FULTON MARKET — A security-focused community group has formed in Fulton Market, and it’s looking for $800,000 a year to hire a private security firm to patrol the booming neighborhood.

The Fulton Market District Improvement Association was formed in November, according to public records. It’s headed by Donnie Madia, owner of One Off Hospitality, the parent company of acclaimed Fulton Market restaurants The Publican and avec.

The organization’s board also includes some of the area’s biggest movers and shakers: developer Jeff Shapack; BoKa Restaurant Group partners Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz; Kivvit founder and CEO Eric Sedler; Sterling Bay’s Managing Director of Security Erin Belknap; Dan Dorfman, partner at Fox, Sibel, Levin & Carroll; and Jay Stieber, executive vice president and general counsel of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.

The group made its debut Wednesday night during a town hall at 167 N. Green St. in front of a room of area restauranteurs, corporate leaders and business owners. Those in attendance were invited by the organization’s leaders and members.

They want to hire P4 Security Solutions, a private security firm, to patrol Fulton Market to deter crime, which would cost $800,000 annually, according to the group’s presentation.

The money would pay for 24-hour patrol, with three or four patrol cars deployed in an area bounded by Washington Boulevard, Hubbard Avenue, North Ogden Avenue and North Halsted Street. Group leaders are asking building and business owners to help pay for the patrol, asking for sponsorships ranging from $1,000-$100,000.

The near-$1 million price tag would be the largest service area patrolled by P4 in the city, according to the company. They also provide private security in Lincoln Park, Bucktown and soon the medical district in Streeterville.

Credit: Quinn Myers/Block Club Chicago

Madia told the crowd the group has worked on the proposal for more than a year and said they believe the private security will make the area safer for residents, tourists and workers.

“What’s really important here is that we, as a community, band together and figure out what we need to do in the next few months to deploy P4,” Madia said.

P4 is known for hiring off-duty and retired police officers as well as retired military personnel.

Last year, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed concern over neighbors hiring the private security company, saying patrolling Chicago’s streets is the “sole province” of the Police Department. Some Bucktown and Lincoln Park neighbors told Block Club they were skeptical of the company’s ability to deliver results.

RELATED: With Wealthy Neighborhoods Turning To Armed Private Security, Questions Raised About Accountability

At Wednesday’s meeting, officials from P4 reiterated that their job is not to replace police officers but to get police involved and let “police do what police do.”

P4 officials also revealed statistics for the first time that its representatives say show crime decreased in some areas it patrols or increased at a slower rate compared to areas outside of its patrols.

From 2021 to 2022 in parts of Lincoln Park P4 patrols, crime decreased 25 percent versus unpatrolled areas to the north, where it increased 16 percent, and unpatrolled areas to the south, where it decreased 4 percent, company leaders said.

In Bucktown, crime in patrolled areas increased 15 percent compared to an increase of 21 percent and 32 percent in areas north and south of the patrol area, according to a crime analysis by the company. Block Club could not immediately independently analyze the numbers the company provided to verify P4’s findings.

“Our job is really to observe, report, determine. We’re not out here to take a look at anybody. Our job is to be a liaison for this community, share information in real time with the police,” said Steve Vitale, principal for P4.

P4’s security officers are armed and carry handcuffs. The officers can and will detain someone if the situation is in line with the company’s “use of force continuum,” leaders said.

The continuum is a set of policies that guide how and when officers can use their weapon. Vitale said no P4 officer has shot a gun during a neighborhood patrol.

Credit: Melody Mercado/Block Club Chicago

Security officers also drive branded vehicles decked out in technology that includes cameras on the inside and outside of their cars. The company uses geofencing technology to monitor if guards leave the designated patrol area.

Part of a patrol officer’s job is to report problems like potholes and dimmed street lights to 311, Vitale said.

Fulton Market and the West Loop, which are in the 12th Police District, have experienced an increase in crime year over year, including carjackings, robbery and theft, according to police district data.

