Thursday, September 18, 2025

Little Kids, Big Trucks, Big Smiles

Most days, boys and girls hear "Don't touch that" and "Hands off" from their moms and dads.

But on Thursday, September 18, that all changed--at least for a couple of hours. 

Children of all ages came out to the Kinzie School parking lot to ooh, aah, climb on, sit in and touch trucks of all kinds at a fun event sponsored by 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn, State Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd), State Senator Mike Porfirio (D-11th), the Midway Chamber of Commerce, the Garfield Neighborhood Watch and others.

These images captured by photographer Kelly White illustrate some of the joy brought to the Midway area by our local leaders. Enjoy!

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All rights reserved.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Fed Up With Hookers in Vittum Park

By Tim Hadac
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post


Contents Copyright © 2012-2025 Southwest Chicago Post.
All rights reserved. SWCP readers are welcome to share and post links to SWCP pages--however, unauthorized copying and/or re-posting of page content is prohibited by law.

Complaints about prostitution along Cicero Avenue (basically from the Stevenson Expressway south to Archer Avenue) are not new. But what's different in 2025 is the resurgent anger and frustration of homeowners living immediately west of Cicero.

That anger and frustration boiled over at the September meeting of the Vittum Park Civic League.

"We're fed up. We're tired of being lied to by the police and by politicians. It's just that simple," said VPCL President Steve Fischer at the meeting held at Our Lady of the Snows School. More than 30 local men and women attended, filling a faculty break room.

The number was significant. It was more than three times what VPCL meetings sometimes attract. Further, it was done at the same time Our Lady of Snows Church was packed with worshippers drawn to the visiting image of Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos.

In the weeks leading up to the VPCL meeting, local Facebook groups starting buzzing with complaints about sex workers along the west side of Cicero Avenue, mostly from 48th Street south to Archer--as well as along La Crosse, the first sidestreet west of Cicero.

Those complaints sometimes included cellphone photos of scantily-clad hookers--one in nothing more than a string bikini and high heels.

Some Vittum Park residents reported seeing prostitutes fellating their male customers in the alley between Cicero and La Crosse, as well as cleaning up the aftermath of sex encounters, including used condoms, needles, syringes and more. The illegal activity usually occurs between about 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., residents said.

"Is that something we want our children to be seeing when they go to school in the morning?" one woman at the VPCL meeting asked.

"No one should have to view what we view on a daily basis," a man added.

Several residents claimed that both 911 call takers and police at the district level are apathetic about prostitution--and that calls often are not responded to, leading some Vittum Park residents to simply give up on calling 911.

Neighbors sometimes take matters into their own hands, as this local woman did in 2018.


Fischer saved most of his ire for the Chicago Police Department, but threw in one of Mayor Brandon Johnson's deputy mayors, whom he accused of doing nothing after hearing the group's complaints, months ago.

Also at the meeting was 22nd Ward Ald. Mike Rodriguez, whose ward comes as far south as 50th Street in Vittum Park. He acknowledged and empathized with the residents, and also criticized police, implying that a CPD sergeant he saw was sitting in a police vehicle, ignoring the crime.

That said, the alderman encouraged residents to continue calling 911 to report prostitution and other crimes. Further, he acknowledged CPD's recent Operation Angel sting operation in the immediate area, which resulted in the impoundment of a dozen vehicles, as well as warning citations to a dozen men accused of being sex customers.

He spoke well of Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart's Office, who he said was working on addressing the prostitution in the neighborhood.

Beyond that, Rodriguez attempted to steer the discussion away from immediate concerns to larger issues.

He said part of the reason prostitution exists in the area is that the sidewalks along Cicero "are too narrow." He said if Cicero were more pedestrian friendly and bicyclist friendly, local residents would be outside in greater numbers (and presumably crowd out hookers and johns). He also talked about bringing new businesses to Cicero as a way for prosperity to push out crime and improve the quality of life.

In any event, the concerns are not going away soon and will doubtless be discussed at the next VPCL meeting, set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 7 at Our Lady of the Snows, 4810 S. Leamington. It may also be discussed at the next CAPS Beat 814 meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, October 9 at Vittum Park, 5010 W. 50th Street.






