We were concerned about there not being a stop between Clinton Street and Ashland, which is more than a mile if I’m not mistaken. There’s nothing in the middle for people to get to, not only for the residents but also for the industrial people who work in the community. Also we saw a situation where we had an influx of cars in the community, and we wanted to alleviate that, and at the same time help the environment. We tried and tried to get money from the federal government, the CTA, and the state government, and we didn’t have any luck. Finally we were able to come up with about $35 million in TIF money in order to do that, so they started the design, and building should start next month. It’s a win-win situation for the whole community. We have a lot of social services in the area, we have a lot of employees that work in the community, and a lot of people who live in the neighborhood, so that ‘L’ stop is badly needed, and I’m sure it’ll be one of the most profitable ‘L’ stops in the city.
It’s a little tight, but people are able to sell their homes, too. I live in the 1600 block of Warren, just across Ashland, and I have a neighbor who just sold a condo. Now, no, they didn’t get a lot of money for it, but they were able to sell it and buy another one over on Kingsbury and Grand. So to me, that’s a good sign — they only had their condo up for four or five weeks and made a sale.
– Ald. Walter Burnett Jr of the 27th Ward, talking to us yesterday about a new Green / Pink Line station planned for the intersection of Lake and Morgan streets in the West Loop, and about the what he’s hearing from homeowners in his community. The new ‘L’ station is scheduled to open in 2011.