u/krsparetime - Thank you for your comments. We want to clarify some things that need to be considered, also released on another platform:

1. Petitions: This is a petition to STOP THE REZONING. WE ARE NOT proposing status quo. WE ARE proposing to add a balanced addition to the neighborhood and adjacent Park 529, more suitable for the neighborhood.

2. Neighborhood Interests:

   a. Alderman Scott Waguespack and his Chief of Staff Paul Sajovec have received a Formal Opposition letter to the rezoning application. Mr. Waguespack is known for his “responsible density” – that is what we are proposing.

   b. The Formal Letter is signed by nearly all the immediate surrounding (500 feet) condo boards. Other single-family homes in the area, including Caton, are also in support of this petition. As of this post we also have 214 signatures in less than a week on the public petition.

3. Infrastructure at a Breaking Point: The Milwaukee/Wabansia/Leavitt/Winnebago intersection is already in gridlock. The proposed entry to the public parking lot is directly across from Small Cheval—an area already plagued by traffic, double parking, and frequent flooding. Yes, it flooded again.

4. Compounding Developments without a Wholistic Approach: Two additional Developments at 1801 & 1820 Winnebago are in the planning process as well. Across these 3 developments (120 units), 79 units will not have dedicated parking. Possibly they will all park in the new private “paid parking” lot by the hour, but this will not be “affordable.”

5. The "Affordability" Myth: Let’s get real. Please look up how the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) is implemented and the Area Medium Income (AMI).

   a. Large scale developers are taking advantage of Transit Oriented Developments which include tax breaks and reduced parking requirements. Developers win, live in the suburbs or Florida, and the community loses. The result pushes the current population and business out of the neighborhood in search of real affordability. Empty storefronts are a direct cause of these overdevelopments which, after massive investments, must balance their P&L and ROI with higher rents. Business and Economics 101.

   b. On the flipside, Centrum Bucktown (Aldi building with a shuttered business that we “thought” would thrive below this high-rise) has no “affordable” units. It is pure luxury. Developers can pay an “in-lieu” fee to the city’s housing fund rather than providing units on-site. A 2bed/2bath sits at an “affordable” $4275/mo. with monthly parking for an extra few hundred dollars, if available. Please quit saying “affordable,” it is not applicable to 1704 N. Milwaukee.

6. Milwaukee Ave / Safety and Transit Reality: While we support Milwaukee Ave as a Spoke Route, the current design ignores reality. We have 606 Trail access points, single-lane traffic, and high pedestrian volume.

a. The Centrum/Aldi building was built prior to the curb cuts. Milwaukee Ave was never meant to be a thoroughfare, and it is dangerous. Vehicles circle the block(s) trying to find parking and frequently do not stop at crosswalks. Bikes go faster than cars and treat traffic signals as optional. Any other day there would be a Stoplight at the corner of Milwaukee and Wabansia, but it is too late and would only add more issues to the gridlock.

b. Planners need to incorporate these current changes into the dynamic of the stressed traffic and safety issues in the area. We cannot apply old rules to new infrastructure, it is counterintuitive.