WRCO Annual Meeting Thursday, September 17th, 7PM at Warren Park WRCO will host Tom Tresser, founder and lead organizer of the TIF Illumination Project from 7:00–8:30 p.m. to explain how Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts work and reveal the full details of how TIFs have impacted Chicago’s 50th Ward. Tom will explain how TIF districts work and examine their impact across Chicago, Cook County, and the state of Illinois. He will outline the many ways he believes TIFs harm communities. Tresser said, “I have been on this beat since 2013, and attendees will learn things at this meeting that the Powers That Be do NOT want them to know. If you want to know why your property taxes are so high and why your community has been so neglected for so long, you must attend this meeting.”

 Save the Date:  

WRCO and the West Ridge Action Network are holding a 9th District Candidates Forum on Thursday, January15, 2026.  There are currently 15 plus candidates vying to replace long time Representative Jan Schakowsky.  The Forum will be held at Warren Park starting at 6:30PM.   

 ICE ACTIVITY IN WEST RIDGE

If you were unable to attend our September Annual Meeting, here’s a video presentation about the campaign for A  More Just Chicago.  You can watch the video below to find out the ways a city charter could improve how our city functions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wbcs0GtRw_v7Dp6ZroWxcuTO0gwVLWgm/view?usp=sharing

 WRCO ANNUAL MEETING

SAVE THE DATE for the WRCO Annual Meeting on September 11.  Join us at Warren Park at 6:30PM for conversation and snacks with the program starting at 7PM.

We are excited to have a presentation by guest speaker Joel Hamernick of the Campaign for a More Just Chicago.  This campaign is being kicked off to create a charter for the City of Chicago.  You may not know that our city has no charter. A city charter is a formal document that establishes a city as a legal entity and outlines its structure, powers, and governance, including the responsibilities of its elected officials, administrative functions, and the rights of its citizens.

New York City created a charter in the 80’s and Los Angeles created one in the 90’s.  In both cities it has resulted in increased checks and balances, improved responsiveness and accountability, modernized and streamlined government operations and provided for legal and fiscal integrity.

Join us on the 11^th to learn more about what a charter could mean for the city, what the campaign involves and how we can have input for the West Ridge community.

 

HOUSING NEEDS IN WEST RIDGE

While the City of Chicago’s population decreased between 2010 and 2020, the population in West Ridge increased by 7.2%.  Considering that dynamic and the possibility of housing being developed through the Western Avenue Corridor Study, WRCO conducted interviews with organizations in and serving the community to better understand housing needs.  We’ve compiled this information into a report which you can read below.  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DGLT5CK9a-PnmnKiD7Sazg7bOsSUb4pC/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100484911621818153724&rtpof=true&sdtrue 

OPPORTUNITIES

There is not a lot of vacant land in West Ridge but there is a sizable number of underutilized properties as pointed out by the Western Avenue Corridor Study and a walk down Touhy Avenue also shows underutilized spaces.  The Corridor Study highlighted parcels for infill housing where parking lots were not being used, empty buildings and stretches of land such as the western side of the street between Arthur and Albion.  

The study examined the land uses, development patterns, and circulation along Western, a heavily traveled and diverse corridor. The study analyzes the potential to:

• Increase density
• Promote a greater mix of land uses
• Improve how development relates to the surrounding, lower-scaled residential areas
• Enhance pedestrian safety through a forward-thinking design and planning process.

REZONING WESTERN

Zoning is an important tool for regulating new development. As of May 2024, the city is adjusting the zoning districts along the corridor to better align with the goals for land use and development as summarized in the Western Avenue Corridor Study. The proposed rezoning defines what types of development are appropriate on Western Avenue. Although some future zoning actions may still be necessary, especially for larger and more impactful projects, the additional transparency provided by rezoning will streamline the development process and attract necessary investment along the corridor. 

The City Council finalized a broad-based upzoning of Western Avenue covering most of the area from Howard to Addison.  Alderpersons Andre Vasquez (40th), Matt Martin (47th) and Maria Hadden (49th) worked on this aspect with the Department of Planning and Development and agreed to the upzoning.  This changed the zoning to allow more density and significantly shortened the time for developers to move their project to completion.  

The 50th Ward?

The 50th ward Alderperson Debra Silverstein did not sign off on the upzoning for the section of Western Avenue that is in her ward.  WRCO met with her to discuss the opportunities for developing housing in the ward, focusing on Western and Touhy Avenue. When asked why she didn't support the upzoning along with the other Aldermen, she replied that developers informed her that land prices would increase if the properties were upzoned proactively. This could lead to higher housing prices.  She is currently working with developers to encourage them to develop projects in the 50th ward, with rezoning taking place on a case-by-case basis.  She agreed to keep WRCO informed of development proposals and WRCO offered to support proposals which would increase housing opportunities in the ward.