Update on Proposed Cannabis Dispensaries in River North – ZBA Public Hearing March 6, 2020

Over the several weeks the River North Residents Association (RNRA) has hosted several community meetings to discuss proposed cannabis dispensary locations within the 42nd and 2nd Wards. The following community meetings were held:

  • Sunnyside (MedMar Lakeview, LLC) held a meeting on January 28th to discuss their proposed location at 436 North Clark Street (formerly, Baton Show Lounge).
  • MOCA – Modern Cannabis (MOCA, LLC) held a meeting on January 29th to discuss their proposed location at 216 West Ohio Street (currently, Municipal Bar).
  • Sunnyside (PDI Medical III, LLC) held a meeting on February 5th to discuss their proposed location at 60 West Superior Street – Applicant has removed this location as a candidate for the ZBA to review. 
  • Verilife (Pharmacann) held a meeting on February 6th to discuss their proposed location at 444 North LaSalle Street (formerly, English).
  • Greenhouse Group held a meeting on February 7th to discuss their proposed location at 612 North Wells Street (formerly, Carson’s Ribs).
  • Greenhouse Group held a meeting on February 12th to discuss their proposed location at 414 North Orleans Street (formerly, Reverie).

These meetings were held to gather community feedback as a requirement of the Special Use application necessary to open a dispensary in Chicago. The next step in the process is for the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to consider the Special Use applications at a public hearing.

The ZBA hearing will take place on Friday, March 6th, at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle Street – City Council Chambers – 2nd Floor.

RNRA will summarize community feedback and share it with ZBA in advance of the hearing. In addition, any neighborhood resident is welcome to forward feedback to the ZBA regarding these pending applications. Objections can be addressed to the ZBA chairman, Farzin Parang.

Farzin Parang
Chairman, Zoning Board of Appeals
121 N. LaSalle St. 10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602

The Aldermen may choose to offer an opinion on the proposed Special Use to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), but the ZBA ultimately approves or denies Special Use applications based on the criteria in the Chicago Zoning Code. The ZBA is an independent, quasi-judicial body that will consider all public input and is not obligated to give special consideration to comments from the Aldermen or Police Commander.

If the ZBA grants approval of the Special Use permit to any of the proposed dispensary locations, the operators will then build out their space and schedule inspections with the State of Illinois. The first dispensary to pass inspection by the State of Illinois will be issued a license. Once one license has been issued, no other dispensary may open within 1,500 feet of that location.

Community Alert – Aggravated Robberies – 18th District (Near North) – February 24, 2020

Community Alert – Burglaries – 18th District (Near North) – February 20, 2020

Community Alert – Armed Robbery – 18th District (Near North) – February 19, 2020

RNRA 2020 Movies in the Park – Cast your vote by February 28!

Cast your vote for the five movies that will be shown in A. Montgomery Ward Park during summer 2020. Movies are presented by the River North Residents Association (RNRA) in cooperation with the Chicago Park District. By voting, you agree to RNRA’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

To cast your vote, click here.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to participate in our survey.
We value your feedback. The survey will be open through February 28, 2020.

Chicago Police 18th District Presents: Pizza with the Police

Chicago Police 18th District Presents:
Pizza with the Police
Wednesday, February 26
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Roots
1610 N. Wells

Stop by and have pizza with the 18th District police officers at Roots. Enjoy a slice of pizza and share your thoughts and concerns regarding public safety. No agenda – just a great way to meet the officers that patrol our neighborhood.

Meet Your Match! Adoption Fees Waived Starting Friday, February 14 


Starting today, February 14 until March 1, all cats six months and older and all dogs who have been at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) for more than 40 days are available for adoption, fees waived.

CACC is located at 2741 S. Western Avenue and adoption hours are between noon and 7pm. Those looking to adopt should expect the process to take several hours. For a list of adoptable pets, please click here.  

Early Voting for the Tuesday, March 17, 2020 Primary Election Begins Next Week! 

Starting Wednesday, February 19, in-person Early Voting and registration for the March 17, 2020 Primary Election will be offered at the Loop Super Site, 191 North Clark Street.

The Loop Super Site will be open 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday through Saturday and 10:00am – 4:00pm Sundays from February 19 until March 1.

Citywide Early Voting, available at 50 Ward Sites and the Loop Super Site, will be offered March 2 through March 16. To view a list of all early voting locations and hours for all sites, CLICK HERE.

During Early Voting

• Chicago voters will be able to use any Early Voting and registration location in the city from March 2 – March 16. Before March 2, only the Loop Super Site will have Early Voting.
• Ballots cast in Early Voting are final. After casting ballots in Early Voting, voters may not return to amend, change, or undo a ballot for any reason. It is a felony to vote more than once — or to attempt to vote more than once — in the same election.
• Government-issued photo ID is not required but is helpful if there is a question about the registration, address, signature or if there are two voters with the same or similar names at the same address.
• Registration services are available at every Early Voting site. However, any voter who needs to register for the first time or file an address update or a name change must show two forms of ID, one of which shows the voter’s current address.

Vote by Mail
Registered voters may also choose to Vote by Mail. Voters do not need a reason or excuse to use Vote by Mail. In order to apply, submit your application online or a downloadable mail-in application  can be submitted to the Board of Elections.

The deadline to submit your Vote by Mail application is 5:00pm on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

For more information, voters can visit the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners website, linked here.

Food Drive for LPCS – Help the homeless – Drop off at 18th District CPD – March 1 thru March 31

The CPD 18th District Explorer’s have volunteered to lead a food drive in order to assemble sack lunchs for the guests of LPCS. Lincoln Park Community Services  (LPCS) helps individuals with the challenges of homelessness.

Pantry stable food donations will be accepted for the LPCS Food Drive at the 018th District Lobby –  1160 N. Larrabee .  If you have questions, contact Community Policing Office – Officer Ramona Stovall 312-742-5778

Donations will be accepted from March 1 through March 31

Let’s help our 18th District Explorers meet their challenge of a successful food drive.

Food List:

Requesting dry goods appropriate for a healthy sack lunch.  Foods like but not limited to:  Granola, nuts, canned goods, tuna, crackers, pretzels, sunflower seeds, salsa, roasted red peppers, mayo, ketchup, dried fruit, etc.

To print a copy of the flyer to distribute to your friends, or post in your building, CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

Gilda’s Club Chicago – 11th Annual #ItsAlwaysSomething Teen Multimedia Contest

To print a copy, CLICK HERE