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Monday, September 15, 2025

Quinn Optimistic As He Leads New Restaurant Groundbreaking on Archer

Contents Copyright © 2012-2025 Southwest Chicago Post.
All rights reserved. SWCP readers are welcome to share and post links to SWCP pages--however, unauthorized copying and/or re-posting of page content is prohibited by law.


By Tim Hadac
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post

Several weeks after the long-vacant Brown's Chicken building in the west end of Garfield Ridge was demolished, officials gathered at 6909 W. Archer to break ground on a different chicken restaurant.

A Buffalo Wild Wings GO is planned for the site, much to the approval of 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn.

"Any time we get a shovel in the ground, we should celebrate," he told the Southwest Chicago Post shortly before his shovel was one of several to toss dirt at a ceremony on the morning of Thursday, September 11.

"It's a good start, and we're really excited about getting rid of that blighted Brown's Chicken [building], which has been a real eyesore and a real thorn to the residents of the Garfield Ridge neighborhood," Quinn added.

"Much like what has taken place on Cicero Avenue in the 13th Ward, utilizing food as the anchor, what we've come to recognize is that food stabilizes business corridors," he continued, "so this is a contribution to that philosophy."

Joining Quinn were representatives of the new business venture, as well as other elected officials and business and neighborhood leaders.

Quinn (center) speaks with an assortment of local leaders.

The new Buffalo Wild Wings GO is expected to be built this fall. If all goes as well as hoped, the restaurant could be open by year's end.

It is expected to employ as many as 50 people, mostly part time. Slightly more than half of the new building will be occupied by Buffalo Wild Wings GO. The remainder will be filled by a yet-to-be-determined tenant.

In addition to wings, the typical BWW GO serves chicken sandwiches and wraps, hamburgers, desserts and soft drinks.

There will be limited dine-in seating. The large majority of the business will be via delivery or carryout. There will not be a drive-through.

The new location will be owned by Chicago-based The Hena Group, which is the franchisee for 10 BWW GO locations in the city and suburbs--its most recent opened last month in Harwood Heights.

Headed by CEO Kajal Patel, The Hena Group describes itself as a family-owned and operated company best known for its Dunkin' franchises and other businesses in the Chicago area, as well as in several states outside Illinois.
CEO Kajal Patel


It also is known for its involvement in the communities it serves and generosity to local schools and other non-profits.

By its own account, "The Hena Group’s story began when Govind and Rehka Patel emigrated from India with nothing, and he got a job as a baker at a Chicago Dunkin’ location. Govind saved money to become a store partner and then opened his own store. Together the couple grew their business to open more restaurants with more brands, and now their children: Kajal Patel (CEO) and Saurabh Patel, along with Kajal’s husband Bhavesh and Saurabh’s wife Snehal, are taking the lead on the business. The Hena Group looks forward to continued growth to drive success for generations to come."



Buffalo Wild Wings GO (or B-Dubs, as the company also describes itself) launched in Atlanta in 2020 as an abbreviated version of the popular Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars/restaurants. In five years, BWW GO has grown quickly. Its Harwood Heights unit opened last month was number 200 for the company.

BWW GO is under the corporate umbrella of Inspire Brands, a company founded in 2018 when Arby's acquired Buffalo Wild Wings and Rusty Taco. Today, Inspire employs more than 650,000 people at more than 33,000 restaurants--in all 50 states and about 60 countries,

Brown's Chicken had been located at 6909 W. Archer from the 1970s to its shutdown in 2018. Old-timers in the neighborhood may recall that before Brown's, the site was home in the late 1960s and early 1970s to King Kastle, a short-lived imitator of the White Castle hamburger chain.

How a BWW GO will do in Garfield Ridge is something only time will tell. Several chain restaurants in the area already have an established set of wings fans. Even local pizzerias--most notably Stunod's (6535 W. 63rd Street), Obbie's (6654 W. Archer) and Danny's (6021 S. Archer)--serve wings to acclaim.

Time will also tell if the BWW GO has the positive impact Quinn and others hope--mirroring the restaurant-driven prosperity Quinn has quarterbacked on Cicero, south of 63rd Street. Like hundreds of business strips across the city and suburbs, the Archer Avenue corridor has long struggled to rebound from the damage caused by the Great Recession of 2008--a problem compounded by the pandemic of 2020.

