Ward Night Recap: June 16, 2026
Thanks to everyone who attended our June 16, 2026 Ward Night. Here’s a summary of what we discussed:
UPCOMING EVENTS. Join us at upcoming meetings! Next week, we’re hosting a Zoom meeting to discuss the proposed redevelopment of Emanuel Congregation with Fern Hill. We’re also hosting an in-person meeting to brainstorm ideas for public art in the ward. More details on our calendar.
BIKING NEAR GOUDY ELEMENTARY. Goudy Elementary recently installed a gates on the east side of the building, cutting off Winthrop between Winona and Foster to through traffic when the gates are closed. Neighbors at Ward Night discussed various solutions for helping cyclists and pedestrians understand and access alternate routes; the 48th Ward team will continue to review these solutions with city departments. Currently, cyclists and pedestrians are advised to travel down either alley, down Kenmore, or on Broadway depending on the direction of travel. Remember: if your detour of choice requires you to travel on the sidewalk, be sure to walk your wheels!
SENN PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PROJECT. Reconstruction of four intersections near Senn High School has begun! Construction is expected to take 12 weeks, weather permitting. The project involves two raise intersections, one raised crosswalk, and bumpouts at a T-intersection. Read more here.
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING. The Senn construction project described above was one of our winning projects from our 2024 Participatory Budgeting process. Participatory Budgeting is a way to involve the community in decisions about how to spend our annual infrastructure funds. Neighbors propose projects at community engagement meeting and then vote on them! Read more about Participatory Budgeting and view previous years’ ballots here.
CARE PROGRAM EXPANSION. Last month, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the citywide expansion of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program, bringing compassionate, non-police crisis response services to residents experiencing mental health crises throughout the city. The program now serves all of the city's community areas, covers children as young as 6 and adults over 65, and defines socio-emotinal distress as a reason to call. Many neighbors came to our June 2 Ward Night to talk about the improvements that are still needed to ensure that people can access quality mental health care 24/7. Some neighbors came back to check in at this meeting.
BROADWAY PEDESTRIAN REFUGE ISLANDS. Construction is underway on the long-anticipated Broadway Pedestrian Refuge Island project! Last month, we hosted a meeting with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to review the details and timeline for this project. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained on each side of each island. View a recording of the meeting here. View the meeting slides here.
LANDMARKING BRYN MAWR. Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth has given the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) the green light to move forward with landmarking with the Bryn Mawr Historic District (National Register #: 95000482).
Learn more about landmarking Bryn Mawr here.
A Chicago Landmark District is a local designation for an area that protects historically significant buildings from teardown and ensures that development considers the aesthetics and character of the district.
More information about designating a Chicago Landmark District can be found in the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Over the past month, the 48th Ward Green Council has been hard at work clarifying and strengthening the language on our website about sustainable development priorities. These include green infrastructure, equitable transit oriented development, preservation and adaptive reuse, and much more. The goal of publishing these priorities is to help people who are interested in building in our ward understand our values so that we can work together to create the community we want to see. Read them online here.
Register for the next Ward Night on Tuesday, July 7 here.
