Rony Islam usually visits Welles Park in the morning to read a book, lie out in a hammockand enjoy a quiet moment alone. But recently, Islam has instead been going to to read in the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue — an area typically filled with parked cars where people run to and from stores, going about their day.
The 4700 block was supposed to be closed to vehicular access for a week, to accommodate construction work on the Western Avenue Brown Line station, a nearby public plaza and a parking lot. However, a damaged brick vault found during construction extended the closure until May 7.
Islam and others have taken advantage of the extended closure, turning the area into a gathering spot. On Sunday, dozens of people poured into the area to sit on benches in the middle of the street and chalk in parking spots normally reserved for cars.
“I’ve been in Chicago for over five years now, and I have met more of my neighbors in the past seven days than I had in my entire time, just sitting out there, hanging out,” said Islam, who serves on the board of the Heart of Lincoln Square Neighbors Association and helped build benches for neighbors to use during the closure.
The blocked-off area — and what neighbors have transformed it into — has raised questions about whether the car-free zone is here to stay, with some taking to social media to either express their support for a permanent closure or to advocate against one.
The Heart of Lincoln Square Neighbors Association put out a survey about pedestrianizing the area. The association is still collecting data, but according to Islam, over 900 people have responded since April 23, with 68% of respondents saying they strongly support greater pedestrianization of the block.
While some expressed satisfaction with the car-free zone, others have noted challenges that would come if the street were permanently closed to traffic. Some business owners on the corridor say their shops are taking a blow due to the construction and that a permanent car-free zone would only hurt them further.
Businesses owners said they faced a loss of parking spaces outside their shops, limited access for delivery drivers, and trash overflow, since sanitation trucks could not come down the corridor. While temporary solutions have been found, such as having a flagger let in trucks for deliveries, whether a permanent street closure could work is difficult for some business owners to envision.
In response to the discussions about a permanent closure, the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce started collecting data from businesses in the area of reported sales changes during the week of the closure compared with the previous week. So far, about half of the area’s businesses have responded, and the results have shown a mixed impact.
Nine businesses said sales decreased between 26% and 50% during the street closure’s first week. Two businesses said sales were down 51% to 75%, and two said sales decreased 11% to 25%. On the other side, three businesses said sales went up 26% to 50%, three said their sales increased 1% to 10%, and two said sales went up 51% to 75%. Three more businesses said their sales remained steady.
In total, 24 businesses have completed the survey so far. The survey data was collected on Monday and Tuesday, although businesses that weren’t open on those days are also allowed to respond. The chamber of commerce plans to collect data again next Monday.
“We were really surprised because during the week we’re hearing, as a business organization, about the negative impact businesses are facing and thinking, ‘Oh gosh, this sounds terrible,’ and then the weekend happened and obviously, results changed for some,” said Rudy Flores, CEO of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.
More data and intentional studies are needed to properly assess the impact of a street closure on businesses, Flores said, but the data collected thus far suggests restaurants experienced a more positive impact.
“We’ve had our busiest weekend this year, because I think we mostly cater to families and a lot of young kids, so most of them are enjoying no cars,” said Tom Quackenbush, assistant general manager of Willow Cafe and Bistro. “We’ve been packed all weekend, actually. It was maybe a little (slower) earlier in the week, because it was kind of rainy and gross, but those probably would have been slow days anyway.”
Retail stores, on the other hand, appeared to be hurt a little bit more due to the closure.
“Our business this year, going from the week before Easter to the week after Easter, we were down 15%, whereas last year we were up that week,” said Scott Friedland, owner of Timeless Toys. He noted that was also a decrease in foot traffic during the week, whereas the weekend saw much more foot traffic, in part because of nicer weather and people hearing about the street closure through media coverage.
While last weekend ended up being one of Timeless Toys’ best weekends for sales, Friedland said he worries about the long-term impact of a permanent street closure.
