As you may know, Sunday May 20th is the last day our caffe De Luca Bucktown location will be open. Please come visit us as much as you can before we close at 5pm on Sunday for the last time! Also, as promised we will be having a get together at Silver Cloud Sunday May 20th at 6pm. Please come out and reminisce, take pictures with the staff and have a good time with us! Here is the info:

caffe De Luca Goodbye Gathering
Sunday May 20th at 6pm at Silver Cloud
1700 N. Damen

We don’t have a party package, so it is just a casual gathering, everyone taking care of their own tab.

Please feel free to pass this on to any caffe De Luca regulars you know who didn’t get it.

Seeing all of you has always been the best incentive to come into work!
Thank you again for 13 wonderful years! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Rose Hopkins – pictured
Manager
caffe De Luca
1721 N. Damen Ave.

There were 13 closings in Wicker Park and Bucktown this past week: 3 detached single family houses, 7 attached condos, and 3 multi-unit buildings. Thanks to Marc of Marc Harris Photography for snapping today’s spaces.  All photos by Marc Harris.

Sold – Detached

2227 W McLean 3 bedroom 2 bath 1 Story 3 days ($319,000 List price) $345,000

1428 N Elk Grove 4 bedroom 3 bath 2 Stories $620,000

1716 W Wabansia 3 bedroom 3.1 bath 2 Stories 4 days ($699,000 list price) $695,000 - PICTURED

Sold – Attached

1725 W North #207 1 bedroom 1 bath Parking space Condo-Loft 14 days $225,000 – PICTURED

1543 N Leavitt #2N 2 bedroom 1.1 bath Garage Condo, Vintage 1 day $260,000

2352 W Shakespeare #4B 2 bedroom 2 bath Garage Condo $367,000

2335 N Lister #D 3 bedroom 2.1 bath 2 Garage Townhouse 3+ Stories, $375,000

2215 W Wabansia #3 2 bedroom 2 bath Garage Condo, $390,000

1618 N Oakley #3N 2 bedroom 2 bath Garage Condo $412,000

2310 W Wabansia #1W 4 bedroom 3 bath Garage Duplex, Condo $462,500

Sold – Two to Four Units

2342 W Dickens 2 2 bedroom units Garage 13days $381,000 (Short Sale)

1217 N Damen 2 2 bedroom units Garage $520,000

1816 N Wood 3 Units, 2 3 bedroom duplexes + 2 bedroom flat $637,200- PICTURED

Quick take – What’s on the market now?

Type, (number), Max, Average, Median, Min Price

Detached (58 properties) $$4,499,900 $1,284,953 $939,450 $275,000

Attached (120 condos) $1,200,000 $396,623 $375,000 $119,000

2 -4 units (22 properties) $890,000 $527,845 $524,450 $250,000

*** Information sourced from MREDLLC; 5/14/12. Residential properties – Bucktown (Ashland, Western, Fullerton, North) and WickerPark (Ashland, Western, North, Division)

Do you have a real estate topic that you’d like explored in a future column, or a question about buying or selling a home? You can reach Eva by email, or 312-543-6819.

About the Author:  Eva Bergant is a Bucktown resident and local Realtor with a community driven style. In addition to being president of the Bucktown Community Organization (BCO), Eva has long served as the chair of the Bucktown Garden Walk.

Carranza, who is seeking no monetary damages in the suit, said he is being discriminated by the municipality based on a broad reading of a law regulating alcohol consumption in theaters.

City ordinance 4-60-130(b) states “the operator of a theater presenting live stage performances” may sell liquor in their lobby one hour before the start of a performance, and during intermission.

Carranza said because his venue at 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. is a theater, albeit one primarily staging live music, authorities came to his venue enforcing a law that doesn’t apply to his business.

“We have the same, exact type of music theater liquor license as [The Congress’s competitors] do,” Carranza said, naming venues like the Vic Theatre, the Riviera Theatre, and the Aragon Ballroom.

“If you apply that law to us, you have to apply that law to every single theater in the city. That’s the basis of the complaint,” Carranza said. “If you crack down on us, you have to crack down on everyone else. It would kill live music in Chicago.”

Carranza also alleges police intimidation of Congress Theater staff, most notably in the treatment of general manager Ahmad Mahidi, who was taken into police custody and charged with violating city ordinances.