Through May 21, the 12th Police District reported 838 carjackings, up from 306 in 2022 and 224 in 2021. Robberies have also dramatically increased, with 228 reported so far this year compared to 175 by May 21 in 2022 and 137 by May 21 in 2021.

Overall crime in the 12th District has increased continuously since 2020, according to police district data.

P4 localized data from the Police Department’s publicly available data and mapped out how many of these crimes happened in Fulton Market. According to its assessment, 49 carjackings have occurred so far this year in the neighborhood, compared to 26 during the same period of time last year.

In total, 474 incidents of crime have occurred in Fulton Market so far this year compared to 376 incidents during the same period of time last year, according to P4’s analysis.

Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), who represents Fulton Market, said he fully supports the community group’s push to hire private security.

Burnett has said in the past he would support new security measures in the area, but he lacked a way to pay for it.

The Kinzie TIF District — which spans parts of Humboldt Park, West Town, East Garfield Park and the Near West Side — collects incremental property taxes to be used for neighborhood projects such as public infrastructure, schools, parks, leveraging private investment and more, according to the city’s Department of Planning and Development. But tax-increment financing dollars can’t be used to pay for private security or enhancements like additional police cameras, although some neighborhood organizations have tried to challenge that.

“It’s very noble of you to try to do what you’re all proposing here. I think we do need to put more skin in the game,” Burnett said at the meeting.

The Fulton Market District Improvement Association’s focus right now is to fully fund its P4 proposal, Belknap said. After annual funding is secured, the association wants to host security-focused town halls and encourage information sharing among business owners and residents in Fulton Market.

“If we can get the buildings and the restaurants and even some of the residents together, sharing all of that information, it’s another part of the solution,” Belknap said.

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation. 

Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.

Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 16:35:00 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/DaBPq-jBJRbg1U4RQsdoXtaXKMm36c-X https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/DaBPq-jBJRY5s_J1ZBWFlQVLTsI7B9NX

SOUTH CHICAGO — An affordable housing development on the Southeast Side with space for small businesses is advancing after alderpeople approved a zoning change for the project during the new City Council’s first meeting.

The Galleria 89 development would bring 58 affordable apartments to one new building and one existing structure at 8840-8854 S. Commercial Ave. The City Council on Wednesday approved a zoning change for the site from a commercial zone to a Residential Business Planned Development zone.

The new, five-story building would replace city-owned structures at 8848-8854 S. Commercial Ave. with 46 one- to three-bedroom apartments and two shops. The new building’s design will reflect “South Chicago’s history as the epicenter of the steel industry,” city officials said.

A three-story brick building at 8840 S. Commercial Ave. will be rehabbed to house 12 apartments and 1,900 square feet of retail for two shops.

All apartments will be affordable to residents making 60 percent or less of the area median income, or $66,180 for a family of four.

The buildings will be connected by an open-air, public courtyard with art installations. The development team, led by 548 Development, consulted with South Chicago institutions SkyART and Nine3 Studios to showcase murals and sculptures by local artists inside and outside of the building.

Credit: Rivetna Architects & Farr Associates

Credit: Rivetna Architects & Farr Associates

Galleria 89 is a transit-oriented development next to a bus stop and within a 10-minute walk of the 87th Street Metra Electric stop. Officials also plan to build a Divvy bike station as part of the development.

Twelve parking spaces, including one accessible space and two for electric vehicles, will be created for the project. Space for 90 bikes is also included in the plan.

The Chicago Plan Commission approved Galleria 89 in April after city planners recommended the project to advance, as it will not negatively impact nearby developments and aligns with the community’s pattern of development, officials said.

To view the plans as presented to the Plan Commission, click here.

Project costs were estimated at $36.4 million in November, up from an estimated $23.5 million when the proposal was selected as an Invest South/West initiative finalist in 2021.

The developers are pursuing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to help fund the project, according to city officials.

