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11th Ward Newsletter - July 5th, 2026

Nicole Lee Ward 11 📞 773-254-6677 ✉️ [email protected]
Relevance: 6/10
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Summary

Alderman Nicole T. Lee (11th Ward) reports that the Committee on Housing and Real Estate Development held a subject-matter hearing on Mayor Johnson’s proposed “Protecting Renters Ordinance,” and she plans to review the ordinance and hear resident feedback. She also highlights an upcoming City Council vote likely on July 15 regarding a TIF request for infrastructure tied to the “The 78” mega-development (a Fire soccer stadium) after grounding, with a virtual community meeting scheduled July 10; additionally, CPD Supt. Larry Snelling’s July 15 resignation is covered, along with a COPA subject matter hearing. Other ward updates include a recorded community zoning meeting for 3439 S. Morgan, multiple upcoming community events/open houses (including “Moving Archer Forward” on July 8 and Night Out in the Park on July 17), and ongoing street/utility construction and break-ins at 35th & Halsted (Stussy’s) and 31st & Morgan (Zaytune’s).

Email from Alderman Nicole T. Lee

3659 S. Halsted | Chicago, IL 60609 | 773.254.6677


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July 5, 2026 




Dear neighbors,


I wish you and your family and friends a special Independence Day as we celebrated the 250th Birthday of the United States of America! I hope everyone had a good celebration despite the stormy weather. Speaking of stormy weather, we are aware of downed trees in the ward from calls we received over the weekend. Forestry has been out and will continue to clean up over the next few days. If you have a tree down and have not yet reported to 311, please do so and call the ward office too: 773.254.6677.


The 78 is a mega-development site in the 3rd Ward. It borders the 11th Ward at Ping Tom Memorial Park. The Chicago Fire soccer team have broken ground on their new stadium which is being 100% built with private funding from Fire owner, Joe Mansueto. A request for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding to support surrounding infrastructure for this first phase of development on the site is facing a vote in the Committee on Finance, and likely will be voted on at the next full City Council meeting on July 15th. After the first phase of development (the Fire stadium itself) was approved by the City Council, I made a commitment to hold a public meeting to receive community input ahead of the next phase of development. While this TIF request is not technically the “next phase of development,” it is a significant request, and 15% of the TIF in question is from the 11th Ward. Holding true to my commitment, I’ll be holding a virtual community meeting to provide updates and an overview of what the requested funds are meant to fund, and to hear any questions and concerns that you may have. Whatever development happens in The 78, the 11th Ward will be impacted as a neighbor. The virtual community meeting will take place on Friday, July 10th from 6pm - 7:30pm, register here to join.


Please note that our first Saturday ward office hours were changed from this Saturday, July 4, to next weekend, July 11. Hope to see you there if you need anything from the ward office.   


I know many in the ward have faced stress over the looming Supreme Court decision over birthright citizenship. I was glad to see that it was upheld this week in Trump v. Barbara. America—and our community—are fueled by so many birthright citizens (including my family). 




Hope you had a fun weekend, 



Alderman Lee

This Week in City Council

Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling announced his resignation as of July 15. We are grateful for his many years of leadership at the department. Now, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has 120 days to find candidates to replace him and present them as options for the Mayor. CPD’s Fred Waller will serve as the interim superintendent. 


We had a subject matter hearing for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) within the Committee on Police and Fire committee meeting on Tuesday. I questioned the representative from COPA in the hearing on why COPA was behind in filling vacancies to their office.


You may be hearing about a new ordinance introduced by Mayor Johnson called the Protecting Renters Ordinance. The Committee on Housing and Real Estate Development held a subject matter hearing on the ordinance earlier in the week. I am not on that committee and was unable to attend. I will be reviewing the recording and the ordinance itself. I am beginning to hear from residents of the ward (both renters and landlords) about their concerns related to the proposed legislation. If you have questions or concerns, or if you are in support of the legislation, I’d like to hear from you, please email me at: [email protected].

Upcoming in City Council

July 7: Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight 

July 8: Committee on Budget and Government Operations—(Reminder: I’m the Vice Chair of this committee!)

July 9: Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development 

July 15: Next full City Council meeting 

Events in the Ward

The recording from our community zoning meeting for 3439 S. Morgan is here. 


July 8: The last Moving Archer Forward Community Meeting public open house will be held at 5:30PM in St. Mother Teresa Hall, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, 2832 S. Quinn St. Attendees will learn about the plan's recommendations for the Southwest Side corridor and can share feedback ahead of potential Plan Commission adoption later this summer.


