A proposed design for facade improvements at the Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. Traffic to the East Village Association marked the year's big neighborhood events. These posts drew the most attention: Happy Village sale would put renovations on tap (July 31). Ald. Brian Hopkins has not yet acted on an Oct. 1 advisory vote to allow a change of owners at the bar, 1059 N. Wolcott. Beatnik restaurant seeks rezoning (April 7). Members backed a full restaurant license with bar and amusement license for the restaurant at 1604 W. Chicago Ave. 'Road diet' would reshape Chicago Avenue (Feb. 6). Chicago Avenue would be trimmed to three motor-vehicle lanes in a West Town Chamber of Commerce proposal. Polish Triangle builds on CTA plans; police launch tech center (March 6). Architect Drew Bayley of the volunteer Polish Triangle Coalition proposed physical improvements for the plaza at Ashland, Division and Milwaukee. The CTA plans elevator and escalator access in its 20-ye...

Work continues on an apartment conversion at 1038 N. Ashland Ave. West Town residents come here to learn about the East Village Association , read its Planning, Preservation & Development guidelines, check the Chicago crime map or renew their membership . In addition, EVA news posts throughout the year reflect community interest in development, public safety and other issues. Most-read posts of 2017 suggest what has attracted neighbors' interest. Here are the top posts with updates on where things stand: Restaurant plan shakes Damen neighbors: Plans for a burger bar at 820 N. Damen Ave., now an auto mechanic's garage, have not progressed since an August hearing. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) proposed and the City Council approved a moratorium on new tavern and packaged-goods licenses along Damen Avenue, from Chicago Avenue to Augusta Boulevard. Restaurants are not affected. The license freeze also covers Chicago Avenue from Leavitt Street to Damen.

EVA has championed redevelopment of St. Boniface Church since it closed in 1990. East Village is a magnet for young professionals and the developers who follows them. EVA's most popular posts of 2016 follow the progress of St. Boniface, Pure Dairy, Ace on Ashland and other developments. Neighbors fight new St. Boniface apartment plan March 31: Neighbors of St. Boniface organized to save St. Boniface Church at 1358 W. Chestnut St. A threat to raze the church drew new interest in preserving the site, an EVA goal since the church closed in 1990. Stas Development finally stalled demolition in a last-minute deal to buy the site. An open house this coming Tuesday will preview the construction timeline for condos and a music hall . Planning, Preservation & Development Ongoing: Expansion of Chicago's Transit Oriented Development rules, which waives parking space requirements near rail lines, drew contractors to EVA's development guidelines, which discourage one-off...

A feisty exchange between East Village Association members and a local alderman drew wide interest in 2015. Efforts to reopen the Club Foot bar drew a crowd to EVA's September meeting. Ald. Proco Joe Moreno expanded the debate, saying he'd consider opening East Village to new tavern licenses. The 1st Ward alderman warned EVA members that he doesn't feel bound to follow the group's guidance, and signaled his vote for a city budget that increased taxes and fees by $755 million. Posts on the Club Foot site at 1824 W. Augusta Blvd., including audio of Moreno's comments, drew links from Facebook groups, EveryBlock, DNAinfo and Chicagoist. The East Village freeze on tavern licenses sprung from EVA's longstanding role advising local aldermen on zoning and licensing. The moratorium encouraged East Village's growth as a restaurant hotspot, and community votes approved of exceptions such as the Forbidden Root taproom planned for 1746 W. Chicago Ave.

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...

The Polish Triangle's prototypal transit-oriented development has a long history. The 1611 West Division location was a YMCA , a Pizza Hut and (at least on the drawing boards) a Walgreens drugstore. Next month it opens with 99 apartments above a PNC bank and Intelligentsia coffee bar. This site has posted more than 700 articles since 2007, not counting archived editions of the East Village Association newsletter . Names have changed for prominent sites: News about the 1611 West Division address is filed under Pizza Hut and lead anchor PNC Bank. Similarly, the several Fifield Cos. apartment proposals for 1822-50 W. Chicago Ave. are known for the vacant site's last building, the AAA Distributing news agency, and its onetime prospects for renovation as the Chicago Bowl nightclub. Search engines and real-estate blogs such as Curbed cite this site for background on these developments. Some of our most often-viewed posts date from several years back, including stubbornly p...