Alex Nitkin is The Daily Line’s reporter covering Cook County and Chicago land use policy. He came to TDL from The Real Deal Chicago, where he covered Chicago real estate news. He previously worked at DNAinfo, first as a breaking news reporter, and then as a neighborhood reporter covering the city's Northwest Side. Nitkin graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a bachelor’s degree.
Bio
Solutions reporter, @IllinoisAnswers/@BetterGov. Formerly of @thedailylinechi, @trdchicago & @DNAinfoChi. Amateur baker. Tips: [email protected]
MAY 14, 2020
Cook County property owners won’t be penalized if they take an extra two months to pay their second-round property taxes this year, county officials announced Wednesday.
County proposes 60-day property tax cushion as ‘fair balance’ for homeowners, local governments
Cook County property owners won’t be penalized if they take an extra two months to pay their seco...
MAY 13, 2020
A proposal to build a storage facility and retail complex on a long-vacant lot in Portage Park took a leap forward on Tuesday, as aldermen approved a $3.4 million tax incentive to support its development.
Aldermen approve $3.4M tax break to spur development of long-vacant Portage Park lot
A proposal to build a storage facility and retail complex on a long-vacant lot in Portage Park to...
MAY 13, 2020
Aldermen advanced a $3 million rescue package on Tuesday for owners of affordable apartment buildings as the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis squeezes renters and landlords across the city.
Committee approves $3M affordable housing loan program, gives housing officials 3-year license to restructure city-backed debt
Aldermen advanced a $3 million rescue package on Tuesday for owners of affordable apartment build...
MAY 12, 2020
A sweeping new report last week cranked up pressure on the City Council to pass legislation legalizing coach houses and extra basement units in Chicago, a proposal city housing officials have been eyeing for more than a year as similar laws take hold in other parts of the country.
Report: Success of legal coach houses relies on cutting regulations, offering financial support
A sweeping new report last week cranked up pressure on the City Council to pass legislation legal...
MAY 12, 2020
Aldermen advanced a proposal on Monday to make it illegal for employers to demote or fire their workers for staying at home in line with city and state orders related to Covid-19.
Proposed ordinance protects employees for obeying COVID-19 rules
Aldermen advanced a proposal on Monday to make it illegal for employers to demote or fire their w...
MAY 12, 2020
If approved by aldermen Tuesday, a new proposal will allow city housing officials to modify city-backed loans for affordable housing properties without approval from the City Council.
Affordable housing loan program, SSA board appointments under consideration Tuesday
If approved by aldermen Tuesday, a new proposal will allow city housing officials to modify city-...
MAY 11, 2020
The City Council Committee on Workforce Development is scheduled on Monday to consider a proposal (O2020-2343) by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to make it illegal for employers to demote or fire their workers for complying with city and state orders related to Covid-19. Actions that would be protected from retaliation include staying home if employees feel sick, obeying isolation orders or following other health department directives “regarding the duties of hospitals and other congregate facilities.”
Aldermen to consider new worker protections in line with Covid-19 guidelines
The City Council Committee on Workforce Development is scheduled on Monday to consider a proposal...
MAY 11, 2020
City planning officials gave initial approval for the construction of the 1,422-foot Tribune East, which developers said could break ground as early as fall 2021.
The Chicago Plan Commission approved a $700 million proposal on Friday to reshape the city’s skyline by building Tribune East, a hotel and residential tower that would be the second tallest in the city next to Willis Tower.
Tribune East approved despite concerns over affordable unit inclusion
City planning officials gave initial approval for the construction of the 1,422-foot Tribune Eas...
MAY 08, 2020
Sponsored MessageCity officials will delay cracking down on businesses whose licenses have expired and suspend the collection of taxi and ride-share fees, according to a proposal advanced by aldermen on Thursday.
City to suspend fines for expired business licenses, delay fees for taxis and ride-sharing
Sponsored MessageCity officials will delay cracking down on businesses whose licenses have expi...
MAY 08, 2020
Chicago could be one step closer to getting its second-tallest skyscraper with a vote scheduled Friday by city planning officials to approve Tribune Tower East, a 1,442-foot, $700 million development located next door to the historic Tribune Tower.
Plan Commission vote could push city’s second tallest skyscraper closer to reality
Chicago could be one step closer to getting its second-tallest skyscraper with a vote scheduled F...
MAY 07, 2020
Bars and restaurants could face fines of up to $1,000 for playing music for their outdoor patrons under a measure proposed by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2).
Aldermen set to consider raising fine for loud music on outdoor patios
Bars and restaurants could face fines of up to $1,000 for playing music for their outdoor patrons...
MAY 07, 2020
Friends of Marianne Lalonde / YouTubeAn Uptown consultant and activist who last year came within 25 votes of unseating Ald. James Cappleman (46) chartered an independent political group this week, the latest in a series of progressive neighborhood-level organizing ventures to materialize in the wake of last year’s earth-shaking city elections.
Cappleman opponent launches independent party org in Uptown
Friends of Marianne Lalonde / YouTubeAn Uptown consultant and activist who last year came withi...