July 10: Veteran’s Office Hours in the Ward Office 10am - 2pm


11th Ward Community Meeting on TIF funding for The 78 (virtual) 6pm - 7:30pm. Register here.


July 11: Ping Tom Park Advisory Council’s School’s Out Bash at Ping Tom Park Fieldhouse at 11AM 


July 11: Bridgeport Mega Yard Sale. Sell or join the sale, which includes 80+ yards! Sign up here. Just fill out the form and you will be sent an electronic form to complete a City permit and then be placed on a public map that anyone can access. 


July 17: Night Out in the Park Yin He Dance Group & Market at Armour Square Park from 4pm - 7pm

Public Safety

There were two unfortunate break-ins of 11th Ward businesses over the weekend: one at 35th and Halsted at Stussy's, and at Zaytune's at 31st and Morgan early Friday morning. If you have any information about either of these incidents or have video footage that may be helpful to police, please contact my office or the CPD 9th District. 

Ongoing Construction &

Street Closures

Ongoing Project - Water Main, Sewer Main & Lead Service Line Replacement Project - Pershing Road:


Projected schedule: 6/29/2026 - 7/3/2026 (Weather Permitting)

Going forward our updates will focus on the completion of restoration activities which are currently under way. Concrete road base is expected to be fully completed by the end of the month, and the project will be handed over to MWRD/IDOT shortly after.

One lane open in each direction (east and west) during construction hours from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. One lane of the westbound roadway between S Stewart Ave and S Wentworth Ave will be closed for restoration work.



  • Final Connections and Concrete Cap - S. Stewart to S Wentworth - ongoing

Ongoing Project - 3500 - 3900 S Parnell Ave.:


We are coming down to the home stretch for the installation of mainline sewer. In one week the mainline sewer installation should be completed within 150 feet of the 35th St intersection.


Roadway restoration is occurring in the following phases over the next 4 weeks:

  1. 38th St intersection
  2. The north half of the 3600 block
  3. The south half of the 3600 block and 37th St intersection.
  4. The 3500 block and 36th St intersection

 

See below for updates on traffic control:

  • 38th and Parnell intersection: Closed in all directions for the next 1-2 weeks
  • 36 and Parnell intersection: Closed for EB and SB traffic. WB accessible from the 3500 block of Parnell
  • 3800 and 3700 block: Open for local traffic

The ComEd Project






Most Recent Updates - 7/2/2026


A ComEd notification was issued for work beginning May 25, identifying the full design area (31st street to 39th street between Lituanica to Normal Street) as potentially impacted. The project has been segmented into smaller work areas to enable more precise notifications. Scheduled work updates will be provided weekly. Below is the Pershing project work planned for the upcoming four-week period.

Due to ongoing storm activity, continued storm restoration efforts, and the forecasted extreme temperatures, the start of the overhead work has been postponed to July 20, 2026. We will proceed with the original four-week plan beginning on July 20th.

  • Weeks 1 -2 WEEK (7/20/26 – 7/31/26)

We will be working between 33rd Pl & 33rd St and Lituanica Ave & Halsted St. We are reframing two existing poles and replacing four existing poles. We are installing 270’ of new Overhead wire.

  • Week 3 (8/3/26 to 8/7/26)

We will be working on 34th St between Lituanica Ave & Halsted St. We are replacing four existing poles and reframing two poles. We are replacing two existing overhead transformers.

  • Week 4 (8/10/26 to 8/14/26)

We will be working between 33rd Pl & 33rd St and Lituanica Ave & Halsted St. We are replacing two existing overhead transformers and adding wildlife protection.

Peoples Gas South Station Remediation

Most Recent Updates - 6/5/2026


  • Peoples Gas contractors continue environmental cleanup activities at 2730 S. Eleanor Street.
  • The primary activities at the site in June will be excavating and hauling away soil, followed by backfilling excavations with clean stone. Trucks will continue to visit the site throughout the day to pick up soil and deliver stone. 
  • 24-hour air monitoring is taking place and will continue during all intrusive activity.
  • As a reminder, if you have questions about this project, please contact the Peoples Gas project number at 877-380-0522.

