A rendering of the first phase of the Lincoln Yards plan that was presented to the Chicago Plan Commission on April 15. [Department of Planning and Development]

A developer’s about-face in its first stage of building the Lincoln Yards megadevelopment illustrates how much latitude the firm has been given to reshape its massive plans — shutting out public input in the process, some neighbors argue.

Sterling Bay presented the first construction planned in its sprawling Lincoln Yards campus to the Chicago Plan Commission during a public hearing on April 15.

Erin Hegarty spoke with Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) and Desmon Yancy, director of community organizing for Inner-City Muslim Action Network, about their ordinance and challenges in getting it approved without the mayor’s support.

Advocates behind the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance are urging aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to approve the newly proposed measure that would establish civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department. The measure, which comes as a result of coalitions behind the Civilian Police Accountability Council and Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability agreed on a unity ordinance, has stalled as Lightfoot says her own proposal on police oversight is on the way.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot answers questions after Wednesday’s City Council meeting

A group of aldermen are calling on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to target the expected $1.9 billion in anticipated federal stimulus money toward the “immediate needs of communities hardest hit by COVID-19 pandemic” instead of using it to pad the Chicago Police Department’s budget, according to a resolution they introduced during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Another alderman introduced an ordinance Wednesday that would permanently cap third-party delivery fees, and another introduced a resolution calling for a hearing to discuss Navy Pier’s “lack of transparency” in minority contracting.

City leaders expect to pick a winning casino proposal early next year.

The word “neighborhood” is mentioned 12 times in the Request for Proposals issued to would-be Chicago casino operators, but the document issued by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office on Thursday provided the strongest evidence yet that city leaders are eyeing a site in or around downtown.

The 86-page open-call invites developers to pitch their ideas for a “world-class entertainment destination” with an “iconic outdoor public space,” a five-star hotel and a meeting space of up to 60,000 square feet. The new “live-work-play district” should embed gambling within a larger constellation of shops, restaurants and performance venues, and it should integrate with a “multi-modal” transportation fabric that emphasizes walkability, according to the plan.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) during a City Council meeting on Wednesday. Villegas’ proposal to use federal stimulus money to fund a basic income program was sabotaged by Ald. Jason Ervin (28). [Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times/Pool]

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s long-promised overhaul of the city’s highest-profile affordable housing policy cleared the City Council in a 42-8 vote on Wednesday, setting it up to guide most new residential construction proposed after Oct. 1.

The ordinance was the most controversial of dozens of measures approved during the City Council’s first in-person meeting since February 2020.

Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha explains the rollout of open access vaccine clinics in Cook County.

Two Cook County mass vaccination sites will be open for walk-in appointments through Saturday, County officials announced Wednesday.

“Open access means open access — come on down,” Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha said during a news conference.

News in brief: Discover opening call center in shuttered Chatham Target store; Commission takes step to landmark Morton Salt shed

Aldermen have the option to attend Wednesday’s City Council meeting in person.

When Mayor Lori Lightfoot gavels in the City Council at 10 a.m. Wednesday, things will look different than they have for the past year, but they still won’t be completely back to normal.

For the first time since last March, aldermen have the option to attend Wednesday’s City Council in person, though it is still classified as a virtual meeting under the Open Meetings Act, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

A years-in-the-making push to rewrite Chicago’s highest-profile affordable housing policy cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday, setting up Mayor Lori Lightfoot for a significant victory as she faces mounting headwinds across a range of other issues.

Aldermen on the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Real Estate voted 14-3 to advance Lightfoot’s proposed overhaul (SO2021-1226) of the Affordable Requirements Ordinance. If approved by the full council on Wednesday, the update will go into effect on Oct. 1, ushering in the third iteration of the policy created in 2007 and updated in 2015.

Chicago Department of Buildings Comm. Matthew Beaudet and Infortmation Technology Director Eric Tenfelde during a zoning committee on Tuesday

Aldermen unanimously advanced a proposal on Tuesday to crack down on “problem” building owners but grilled city officials over the long-promised technology upgrades needed to bring the measure to life.

The council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards voted to endorse an ordinance (O2021-1193) sponsored by Mayor Lori Lightfoot that would widen the criteria used by the city’s Department of Buildings to add properties to the city’s “Building Code Scofflaw List.” Properties on the list are rendered ineligible for zoning changes, tax-increment financing assistance or land deals with the city.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended her request to call up the National Guard and issued a warning to would-be looters. And Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle hit back at Lightfoot after the mayor blamed the county courts for contributing to crime.

Ald. David Moore’s (17) proposal to rename Lake Shore Drive after Jean Baptiste Point DuSable is set for a hearing on April 29.

The proposal to rename Outer Lake Shore Drive after Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, Chicago’s first permanent resident, won’t be on this month’s City Council agenda. The ordinance is due for a hearing later this month, but sponsor Ald. David Moore (17) on Monday warned against “any games” to further keep it from a vote.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) chairs the City Council Committee on Finance.

City finance and budget officials would be required to publish monthly revenue reports under a measure that advanced to the full City Council floor Monday.

A page from a presentation on the updated Fulton Innovation District plan, projecting new development north of Lake Street [Department of Planning and Development]

A decades-old ban on residential development is set to be reversed this week for a 63-acre swath of Fulton Market, widening the spigot on the gush of development already pouring into the red-hot neighborhood.

Aldermen are scheduled during a 10 a.m. meeting of the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Tuesday to consider lifting the prohibition on residential development in the Kinzie Corridor Overlay District along the north edge of Fulton Market, fulfilling a longtime request of developers and some neighborhood groups. The district is roughly bounded by Carroll Avenue, Ogden Avenue, Hubbard Street and Halsted Street.

Aldermen on Friday advanced a proposal targeting ‘recklessly driven’ motorcycles.

Aldermen gave unanimous approval Friday to an ordinance aimed at deterring motorcyclists from “recklessly” driving up and down Chicago streets, particularly downtown and along the lakefront.

Members of the City Council Committee on Public Safety approved the ordinance introduced by Ald. Pat Dowell (3) during the Friday meeting, during which aldermen also held a short discussion of Anti-Asian hate crimes and approved an ordinance adding gender identity to the protected classes covered under the city’s hate crime ordinance.