Friday April 13, 2012/ Photo by Alisa Hauser

Mahidi was charged with failure to cooperate with police regarding illegal activity in a licensed premise and with violation of hours of operation. Mahidi was taken into custody two-and-a-half hours before one ordinance he was charged with violating went into effect. No arrest was made, and Mahidi was released. On Friday April 13th, during a Meek Mill hip hop show, over 20 officers appeared after a fight among two patrons, where no arrest was made. The situation caused long-time theater neighbor Joe Kopera and eyewitness of the events to resign from his duties as a volunteer CAPS court advocate the following day.

The Chicago Building Code defines a “theater” as a building that presenting primarily theatrical performances, such as plays—not music concerts, as are the Congress’s specialties.

Carranza alleges the law was enforced at the behest of Ald. Proco ‘Joe’ Moreno (1^st), who recently put the Congress in a Deleterious Impact/Public Nuisance hearing, the first of which was in April.  A minimum of three hearings are required when a business is placed into the deleterious impact process. The Deleterious Impact Public Nuisance Ordinance was established by former Mayor Richard Daley and went into effect April 11, 2007.  The ordinance was amended on March 13, 2012.

“[Moreno] found a loophole, he dastardly found a loophole to try to interfere with our business,” Carranza said. “Everything else he’s tried has failed. I don’t know why he applied this law on us. This is another attempt by the aldermen to screw us. He says he doesn’t want to shut us down, but his actions say otherwise.”

Carranza also says the Alderman is “very good friends with my competition,” insinuating they were also behind the increased attention.

“Our competition had a lot to do with initiating this,” Carranza said. “They spread the rumors to my alderman, and my alderman believed them. He didn’t find that loophole himself. My competition gave him that loophole to pursue.

“I can’t prove that that conversation took place, but only my competition would know about something that detailed,” Carranza said, regarding the law.

The Congress Theater has faced profound criticism in the face of a sexual assault of a suburban woman who tried to attend a New Year’s Eve concert, but was turned away because she did not have identification for an age-restricted show.

In the wake of the public outcry about the assault, direct criticisms of the venue, long held in disregard by many Chicago music fans, became much sharper.

“There is a difference between rock ’n’ roll seedy and downright disgusting. The Congress is the latter,” WBEZ music critic Jim DeRogotis said to Carranza.

DeRogatis cited his personal experiences as reporter at the Congress, as well as numerous conversations with “many of your neighbors and customers” for his questions to Carranza.

Users on Yelp, a consumer review-based social network, are particularly withering, criticizing the venue for a lack of sound quality, unsanitary bathrooms and for brutish nature of its security guards. Of the reviews on Yelp, 82—one-third of the 265 total user-submitted reviews—are one-star ratings.

Carranza acknowledged the criticism of his venue, but stridently defended it as well.

“No venue is perfect—nobody, not even the Chicago Theater,” Carranza said. “These shows are very complicated, and they’re a thousand moving pieces. Even with Morrissey, we had gay guys fighting. You know what I mean? No show is ever perfect.”

(Morrissey is a musician with a fervent cult following amongst discerning popular music fans, and is especially heralded as an icon amongst some gay and Latino listeners.)

Regarding Yelp reviews, Carranza deflected additional criticism as the complaints of bitter patrons who’ve been thrown out by security.

“Yelp is a terrible place to rate us. We kick people out for a variety of reasons. Those are the ones that are Yelp’in,” Carranza said. “The ones that complain, I guarantee you they’re getting kicked out.”

Carranza said he is confident the city will rule in his favor, and that the Congress is just as well run as every other venue in the city.

“Put this down, I’ll say this, and I’ll say it again: We are no worse, or no better, than every other professional venue out there,” Carranza said. “No worse, no better. The way we operate our venue is just as professional as [competitors] operate their venues.”

UPDATE: According to documentation the Pipeline has received, the City will not charge the Congress Theater with violating the 4-60-130(b) ordinance.

By Jon Graef

New digs

Orig. space

They say ‘home is where the heart is,’ and for Futurgarb, the friendly, run-by-siblings boutique (with a few resident felines) that we’ve been shopping at for as long as we can remember, this means not moving too far away from your home when you make a move!

In last week’s pipeline, at the very bottom, we’d included a photo of what looked like construction happening on the roof above Harold’s Chicken/Futurgarb that was snapped by Philin Phlash.

A neighbor wrote in to indicate that it looked like the boutique was moving out. We’d hoped it wasn’t the case, since we love Futurgarb. In fact, our favorite pair of jeans that are now falling apart after five years of use came from there, as did a green zip up sweatshirt that’s also ready to be retired.

