PRESS RELEASE (September 13th, 2013)
Rally Against the Lakefront Car Tower
On Sunday, September 15th, 2013 at 1:00 p.m., Rogers Park residents will march and rally against a proposed parking garage planned for construction at the corner of Sheridan Road and Sherwin Avenue. Organized by a group of neighbors concerned about the negative impact of the project on pedestrian safety, noise, pollution and the residential character of the area, the march will start at Loyola Park at Touhy and proceed up Sheridan Road past the mansion at 7331 N. Sheridan Road, currently occupied by the Shambhala Meditation Center.
Rally Against the Lakefront Car Tower
7331 N. Sheridan Road (current state)
On Sunday, September 15th, 2013 at 1:00 p.m., Rogers Park residents will march and rally against a proposed parking garage planned for construction at the corner of Sheridan Road and Sherwin Avenue. Organized by a group of neighbors concerned about the negative impact of the project on pedestrian safety, noise, pollution and the residential character of the area, the march will start at Loyola Park at Touhy and proceed up Sheridan Road past the mansion at 7331 N. Sheridan Road, currently occupied by the Shambhala Meditation Center.
Colonel J. N. Pritzker, through Tawani Development Corporation, purchased the property and plans to demolish the historic structure. The four-story parking garage required a zoning change and, despite receiving over 400 petition signatures opposing the change, Alderman Joe Moore recently approved the project.
On September 20th, 2013, the issue will come before the Zoning Board of Appeals, which will consider, among other criteria, whether the proposal is compatible with the character of the surrounding area in terms of site planning, building scale and project design; will not have a significant adverse impact on the general welfare of the neighborhood; and is designed to promote pedestrian safety and comfort.
Rogers Park residents have a history of fiercely protecting their lakefront, its beaches and the architectural integrity of Sheridan Road, resisting any attempts to extend Lake Shore Drive through unsightly landfills or creating a high-rise canyon down Sheridan Road similar to what was foisted upon the Edgewater community immediately to the South. Sheridan Road in Rogers Park has retained a low-rise, residential character because of those efforts over the past 50 years. This parking garage proposal is yet another attempt to change Sheridan Road and threaten its low-rise, residential character.
WHAT: MARCH AND RALLY
WHERE: MEET AT TOUHY AVENUE AND SHERIDAN ROAD
WHEN: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th, 2013, 1:00 P.M.
Word 49 - The Word on Edgewater, Rogers Park and West Ridge
