Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth - The 48th Ward

Join us at the ribbon cutting for the new Senn Park Nature Play Space!

📆Tuesday, June 2
🕛10:00 AM
📍Corner of Elmwood and Greenview

This community space was championed by Families Togethher Cooperative Nursery and was one of our 2024 Participatory Budgeting winners: our neighbors voted to fund it, and our youth helped design it!

Nature Play Spaces are a collaboration between the Chicago Park District and the local community. They include natural elements that can be moved and manipulated and are designed for the unique ecosystem of each site. This one's got it all with an open-roof fort, a performance stage, a mud kitchen, and more!

Bring your little ones for the unveiling and be among the first to explore this wonderful new play space!

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: senn nature play space ribbon cutting flyer]

📣Development Feedback Opportunity: 4940-42 N Sheridan

Feedback is open for a proposed zoning change from B3-2 to B2-3 at 4940-42 N Sheridan to allow for the conversion of this 2-story building’s ground-floor retail space into 6 residential units. The building has 7 existing residential units on the second floor. The ground-floor retail space has sat vacant for several years. Visit our website (link in bio) to learn more and submit feedback.

(psst... Newsletter saw it first! Subscribe at the48thward.org/news to be the first to hear about feedback opportunities, events, resources, and more!)

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: streetview of the structure at 4940-42 N Sheridan]

Last week, we celebrated Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at City Hall. We honored some of our friends and neighbors who have done extraordinary work in our communities. People like:

⭐Seri Lee, the Deputy Organizing Director at ONE Northside, who stepped up during Operation Midway Blitz to organize Know Your Rights training, help families prepare emergency plans, coordinate rapid response, and help keep neighbors safe.

⭐Dr. Kumar Ramanthan, Volunteer Leader at ONE Northside and Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Political Scientist at the University of Illinois Chicago, whose research challenges tired stereotypes that immigrant communities are politically disengaged.

⭐Andrea Chu, the Midwest Organizing Director and Asian American Advancing Justice, who founded Chicago Asian Americans for Environmental Justice, the only Asian American organization in the Midwest focused on climate and environmental issues.

⭐Hina Mahmood, Executive Director of the Illinois Accountability Commission, whose leadership helped document the impact of federal immigration enforcement actions across Chicagoland.

⭐Yman Vien, co-founder of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, who has helped support refugees and immigrant families arriving in Chicago for four decades.

Thank you to all the honorees for their leadership, compassion, and commitment to Chicago. Read full remarks on our blog (link in bio).

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: Leni at City Hall with Chicago AANHPI leaders]

📣 Emanuel Congregation/Fern Hill Redevelopment Community Meeting

📆Thursday, May 28
🕛6:30 PM
📍Emanuel Congregation (5959 N Sheridan)
🔗the48thward.org/meeting-rsvp

Join us to learn about revisions to the proposed Emanuel Congregation synagogue redevelopment plans. This meeting is an opportunity for neighbors to hear directly from the development team, ask questions, and provide feedback on the revised plans that were presented on April 30 at the public congregation meeting. Our online public feedback form will be open for two weeks after the May 28 community meeting.

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: Emanuel Congregation / Fern Hill Redevelopment Community Meeting Flyer]

Bump out construction at Gregory/Clark and Glenwood/Olive is underway! These bump outs are part of a T-Intersection Safety initiative that neighbors voted to fund during the 48th ward’s first ever Participatory Budgeting vote in 2024. A third set of bump outs at Magnolia & Elmdale were part of this project, and installed last year.

Other projects selected by neighbors in 2024 include the Nature Play Space on Elmdale, installed this year, and the Sheridan Road Decorative Crosswalks, installed in 2025. Visit our blog (link in bio) to read more about our Participatory Budgeting 2024 winning projects.

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: under-construction bump-outs at clark and gregory]

It’s pothole season, and the City of Chicago has filled over 151,000 potholes so far in 2026!