“Poor weather really, really impacts our business already. If people don’t have access to park outside of our business, it keeps people away during that poor weather,” Friedland said, emphasizing how his business also needs those parking spaces during the holiday season, when people are making bigger purchases. Over half of Timeless Toys’ clientele also comes from outside the neighborhood, including from other states, which further underscored for him the need to have those parking spaces, Friedland said.
Derek Luszcz, co-owner of Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen, said he was in a similar situation. About half of the people who shop at his business come from suburbs and other parts of the city. He worries that since people come to his shop for groceries, people who have to park far away will not want to carry their groceries three to four blocks, deterring some people from shopping at his store.
“It’s really hard. You also have to look at handicapped people, elderly people that are not going to carry a very heavy grocery bag two blocks either way to take their groceries,” Luszcz said, emphasizing that item counts were down the past week because of the closure. He also noted that his store can’t currently fulfill curbside orders.
“We’re not against public spaces. I just don’t think that on a commercial strip of Lincoln Avenue is a good place to (do it),” Luszcz said.
Keeping the area clean has also been a challenge. Dena Jo Pavlovic, store manager for the gift shop Enjoy Urban General and a chamber of commerce board member, said there has been overflow from trash cans. She said she she’d picked up trash outside her store, including cans and food containers.
Similarly, Flores was surprised at how much trash overflow there has been and expects similar levels of trash next weekend. “That was kind of sad to see because we really hope that people care enough about their community to keep it tidy and clean,” Flores said.
The Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce did a parking study in 2023 and found that the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue has 45 parking spaces, which tend to fill up to 100% capacity during weekdays, though that drops to 80% to 90% between 3 and 5 p.m. Similarly, during the weekend, those parking spaces start to fill up to 100% capacity around 11 a.m., lasting until the end of the day.
Flores also noted that while more data is needed, it appears that people who park their cars typically do not park on that block for more than 30 minutes, suggesting that the parking turnover rate is high.
Despite the decreased parking spaces, some people still drove to Lincoln Avenue to enjoy the street closure Sunday.
“I love the street closure and I don’t think it’s taking away that much space,” Michelle Duncan, who lives in Avondale, said. “I drove here and I just walked a couple of blocks.”
Duncan spent the day chalking on the sidewalk and wanted to come out after hearing that others were creating chalk art. On Sunday, she was drawing a dinosaur from “Jurassic Park,” inspired by her daughter, who she said loves the film. As she was drawing, a couple of kids came up to her and started playing with her chalk. She taught them how to layer the colors.
“You don’t come home clean from this,” she said as she demonstrated.
Zak Patterson, co-owner of nearby business Bunny Ears Art House and founder of nonprofit SlowStreets, also welcomed the idea of a more permanent street closure. Last week, he took his 8-year-old in-line skating in the street on a school night, he said. She skated around the area until 9:30 p.m., which Patterson said was well past her bedtime.
“It’s hard to put into words how happy this makes me,” Patterson said, pointing to children Hula-Hooping and exploring the area as their parents watched them. Unlike in a park, Patterson said, he can buy a coffee and interact with others as his children roam and play. “I don’t feel like there’s anything comparable to it,” he said.
Michelle Huey, who used to live in Lincoln Square but now lives in Andersonville, felt similarly. The early childhood educator was sitting on a bench Sunday as she read a book and said that she was considering buying a coffee being out there, something she would not normally do.
“I’d love for this to stay open,” Huey said. “I love seeing all the families out. We need more spaces where families and adults can hang out. This is a space everyone can be, for free.”
While the debate over the street closure and whether to turn it into a more permanent fixture has captivated neighbors, Ald. Matt Martin, 47th, said that the first step should be to focus on finishing the construction.
“Let’s get this work done as quickly as possible,” Martin said. “Let’s cut the ribbon on the improvements that are underway, and then let’s continue conversations about how to complement an already incredibly dynamic stretch of Lincoln Avenue in the heart of Lincoln Square.”