MAY 06, 2020
Hilco Redevelopment Partners violated Illinois law and state pollution control regulations when its April 9 demolition of a smokestack at the former Crawford power station sent a cloud of dust over neighboring homes, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by state Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
AG sues Hilco, seeks more than $100K in damages over botched smokestack demolition
Hilco Redevelopment Partners violated Illinois law and state pollution control regulations when i...
MAY 06, 2020
Mass unemployment sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is likely accelerating the forces that were already squeezing vulnerable renters out of gentrifying neighborhoods, according to findings released Tuesday by the DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies.
Report: Covid-19 likely intensifying pressure on vulnerable renters
Mass unemployment sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is likely accelerating the forces that were...
MAY 05, 2020
Developers and city officials previewed Monday their first official plan for Bronzeville Lakefront, an 81-acre campus to be built on the sprawling site of the former Michael Reese Hospital over the next two decades.
Developers unveil $6 Billion, 81-Acre redevelopment proposal for former Michael Reese Hospital site
Developers and city officials previewed Monday their first official plan for Bronzeville Lakefron...
MAY 04, 2020
S&P Global Rating downgraded the credit outlook on Cook County’s debt from “stable” to “negative” as the county braces for an unknown budget gap this year in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic recession.
Analysts affirmed an A+ rating for the county’s general obligation bonds and an AA- rating for its sales tax revenue bonds, but the change in their outlook represents at least a one-in-three chance of a ratings downgrade during the coming months due to “unprecedented pressure facing the county from the rapid deterioration in the U.S. economy,” according to a report published by S&P on Friday.
Analysts affirmed an A+ rating for the county’s general obligation bonds and an AA- rating for its sales tax revenue bonds, but the change in their outlook represents at least a one-in-three chance of a ratings downgrade during the coming months due to “unprecedented pressure facing the county from the rapid deterioration in the U.S. economy,” according to a report published by S&P on Friday.
S&P downgrades Cook County credit outlook, citing ‘stark declines in revenues’
S&P Global Rating downgraded the credit outlook on Cook County’s debt from “stable” to “negat...
MAY 04, 2020
A judge ruled against a suburban emergency dispatch service in the group’s lawsuit against Cook County health officials. Meanwhile, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans extended a suspension of most in-person court activity, as well as eviction and foreclosures. And city and state health officials announced they will stop accepting new patients at the makeshift hospital created inside McCormick Place.
Morning briefing: Cook County fends off first responders’ lawsuit, county eviction moratorium extended, McCormick Place field hospital winding down
A judge ruled against a suburban emergency dispatch service in the group’s lawsuit against Cook C...
MAY 01, 2020
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago police leaders on Thursday announced a new citywide staffing structure they said would bolster coordination between patrol officers and detectives. Meanwhile, city leaders celebrated a legal victory against President Donald Trump in a case that has been litigated since 2017. The mayor dug in on her non-binding “housing solidarity pledge” as activists have demanded stronger tenant protections ahead of the May 1 rent deadline. And looking ahead to budget season, Lightfoot vowed to consider laying off city employees only as a “last, last, last resort.”
Morning Briefing — CPD to restructure; Chicago wins ‘sanctuary city’ ruling; activists blast ‘housing solidarity pledge’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago police leaders on Thursday announced a new citywide staffing str...
APR 30, 2020
Members of the Chicago City Council have been more willing to oppose Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s agenda than they were to stand in the way of her predecessors, but the heightened opposition has so far done nothing to stymie her agenda.
That was the conclusion of the latest “rubber stamp report” report released this week by University of Illinois at Chicago professor Dick Simpson, a former alderman and chronicler of Chicago history who has spent more than a decade keeping tabs on aldermen’s voting records. The report was co-authored by PhD candidate Marco Rosaire Rossi and author Thomas J. Gradel.
Lightfoot’s diminished ‘rubber stamp’ council: Here’s who votes with the mayor most often
Members of the Chicago City Council have been more willing to oppose Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s agend...
APR 30, 2020
In the face of progressive forces calling for mass rent cancellation, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday announced her administration has coaxed a broad coalition of commercial lenders and landlord groups to sign onto a non-binding “solidarity pledge” promising all-around leniency in an effort to prevent people from being forced out of their homes amid the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge calls on apartment owners to work out individualized payment plans for struggling tenants, and it asks housing lenders to defer mortgage payments and suspend foreclosures until at least May 31. While the city has no power to enforce the pledge, Lightfoot touted commitments from more than a dozen banking firms and three influential local landlord groups agreeing to its terms.
The Chicago Housing Solidarity Pledge calls on apartment owners to work out individualized payment plans for struggling tenants, and it asks housing lenders to defer mortgage payments and suspend foreclosures until at least May 31. While the city has no power to enforce the pledge, Lightfoot touted commitments from more than a dozen banking firms and three influential local landlord groups agreeing to its terms.
Lightfoot calls on landlords, lenders to sign ‘solidarity pledge’ as organizers call for sharper policy
In the face of progressive forces calling for mass rent cancellation, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoo...
Bio
Solutions reporter, @IllinoisAnswers/@BetterGov. Formerly of @thedailylinechi, @trdchicago & @DNAinfoChi. Amateur baker. Tips: [email protected]