Don Krukowski contributed to this story.



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Saturday, September 13, 2025

Developer, Alderman, Neighbors Have Their Say About Future of Ford City

By Nuha Abdessalam

Southwest Siders and others recently gathered at Daley College to hear what could replace Ford City Mall, the once busy shopping center now more than half vacant.

Bridge Industrial, working through Midwest RE Acquisitions, is under contract to buy most of the 62-acre property and demolish the mall. Their plan calls for a $150 million industrial campus with four warehouses totaling about 913,000 square feet, 92 loading docks and nearly a thousand parking spaces.


Curtis backs redevelopment

Eighteenth Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis opened the meeting by reflecting on the mall’s decline and the long-standing difficulties caused by its private streets and aging framework. He pointed to the building’s vacancy rate of 54% and noted that JC Penney’s lease expires in February 2026.
Ald. Derrick Curtis


Calling the property “dilapidated,” Curtis argued that “economic development is the key” and said neighboring suburbs such as Evergreen Park and Chicago Ridge support the redevelopment because they see its importance for their own towns. He added that he would not act against the wishes of his community but emphasized that this level of private investment is rare.

Bridge lays out its plan

Curt Pascoe, Executive Vice President of Development at Bridge Industrial, said the company was a long-term developer of urban infill sites. He said the proposal would meet LEED standards, include solar-ready roofs, and add stormwater detention systems and roughly 750 new trees– about eight acres would be planted with native landscaping.
Photo by Nuha Abdessalam


This would shield the adjacent Scottsdale neighborhood, Pascoe said, as all truck traffic would be restricted to Kostner and directed north to 72nd Street, with loading docks facing inward to minimize noise and light.

According to his estimates, construction would generate around 90 jobs and the completed campus would support 400 to 450 permanent positions, with the potential to reach 1,000 or more. Pascoe said the company was committed to paying a living wage and projected more than $2 million a year in property taxes once the site is secured.

Residents push for answers

Neighbors asked questions to company representatives on several positions. With 92 docks, residents doubted Bridge’s estimate of only 10 to 15 trucks at peak hours. 

The developer pointed to a traffic study submitted to the city. Questions about diesel emissions and noise were asked frequently, with one resident insisting, “Put a 10-foot wall all the way along there, I don’t want to hear trucks, and I don’t want to smell your trucks either.”
Photo by Nuha Abdessalam


In response, Bridge officials said their plans for tree plantings and inward-facing docks but acknowledged they would “look into” the request for a continuous barrier. They said an air quality study was performed and found no exceedances of standards and pledged dust-control measures during demolition.

Filling and hiring roles also came up. Residents asked whether neighborhood workers and current mall employees would be prioritized. Curtis said he would push for that, and Bridge pointed to past projects where local residents were employed. 
Other questions focused on land use, some argued for housing, retail, or arts space instead of another industrial complex. Curtis responded that those projects are difficult to finance and attract to the city. 

He argued the Bridge project represents a rare chance for massive private investment, crucial for keeping property taxes down and increasing home values. Bridge said they were open to input on public art and paths but made clear the development would be industrial.

What’s next in the approval process

Bridge confirmed that it has filed for rezoning from a B3-2 Community Shopping District to M2-2 Light Industrial, along with a Planned Development application. The plan must be reviewed by city agencies, then move through the Chicago Plan Commission before heading to the City Council. If approvals line up, demolition and construction could begin in late 2026, with completion in 2028.

Ford City Mall opened in 1965 on land once used for wartime manufacturing, it became the second-largest enclosed mall in the Chicago area but has steadily lost tenants. Namdar Realty Group bought it in 2019 for $16.6 million.

Today, only JC Penney anchors the mall property, and that lease ends in February 2026. Outlot retailers along Cicero and the AMC theater remain outside of Bridge’s purchase and would not be affected. 

Smaller tenants inside the mall, like jewelry repairman Nick Zaita, asked what the redevelopment would mean for him. “What happens to me?” he said.

Some in the room pointed to jobs, new tax revenue, and finally putting a declining mall back to use. Others are concerned about more truck traffic, air pollution, and losing a chance to bring housing or community space instead. 

For now, the mall’s future lies in the city approval process and in how much influence neighbors can have on the final plan.


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