Throughout Lincoln Park, neighborhood associations serve as the watchdogs of the community, making sure residents gain input on zoning issues, CTA elevated train station renovation plans, streetscape improvement proposals, beautification efforts and much more.
In Lincoln Park, the Lincoln Park Conservation Association serves as the umbrella for seven neighborhood organizations that serve an area bordered by Diversey Parkway, North Avenue, Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.
Pat Bergeson, the Conservation Association’s president, said that when she moved to Lincoln Park 25 years ago, the association was by far the dominant organization in the area.
“Since then the affiliated organizations have become much stronger,” she said. “We see our role evolving. Their issues are our issues. We try when we can to speak with one voice.”
One of the Conservation Association’s most pressing issues is zoning. The organization has voiced concerns about the number of traditional Chicago cottages that are being torn down to make way for 5,000-square-foot mini-mansions, Bergeson said.
The dramatic increase in property taxes in Lincoln Park is another issue of concern to residents, who fear long-time homeowners may not be able to remain in the community.
Historical designation is yet another issue. “We want to preserve buildings with historical significance,” Bergeson said.
Lincoln Central Association
The association’s primary mission is providing information and education about community planning, zoning, the placement of sidewalk cafes and business development to residents of the community, president Cynthia Bathurst said.
It is helping raise funds for an ongoing effort to maintain and beautify Bauler Park, 517 W. Wisconsin St. It also assisted in the fundraising for the beautification and renovation of Lincoln Central Park, at Lincoln and Dickens Avenues, last year.
This monththe association launches a six-month project to obtain input from residents on the development of a comprehensive plan for the community, which will address such issues as housing, open space, recreation, safety and business development, Bathurst said. Focus groups and neighborhood meetings will be held and surveys will be distributed.
Old Town Triangle Association
The Old Town Triangle Association, founded in 1948, began as a civilian defense organization following World War II. These days, the group works to improve open spaces, protect its architectural integrity and contribute to its cultural resources, said Shirley Baugher, the association’s administrator.
“We maintain the parkways, replace trees that have died and see to it that city services are carried out,” she said.
Most of the funds raised by the group’s annual Old Town Art Fair help maintain the Old Town Triangle Center, 1763 N. North Park Ave., where the association holds classes, including art and yoga. The classes are open to anyone.
Some of the proceeds also benefit a number of community schools, paying for updated computers and artist-in-residence and after-school programs, Baugher said.
Park West Community Association
The main issue being examined now by the association is improving pedestrian friendliness along Clark Street between Armitage Avenue and Diversey Parkway, president Gale Klein said.
“Our sidewalks are very narrow and we want to widen the sidewalks and make a more attractive streetscape,” she said.
“We would narrow the street so it would be one lane of traffic each way, rather than one and a half, eliminate double parking on Clark Street, get curbside bus-stop loading zones at corners and improve the sidewalks.”
The five-member Neighborhood Improvement Clark Street Initiative Committee is working with Ald. Vi Daley (43rd), the Chicago Department of Transportation and several design firms to help bring about these changes, Klein said. They’re hoping to complete the design phase by the end of the year and perhaps begin some of the initial work by the end of 2002.
Mid-North Association
Right now, this group is keeping an eye on the retail climate in its area.
“We’re very concerned about the number of vacant storefronts on Clark Street, and not only in Mid-North but in surrounding neighborhoods,” president Kate Covington-Burleson said.
As for the proposed narrowing of Clark Street , the association’s goal is to ensure that retailers between Dickens Street and Fullerton Avenue benefit not only from pedestrian traffic but also from motor-vehicle traffic, Covington-Burleson said.
Sheffield Neighborhood Association
The mission of the association is to monitor the condition of the neighborhood physically and socially, and to initiate any action deemed appropriate to improve the general welfare, president Judith Lauth Casey said.
Beautification is a key focus. During the last two to three years, the organization has paid for and installed surface planters, hanging baskets and vibrant banners on commercial streets throughout the neighborhood.
The organization currently is holding neighborhood meetings to gain input on the CTA’s plans for the renovation of the elevated train stations at Fullerton and Armitage Avenues. Its Neighborhood Advisory Committee meets regularly with DePaul University to discuss the institution’s parking issues and building and expansion plans, and the Community Relations Committee is working with Children’s Memorial Hospital on its plans to expand its Lincoln Park campus.
Wrightwood Neighbors Association
The association regularly sends representatives to meet with DePaul and Children’s Memorial to monitor those institutions’ expansion plans.
Monthly meetings allow developers to present plans for commercial and residential structures in the neighborhood.
“Fundraising is always an issue,” president Barry Ash said. “We do give a lot of money to not-for-profit organizations.
“The schools are definitely a beneficiary, as are soup kitchens and organizations for wayward children.”
RANCH Triangle Community Conservation Association
Streetscape improvements, park cleanups and zoning variances are the issues often tackled by the association. The group recently has focused on the proposed redevelopment project for the Armitage Avenue elevated train station, which calls for lengthening the station so that eight-car trains, instead of the current six-car trains, can be accommodated.
Working with the CTA and Ald. Daley’s office, the group is seeking to ensure the project doesn’t negatively affect the historic aspects of the area’s commercial buildings and houses, the needs of businesses and the quality of neighborhood life, president Brian Abrahams said.
RANCH stands for the neighborhood’s boundaries: Racine Armitage North (Avenues) Chicago (River) Halsted (Street).