Announcements & Information 
Flyer from Alderman Nicole Lee (11th Ward, City of Chicago) titled “11th Ward 2026 White Sox Residential Zone Parking Updates,” featuring a background image of a night baseball game at Guaranteed Rate Field. The flyer is divided into two sections: Traffic Updates: “This season, 35th Street will be closed between Wentworth and Normal in both directions 90 minutes prior to the start of a game or event at the ball park and will reopen one hour after the close or when OEMC advises. The street will remain open for emergency vehicles, CTA Buses, IDOT and cyclists. Small map showing 35th Street closure area near the ballpark. “Parking Lots”: Event guests will be directed to access Lots A, B, C and G from Wentworth & 33rd Street. Lots F and L will be accessible from Pershing Road. Accessing residential streets: We recommend using 31st Street to access all North South Streets between Wentworth and Wallace. From the South, we recommend Pershing from Wallace to Halsted Reminders: If you live within the White Sox Park Residential Parking Zone and have a vehicle registered with the city of Chicago at that address, a packet with a decal and supply of season and single game guest passes was mailed to you in the last week. If you do not receive your packet in the mail, you may come to the 11th Ward Office beginning Monday, March 23rd to pick up decals and passes. Vehicles parked in White Sox Residential Zone Parking during events at the ball park must display a decal or valid guest pass. Decals are only valid on vehicles that also display a valid City of Chicago vehicle registration sticker. White Sox Park Residential Zone Parking is enforced two hours prior to the start of a game or event and one hour after. For areas where there is a city designated Residential Permit Parking and White Sox Residential Parking Zone - vehicles must display both permits or guest passes or be subject to citation. Pay close attention to signs on the street within one block of the perimeter of the ball park for additional restrictions. All signs will be updated to No Parking 4 hours prior and 2 hours after events.
Flyer titled “Residential access to local streets” explaining traffic and access changes for residents near a ballpark. Top section: Asks if the reader lives north of 33rd Street and south of 31st Street between Wentworth Avenue and Normal Avenue. A map highlights streets in this area with colored markings indicating closures and access routes. Text explains: o access Wells St., Princeton Ave., Shields Ave., Stewart Ave., Canal St. and Normal Ave., area residents are advised to come from the north and utilize 31st Street. Two hours prior to the start of an event, 33rd Street from Wentworth Ave. to Canal St. will be converted to a one-way, west bound street for parking access only – this means no residential access to Wells St., Princeton Ave., Shields Ave., Stewart Ave., or Canal St. Northbound from 33rd St. Access to Wells, Princeton, Shields and Stewart will be for residents only at 32nd Street. Once the game is over, 33rd Street from Canal St. to Wentworth Ave. will be converted to a one-way, East bound street to expedite traffic from parking lots. Bottom section: Asks if the reader lives south of the ballpark between 35th Street and Pershing Road, and between Normal Avenue and Wallace Street. A second map shows this area with marked routes and restrictions. Text explains: To access Wallace, Parnell, and normal to/ between 37th and 38th streets, area residents are advised to come from the north and utilize 35th Street at Wallace or from south and utilize Pershing rd. Access to 37th St. and 38th St. will be for residents only at Normal Ave.

A direct and compelling headline

Community Programs and Events

Jobs & Opportunities

Park District Programs

Services
Home Energy Savings Program - For Spanish
For Spanish
For Spanish
For Chinese 中文
For Polish

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For Chinese

11th Ward

School and Parish Information

one hope united Affordable Child Care - Spanish and Chinese

Waste Management

11th Ward

2026 Constituent Education Resource Card

The 11th Ward office is happy to announce has a free ‘Constituent Education Resource Card’ available to residents wishing to visit select museums and zoos in the Chicagoland area. Constituents can reserve our Constituent Education Resource Card on a first come first serve basis (more instructions below), to visit any of the following museums in 2026:


  • Adler Planetarium
  • The Art Institute of Chicago
  • Brookfield Zoo
  • Chicago Botanic Garden
  • Chicago Children’s Museum
  • Chicago History Museum
  • Dusable Museum of African American History
  • The Field Museum
  • Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
  • Lincoln Park Zoo
  • Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Museum of Science and Industry
  • National Museum of Mexican Art
  • National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
  • Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
  • John G. Shedd Aquarium


Only one group of up to four (4) can reserve the pass at a time. The pass must be picked up and brought back to the 11th Ward Office. Constituents need to call for an appointment to come to the office to pick up the pass before visiting the museums. We recommend calling two business days before your scheduled visit.


It is strongly recommended that families utilizing the card contact the museum they plan to visit to learn if pre-registration is required to visit. 

Chicago Public Libraries

9th District Police District Council & Beat Meeting Schedules

The office has extended hours on Monday nights until 7:00 p.m., is open on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00am - 12:00 pm, if it's a holiday weekend, the office will

be open the following Saturday and/or Monday.


Alderwoman Lee will be happy to see residents on Monday nights from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. If you'd like to make an appointment, please call the ward office at 773.254.6677.
 

11th Ward Office| 3659 South Halsted Chicago, IL 60609 | 773-254-6677

 
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Alderman Nicole T. Lee | 3659 S Halsted Street | Chicago, IL 60609 US
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