The 48th Ward Pothole Patrol is hard at work to make sure all of our potholes are filled. The Pothole Patrol is made up of staff and volunteers that are patrolling our streets and alleys to survey and report potholes. We are seeing potholes filled within just days of being reported. In the 48th Ward, 500+ potholes have been filled since the beginning of the year! To join the Pothole Patrol contact us at [email protected].

Due to the significant amount of street and alley resurfacing that has occurred over the last few years in the 48th ward, we are seeing the number of pothole requests decline. While nearly every other type of service call is up, pothole requests are down by over 7%!

We are aware of the poor road conditions on Sheridan Road between Bryn Mawr and Foster; we will continue to fill and re-fill potholes on this stretch of Broadway until the water main project is completed this summer, and the road can be resurfaced.

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: side by side photos of a pothole before and after filling with blue and white text on top]

Lori Cannon was a beloved friend, 48th ward neighbor, and LGBTQ+ rights pioneer. Lori was our AIDS Angel and she dedicated her life to helping others. On May 22, her birthday, we were humbled to honor her with a commemorative street sign on Broadway outside of Groceryland - the food pantry she co-founded in1995—which continues as a lifeline for so many in the 48th ward and beyond. Many throughout our community joined us in grief for her loss, remembrance of her remarkable spirit, and celebration of her legacy of LGBTQ+ support and advocacy.

There is an iconic black and white photo of Lori holding up a sign in tribute to her beloved friend Daniel Sotomayor:
YOU JUST HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU CAN AND
DON’T GIVE UP. BECAUSE SOME DAY THERE ARE GOING TO BE SURVIVORS.

We are the survivors.
We are the survivors of Lori Cannon and her legacy.
We love you Lori and will never stop fighting for a better tomorrow for all. 🌈

Lori Cannon Way Street Dedication
May 22, 2026

Host: Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth

Speakers:
Congressman Mike Quigley
Committeewoman Carol Ronen
Alderman Bennett Lawson
Dana Howse, Heartland Alliance Health
Victor Salvo, The Legacy Project

Groceryland Reception:
Volunteer Leads: Scott Jackson and Michael Zartman

[alt: photos outside and inside of Groceryland on Broadway with elected officials, advocates, volunteers and neighbors, celebrating Lori Cannon birthday and street dedication. Screenshot of black and white photo of Lori via WBEZ Chicago]

📣Broadway Pedestrian Refuge Island Construction Meeting

📆Tuesday, May 26
🕛6:00 PM
🔗the48thward.org/construction-rsvp

Construction is underway on the long-anticipated Broadway Pedestrian Refuge Island project! This project addresses long-time pedestrian safety concerns on the stretch of Broadway between Rosedale and Hood, which sees more traffic accidents than any other street in the 48th ward. The Broadway Pedestrian Refuge Islands and RRFBs project adds 3 protected, raised medians where unprotected crosswalks currently exist and new, highly visible pedestrian signage in the form of 2 pedestrian-activated flashing signals, called Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs). Learn more at this virtual meeting.

*** For questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected] or 773-784-5277 ***

[alt: Broadway pedestrian refuge island construction meeting flyer]

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is expected to begin resurfacing Sheridan between Montrose and Foster as early as this week to fix the wear and tear on the street. Join the 46th & 48th wards and CDOT at this meeting to learn more.

📆Wednesday, May 27
🕛6:00 PM
🔗bit.ly/ResurfaceSheridan

This project includes pedestrian safety improvements including curb extensions to increase pedestrian safety and visibility at intersections and paint-and-post bump outs at T-intersections for traffic calming. The estimated timeline for this project is:

📍Late May: Asphalt milling
📍June: Pouring and leveling of concrete and utility structures
📍AugustJuly: Final layer of asphalt, striping, and signage

*** for questions and service requests, please contact the ward office at [email protected]

[alt: Sheridan Resurfacing info session flyer]