By Mary Corrado
Associate Editor
Alderman Manuel Flores and 1st Ward residents testified at a Circuit Court hearing in the Daley Center, 55 W. Randolph St., on Monday, June 23, in a joint effort to prevent McDonald's from placing a drive-thru restaurant in one of the city's most congested traffic neighborhoods.
In February 2002, in a ruling of 7-0, the City's Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) denied McDonald's a special-use permit to put up its drive-thru, and McDonald's has appealed the ZBA's decision. Judge Nancy Jo Arnold on May 6 overturned the decision against McDonald's. On Monday she upheld her ruling, but did permit the residents to take the case to the Illinois Appellate Court. Both Ald. Flores and 1st Ward residents have filed petitions against McDonald's to intervene on this case.
The proposed McDonald's, at 1521-29 W. North Ave., would have limited restaurant space and no Playland playgound for children. Its main function would serve as a storefront drive-thru service to lure customers off the Kennedy Expressway. This area of North Avenue is already prone to trucks getting lodged under both Metra and Kennedy overpasses, in addition to the region averaging one accident per day.
Residents fear additional traffic congestion, pollution from idling vehicles, hazardous walkways from cars truning left across North Ave., and loitering and gang activity.
The aldermanic office of the 1st Ward is located at 1514 N. Ashland Ave.; call (773) 278-0101.
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