Pictured is a random person in said sweatshirt from Futurgarb, a hat from Lenny & Me, and drinking a beer at Pint, circa 2008. Yeah, we don’t travel far!

Futurgarb’s new location at 1369 N. Milwaukee is literally just two doors north of its long-time space at 1359 N. Milwaukee, with the distinctive orange peeling paint facade, sandwiched between Harold’s Chicken and the University of Aesthetics. Now Futurgarb is just two doors south of Filter. Right behind a nice green tree. We look forward to popping by the new place soon!

Moreno and Scott both gave opening statements about why they supported the 41-7 city council approved legislation creating it. Moreno and Scott explained the nature of the trust, why they supported it, and why it will be beneficial in their eyes to the city.

Moreno and Scott both said the purpose of the meeting was to provide additional information on the legislation, and to clarify the purpose of the trust. Attendees submitted written questions, which were interchangeably answered by Moreno and Scott.

The structure of the meeting provided for few follow-ups from the quiet crowd, but many direct questions from attendees were addressed, including those regarding transparency, privatization, and the financial implications of risk raised by the trust.

With the trust, the city of Chicago relies in part on private investment companies to fund infrastructure projects, which officials, including Scott, say are too financially unfeasible for the city to undertake on its own.

Such projects include improvements to city parks, train stations, and, most notably, the city’s water system, the privatization of which has been cautiously championed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (An idea that has been strongly opposed.)

The $7 billion trust is a non-profit overseen by a five-member board of directors. The mayor, with approval of the city council, appoints the directors governing the trust. One member must be an alderman, and others must have expertise in finance, infrastructure and city planning.

The trust is then charged with finding projects that are financially feasible for the city of Chicago and its sister agencies—in Scott’s words, “schools, the CTA, the park district, the CHA, etc.

“Those projects might be projects that have been sitting on the drawing board for CTA, or schools, for many years, or haven’t been financed for lack of funding,” Scott said. “Or they may be new, and involve a technology risk the public sector might not be ready for.”

Scott cited common citywide problems, including late trains, bumpy, pothole-riddled roads, and schools in ill-repair, as examples of types of problems the Infrastructure Trust was made to address.

The trust has been subject to controversy about how transparent the process of which projects will be funded, city government to ensure no bias will oversee how projects funded by the trust, and how the private interests the city would work with can be held accountable to taxpayers.

In this regard, opponents of the trust who attended Tuesday’s meeting compared it to the city’s controversial parking meter deal, which involved the selling of public meters to a private company, for a loss.

The deal is widely lambasted by both aldermen and citizens alike. Both Moreno and Scott took pains to condemn it, yet also insisted that the Infrastructure Trust was a successful variant of a similarly private interest-minded plan.

“We are not leasing or selling any city assets. Let me make that clear,” Moreno said. “Quite frankly, it gets me angry, and it’s one of the reasons I’m having this meeting.

“The parking meter deal—that deal sold a public asset to a private company for a generation,” Moreno said. “OK? That is not what this trust is doing. We’re not making a decision to give the skyway away.”

Moreno assured residents the revised trust—which underwent several amendments before ultimately being decided on—would grant the council a strong oversight.

However, Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson wrote an aldermanic letter explaining that the trust, as it currently exists, “will only lead to legal disagreement and conflict down the road that will undermine public confidence in the integrity of this potentially beneficial program.”

Additionally, Moreno asserted during the meeting that Freedom of Information Act requests would apply to documents gathered by the trust. As of recently, they do not.

After the meeting, two Chicago residents and political activists, Dr. Lora Chamberlain and Rachel Goodstein, brought up the recent bailouts of the financial industry as examples of how the government lends help to private sector at the expense of the public sector.

Chamberlain brought up public banks in San Francisco as a counter example to public-private partnerships, arguing that wholly public enterprises are better for cities in the long term.

“Ours is the populist way,” Chamberlain said. “Theirs is the high finance way.”

Sewer workers on the 1800 block of N. Milwaukee Ave.

Another resident, Enrique Martinez, spoke highly of public-private partnerships, based on his own experiences working in the city’s Sewer Department.

“[Private interests] hold these people accountable,” Martinez said. “Best thing to happen to the city, going private.”

Goodstein spoke more negatively about them.

