious readers came to the East Village Association website for months preceding a May community vote to allow a tavern license and commercial rezoning at 1746 W. Chicago Ave. Half the 10 most-viewed pages on the site were devoted to the issue. Two longtime development issues were also in the top 10: apartment plans for the onetime AAA Distributing warehouse at 1850 W. Chicago, and a bid to lure a Trader Joe's grocery to the former Miller Lumber site at 1815 W. Division St. A site refresh added popular topic pages on EVA, its development review process and a community resource list. Here are EVA's top 10 pages from 2014: Chicago Avenue zoning crafts a better community Planning, Preservation & Development About EVA Shopping for solution to Trader Joe's traffic Forbidden Root alternatives brewing EVA seeks Fifield a...

East Village Association board minutes for Dec. 1, 2014, submitted by Catherine Garypie 2ND WARD CANDIDATES: BRIAN HOPKINS Hopkins spent 16 years working as part of Streeterville neighborhood groups, and had a lot of experience with developers in those groups. Originally from McKinley Park, he worked as chief of staff for Cook County Commissioner John Daley. Campaigning since July, Hopkins said he's concerned about community confusion over the 2nd Ward boundaries. Your position on aldermen accepting campaign contributions when they have matters pending before them? Ethical rules prohibit it when you accept contributions when there are matters pending before the City Council. I am ethical and will be ethical. Ethics and laws are pretty different. Laws are clear. Ethical guidelines are grey. Your conscience will tell you when you are acting ethically. I would not accept any contributions from persons or entities having matters pending before City Council, zoning committees,...

East Village Association board minutes for June 9, 2014, submitted by Catherine Garypie JOINT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MEETING Street festival discussion continues among leaders of EVA, Bucktown Community Organization, Chicago Grand Neighbors Association, Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association and Wicker Park Committee. The group discussed the concept of no permits without: Improvement in traffic or garbage; Safety/security planning with community organizations at table; Greater local business participation in the fests; Extending cleanup further geographically; A greater share of profits to community; Better control of finances. Some in the group are concentrating on a press push (e.g., WBEZ interview). EVA wants results and agreements. Bucktown Arts Festival immediately came forward with a lot of information. This group will try pull in some other neighborhood associations north of Bucktown. EVA will propose that the group sponsor aldermanic debates in Wards 1 & 2, proba...

Collaboaraction Theatre's Sketchbook festival runs till June 15. Monday's East Village Association meeting will have updates on Trader Joe's, street festivals and other issues, a presentation from Collaboraction Theatre, and possibly a visit from U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley. You're invited to attend at 7 pm in Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. Trader Joe's Developer Smithfield Properties has met with the EVA board and LaSalle II school council about plans for a Trader Joe's grocery at 1815 W. Division St., the former Miller Lumber site. Both groups reviewed a draft traffic plan from consultant Kenig Lindgren O’Hara Aboona. It would change the direction of two streets, Honore to the south and Marion to the north. The consultant told EVA that the plan would not improve Division Street traffic, and that Augusta Boulevard would have to be removed from the boulevard system to allow trucks. The location across Honore from LaSalle II also makes liquor sales agains...

A Trader Joe's grocery store is proposed for the southeast corner of Division and Honore. The consultant Kenig Lindgren O’Hara Aboona submitted a draft traffic study . East Village Association minutes for May 12, 2014 Submitted by Catherine Garypie Neighborhood associations Neal McKnight represented EVA in a meeting with the Wicker Park Committee, Bucktown Community Organization and Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association. (Chicago Grand Neighbors Association will join soon). Main discussion: More festival transparency is necessary. CGNA is considering the letter McKnight circulated to the board on May 8. Festival issues to be addressed include: Where is money is being spent, distributing safety and traffic plans beforehand to groups, consistent donation amounts, specifying gate or net for the donations, etc. Other issues to be addressed by this group of neighborhood associations: Ashland Bus Rapid Transit, Special Service Areas, police issues. More SSA meetings are ne...

Layne Jackson has relocated her art studio to 1112 N. Ashland Ave. from the Miller Lumber storefront, which is being razed for a new apartment building . Jackson's artwork turns snapshot poses into canvases that suggest the nature of memory. The painter opens the East Village Association's November meeting with an introduction to her new gallery. EVA meets at 7 pm Nov. 5 in the Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. Guest speaker is Wells High School principal Ernesto Matias. Born in Dallas, Jackson has lived in a 19th-century house in East Village since 2001 and has conducted classes here since 2008. Jackson created and organized the East Village Arts Walk, with more than 60 artists participating from 2002 through 2006. Jackson runs after-school art programs at LaSalle II, 1148 N. Honore St., and free classes for teens at Marwen , 833 N. Orleans St. She also has taught at the Latin School of Chicago and in the Chicago Public Schools, leading mural projects for more than 600...

Smith Partners has downsized its proposal for an apartment building to replace L. Miller & Son Lumber Co. at 1815 W. Division St. The new set of drawings under East Village Association review show a four-story building with 39 apartments above ground-level retail space. A 1st Ward hearing last month indicated 52 units in a five-story building. The plan still would require a zoning change. Another 1st Ward hearing is set for 6 pm April 26 in the LaSalle II gym at 1148 N. Honore St. Three 2-bedroom corner units have been added in architect Adam Berkelhamer's plan, each with 1,202 square feet of space. The 1-bedroom units now range from 651 to 800 square feet. Honore Street apartments overlooking LaSalle II school are a bit roomier, at the expense of a 597-square-foot studio on each upper floor. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises has not committed to the retail space, says Bill Smith, the longtime Smithfield Properties partner involved in this venture. At the March hearin...

A four-month-old plan has resurfaced for 52 apartments on the site of the L. Miller & Sons lumberyard, 1815 W. Division St. Ald. Proco Joe Moreno will discuss mixed-use development of the site in a March 6 public meeting. The 1st Ward office did not disclose details of the Smith Partners proposal or respond to a request for details. But development attorney Rolando Acosta briefed East Village Association planning co-chair Scott Rappe last year on a five-story plan for the site, with 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Rappe briefed EVA directors in November and in turn relayed their concerns about the project's height and density. Acosta did not respond to Rappe's suggestion that Smith Partners limit the project to four stories. The number of apartments and their small size, 622 to 926 square feet, were among the points of contention. So was the height precedent and the impact on traffic and parking in a location across from an elementary school. The loc...

Red Apple Convenience Store, 2000 W. Chicago Ave.   Board meeting minutes for November 14, 2011 Submitted by Dana Palmer Meeting commenced: 6:38 p.m. Planning, Preservation and Development 1. 1601 N. Division: Scott Rappe and Neal McKnight met with potential developers of the site. Their revised plans would add 3-4 more floors. Rappe and McKnight will continue to meet with the developers about their plans.