Galleria 89 coincides with a $43 million project to upgrade Commercial Avenue and 92nd Street in South Chicago with street resurfacing, raised bike lanes, curb extensions to shorten street crossings and more over the next few years.

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation. 

Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.

Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 16:25:44 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/DaBPq-jBJRY5s_J1ZBWFlQVLTsI7B9NX https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/DaBPq-jBJRY5s_J1ZBWFlWsGk81fO-bN

HUMBOLDT PARK — After a few years of online orders and dropoffs, the owners of Logan Square-based ghost kitchen Funeral Potatoes are looking to establish a brick-and-mortar in the neighborhood.

Eve Studnicka and Alexis Thomas-Rice are seeking the community’s help to take their business to the next level, raising money through an online fundraiser and an upcoming event to build out the restaurant and pay for supplies and staffing.

As of Thursday morning, the online fundraiser had raised a little more than $8,300 toward its $13,688 goal. But Studnicka said they need to raise at least $60,000 by June 2024 to get the project off the ground.

To help fill the gap, Studnicka and Thomas-Rice are hosting a fundraising event called The Howdy Y’all Disco Ball 6-10 p.m. June 3 at the See You Soon event space in the Kimball Arts Space at 1757 N. Kimball Ave.

There will be Funeral Potatoes food, drag performances, cocktails, a silent auction, vintage wares from Her & Ziba, a GlitterGuts photobooth, a best-dressed contest, plus “lots of dancing,” Studnicka said.

Tickets cost $85 and can be bought online.

“We are incredibly excited about this event as it represents so much of what we love about Chicago and the Midwest,” Studnicka said in a news release.

“From the campy queer vibes, to the lineup of beloved local talent, to the eclectic and luxurious silent auction roster, and of course the food — we want to give our community a sample of what we can offer once we are able to put down more permanent roots.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Funeral Potatoes (@funeral.potatoes)

Studnicka and Thomas-Rice launched Funeral Potatoes in 2020 after the pandemic hit: Studnicka was laid off from Finom Cafe in Irving Park, while Thomas-Rice lost all of her catering events as the owner of Black Cat Kitchen.

Since then, the two have been cooking out of a shared kitchen at Spaulding and Bloomingdale avenues.

Funeral Potatoes serves Midwestern comfort food with an elevated twist. The rotating menu includes dishes like jalapeño popper mac and cheese, cranberry and Coca-Cola pulled pork sandwiches and icebox cake made with blueberries, chamomile and goat cheese.

The ghost kitchen is named after a cheesy hash brown dish that’s popular among Midwestern neighbors, and it is sometimes referred to as cheesy potatoes or party potatoes, depending on where you live.

Studnicka and Thomas-Rice grew up in small Midwestern towns.

“We were drawing inspiration from when your neighbors bring you casserole to get through a hard time or to celebrate a baby. That felt very much like what we were doing during the pandemic — creating and delivering comfort food to get them through a hard time,” Studnicka said. “There’s nothing more comforting than cheesy potato casserole.”

Credit: Courtesy of Marisa Klug-Morataya

Over the past few years, Funeral Potatoes has grown from a two-person operation fulfilling a few dozen online orders a week to a sustainable virtual restaurant with several employees.

Studnicka said opening a physical restaurant is the natural next step for the business. She said they’ve been yearning for more face time with customers after years of running the business online.

A brick-and-mortar will also allow Studnicka and Thomas-Rice to expand their menu and serve plated dishes. Funeral Potatoes is currently restricted to serving food that travels well, Studnicka said.

Studnicka said the restaurant will be modeled after “comfortable and relaxed” spots like Same Day Cafe, New Wave Cafe and Spoken Cafe. They hope to open in Logan Square, where they have lived and worked for years, she said.

“We have so many friends in this neighborhood and so many customers in this neighborhood. We’ve got our roots going down over the last decade so we are really hoping that we can retain that,” Studnicka said.

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation. 

Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.

Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast”:

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 16:20:26 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/DaBPq-jBJRY5s_J1ZBWFlWsGk81fO-bN