Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Scott Waguespack

To Be Perfectly Frank, This Is A Dog of a Project

By John Greenfield | May 14, 2015 | 14 Comments

Does the idea of slathering the centrally located riverside land at Fullerton/Damen/Elston with asphalt make you red-hot? Let 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack know this traffic artery-clogging plan for the sausage emporium site doesn’t cut the mustard.

Residents: Car-centric Plan for Vienna Beef Site Doesn’t Cut the Mustard

By Brett Ratner | May 13, 2015 | 29 Comments

Last night at a hearing on Mid-America Real Estate Group’s preliminary proposal to redevelop the Vienna Beef hotdog factory site, local residents said they don’t relish the thought of valuable riverfront land being slathered with acres of asphalt. The community meeting, served up by 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack, took place at the sausage emporium, […]

Hellish Big-Box Proposal Would Nix Traffic Flow Gains From Elston Reroute

By John Greenfield | May 12, 2015 | 48 Comments

There are many productive ways Chicago could use the hump of centrally located, riverfront land that’s becoming available for redevelopment as part of the reconfiguration of the Fullerton/Damen/Elston intersection. The space, currently occupied by the Vienna Beef factory, could accommodate another light industrial business, pedestrian-friendly retail space for local merchants, an apartment complex, and/or some […]

Advocates: Vast Majority of Palmer Square Residents Want Raised Crosswalks

By John Greenfield | Jul 28, 2014 | 20 Comments

Palmer Square neighbors who want to see the city install raised raised crosswalks by the park appear to greatly outnumber opponents, judging from numbers provided by both sides. Earlier this month, Streetsblog Chicago detailed how neighbors have been campaigning to convert the two marked, mid-block crosswalks on the north side of the park to raised […]

Cost Isn’t the Issue With Palmer Square Speed Tables, NIMBYs Are

By John Greenfield | Jul 17, 2014 | 22 Comments

Last month, a DNAinfo.com article drew attention to a new campaign to improve pedestrian safety at Palmer Square by installing raised crosswalks, also known as speed tables. Unfortunately, factual errors in the piece left the impression that raised crosswalks would be an expensive solution that doesn’t have the Chicago Department of Transportation’s approval. It turns […]

Rahm Blinks, Agrees to Restore Metered Sundays on Some Retail Strips

By John Greenfield | Mar 19, 2014 | 6 Comments

After ten months of stonewalling, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is bowing to pressure from aldermen, chambers of commerce, and business owners and finally making good on his promise to bring back paid Sunday parking in some commercial districts. The Sun-Times reports the mayor plans to introduce an ordinance at the April City Council meeting that will […]

Lincoln Park Chamber Asks Merchants to Lobby Against Free Sunday Parking

By John Greenfield | Mar 17, 2014 | 11 Comments

Kudos to the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce for taking a stand against free Sunday parking. As reported by DNAinfo, last week the chamber sent its members an email titled, “Call to Action: End Free Sunday Parking at Meters.” The message asks merchants to contact aldermen like Scott Waguespack (32nd), Michele Smith (43rd), and Robert […]

Waguespack Sends a Fear Mongering Email About BRT to Constituents

By John Greenfield | Dec 20, 2013 | 119 Comments

As I’ve written many times on this website, 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack has done some good things for the city, and he’s a likeable person. So it’s painful to see him take an increasingly reactionary stance against the CTA’s plan to create a more efficient and equitable Ashland Avenue by building a bus rapid […]

A Progressive No More, Waguespack Compares BRT to the Parking Meter Deal

By John Greenfield | Dec 10, 2013 | 60 Comments

Even when I’ve disagreed with him over his recent comments on transportation and public space issues, I’ve always used the word “progressive” to describe 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack, but it might be time to drop that adjective. He has been an important independent voice at City Hall, most notably in his opposition to Richard M. […]

Waguespack Kvetches About Traffic Cameras and Higher Parking Fines

By John Greenfield | Oct 23, 2013 | 43 Comments

As I’ve written several times, 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack is one of City Council’s key independent voices, and he’s also a frequent bike commuter and a likeable person. That makes it especially annoying that he keeps making backward statements about transportation and public space issues. First he worried about the effect that swapping car […]

Woonerfs Are Great, But Lincoln Park Deserves a Car-Free Kenmore

By John Greenfield | Oct 7, 2013 | 42 Comments

Why do some people think Edgewater deserves to have a tranquil, car-free block of Kenmore Avenue running through its local college campus but Lincoln Park doesn’t? Loyola University is moving forward with its plan to build a completely pedestrianized street on the 6300 block of North Kenmore, which is almost totally surrounded by Loyola-owned buildings. […]