“Who are they looking out for?” Goodstein said, speaking generally of private interests. “We are always on the hook. Taxpayers are always on the hook. They burned us to the tune of their own greed. We need to invest in ourselves.”

Both Moreno and Scott said in the meeting that the risk of the trust would fall solely on the private investors, though no projects have been yet approved, and project approvals would take more than a year to implement.

Chamberlain was skeptical of that argument.

“Chicago taxpayers have been soaked enough by public-private partnerships,” Chamberlain said after the meeting.

By Jon Graef

From FOBT: “We are particularly interested in your feedback about access parks. After a short presentation, we’ll break into small groups to discuss the following access parks, and how ramps and other amenities will be designed:

-Ridgeway (trailhead)

-Kimball (a new park to be created)

-Julia de Burgos Park (between Albany and Whipple)

-Park 567 (presentation of the park design at Milwaukee and Leavitt)- PICTURED

-Churchill Field (Damen)

-Walsh Park (Ashland)

The meeting IS TONIGHT at 6pm at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse, 1440 N. Sacramento. More details are in the flyer below – please be sure to invite your neighbors!”

June 2011/Photo by Philin Phlash

Ald. Proco ‘Joe’ Moreno (1^st) stated his support for the legalization of same-sex marriage, apropos of President Barack Obama’s recent endorsement, Tuesday.

“I obviously support the President,” Moreno said. “I’ve held that belief for many years. I know others have.”

President Obama recently stated that he supports the legalization of same-sex marriage, while also saying the social issue would be best left up to the states to resolve. President Obama is the first sitting president on record to make such an endorsement.

The president also described his own views on the issue as having gone through an “evolved,” despite being on record as supporting same-sex marriage as a candidate for Illinois state senate.

June 2011/ Photo by Philin Phlash

Moreno said history will judge Obama kindly, and that the legalization of same-sex marriage is “common sense.”

“I think we’ll look back on his statement and say, quite frankly, that ‘yes, it was bold for the time,’ but we’ll look back on it and say, ‘well, yeah, that makes sense,’” Moreno said. “[Same-sex marriage legalization] is common sense, it’s human rights, it’s equal rights, and I applaud the President for [making his statement].”

In a phone interview with Chicago Pipeline, Moreno also gave an update on the ordinance introduced in March addressing inadequacies regarding Chicago Police Department protocol toward transgender citizens. The ordinance was introduced by Moreno, who co-sponsored it with Aldermen James Cappleman and Tom Tunney.

“We got that ordinance and that agreement, and now the discussion is whether you believe the police already have the measures [to address the transgender community] in place, or if there need to be stronger measures,” Moreno said.

Moreno mentioned a lawsuit brought against the city of Cicero because of transgender discrimination, saying having a city policy would help resolve such complaints.

Moreno also stressed the importance of how the ordinance addresses language, specifically which pronouns to use when referring to an apprehended transgender person, or a transgender person who needs assistance.

“We’re talking in details of how police should refer to specific individuals by pronouns—really specific stuff,” Moreno said. “We’re discussing that language right now.

“The problem [with addressing such issues] is that some in the transgender community have just not taken the steps, or do not know how to take the steps, to change their identification,” Moreno said.

June 2011/Photo by Philin Phlash

Moreno said while there have been many differences of opinions from the LGBTQ when it comes to the ordinance, he said several meetings with those local LGBTQ organizations – including the Civil Rights Agenda, and the Human Rights Council — to further refine and discuss the ordinance have gone well.

In April, however, LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Illinois withdrew its support of the ordinance, saying the ordinance was not the same one the groups had agreed to up to its introduction.

“The proposed ordinance that was introduced in March removed all major enforcement and accountability components that we had previously discussed were essential to include,” wrote Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, in a statement to Windy City Media Group.

The statement also noted that Center on Halsted and Lambda Legal withdrew its support. The Civil Rights Agenda, however, retained its support of the ordinance, highlighting existing tensions between the CRA and Equality Illinois.

Moreno, for his part, emphasized the importance of “having a policy on the books,” a phrase repeated often during the interview.

“Politics aside, we need to have a policy on the books,” Moreno said, adding, “As we continue to barter over small political agendas, our transgender community doesn’t have a policy on the books. We need to get something going because every day we don’t is another day the community doesn’t have a policy on the books.”

There are no upcoming public meetings to discuss the ordinance scheduled.

By Jon Graef

Proceeds will benefit Atia’s Project Ladybug Fund. There is a personal connection between Sanjeev, co-owner of Cumin, and Atia, who was diagnosed with cancer at 17 months of age and is now three years old.  Prior to working in the restaurant industry, Sanjeev worked in IT and Atia is the daughter of one of his former coworkers.

Learn more about the fund here.

Tickets start at $75.

We watched the brown paper go up on the windows of Antico Taco, in the former Milwood space, though never got a chance to meet the owners, so read all about Antique Taco, which is owned by Rick and Ashley Ortiz, who’ve been cooking out of a shared kitchen for their Antique Kitchen Catering company, over on the RedEye as well as Eater.com.

Per Ari Bendersky of Eater.com, “The couple aims to showcase their shared passion for cooking traditional Mexican fare like masas and tacos as well as their love for antiquing.”

Anyone want to go on a lunch outing to Antique Taco this Wednesday? Per Eater, Antique Taco plans to open this Wednesday, May 16th!

In other newly opened news, we popped by Milano Nando Trattoria this past week, at 2114 W. Division (in the former Dee’s Place spot).  Check out today’s Thrillist which featured the cozy trattoria and its menu.

Bon appetit. And Happy Monday.  On a side note, there are just a few days remaining to join the upcoming printed magazine. Over 85 business, shops, and community groups will be featured in 30,000 printed copies, and maybe you, too!  Call 773-960-3997. At this point, we prefer to receive camera-ready creative, but if you need a custom ad done, we can do that.  Josh and  JR are busy making lots of fun ads. Alisa will be taking photos for a few ads today. In a world where traditional newspapers are unfortunately shrinking in size and scope, we believe there is still a role for print, though on an occasional basis. We print just twice yearly- summer and winter. The advertisers in the printed editions help to inform the content on our weekly e-newsletter, website, and blog.

Thanks to the many news participants who joined this past weekend. Here’s a sneak peek of the magazine’s cover, by Rick Liebenow who painted the covers for our past two printed publications. People hanging out in the park is reflective of the neighborhood we know and love. While there’s lots of huge summer fest crowd pleasers, and yes, we’ll be listing dates and info on those, it’s the advertisers in the publication who not just inspire our content but make the steep costs associated with printing and distribution possible. Thus, expect lots of off-the-beaten path places to be featured and community-focused-volunteer-run festivals. Thank you to all who’ve signed up thus far. Call 773-960-3997 to be part of the magazine.  If you would like to donate toward the costs of printing, click here. We will feature your name in print!! All proceeds will be applied toward printing, distribution, and compensating a team of five people working hard on the publication.

We here at the pipeline believe in the gift of time, rather than material gifts. Though for gift ideas, check out CeCe’s Mother’s Day Guide, including dining options at  Taxim, 1558 N. Milwaukee, and Cafe Laguardia, 2111 W. Armitage, both participating in upcoming print magazine, due out June 1st (yes, there’s still time…  thanks to Brasil Legal, Pinch Spice Market, and Park Schreck Gallery who joined the magazine yesterday!)  In the reader survey, someone wrote, “Iwouldn’t be willing to pay to subscribe to the pipeline, but I would be willing to shop and spend money at pipeline supporters.”  Thanks to all readers who might feel this way, too.

Most moms, including ours (we can’t speak for Lady Phlash, or CeCe’s or Davis’s or JR’s mom) would likely be happy to spend time with you today.  Phlash’s wife, S., is featured in the photo at far left, snapped during West on North’s opening party last summer.

Following is a Mother’s Day reflection by Gary Marks which we featured in a May 2010 Pipeline.  Marks is a local landlord and documentary filmmaker.

When my mom died last December my brother and I both spoke at the funeral. I had often thought about what I would say that day and long ago I decided that the speech would begin, “my mom was a blonde from the day she was born to the day she died”. Now certainly there was some vanity attached to that standing Friday afternoon beauty parlor appointment, but for me that blondness was more a symbol of my mother’s incredible resilience and her determination to continue caring about the things she thought were important.

She was a Big Band, Frank Sinatra loving 50′s girl and in the vernacular of her time I think they would’ve said “she was a real class act”. She was smart, she was funny and she looked like Grace Kelly and had the poise to match. She met my dad at a resort where he was playing and before you knew it they were raising three kids in a nice old house on Chicago’s south side. Then in 1962 a drunk driver struck my parent’s car and my mom was left crippled for the rest of her life. Read more by Gary Marks Here.