one step forward, one step back

It's good to see visible signs of construction progress at Wild Blossom Meadery. I look forward to the opening of this tasting room, just off the Major Taylor Trail and close to 91st St. Metra station. This is a welcome development at a long-quiet location.

The ongoing 95th St. demolition is an unwelcome step backward.  This block of 1920s storefronts has been mostly vacant for a while now. From what I've observed over the years and what I've heard from people who contemplated opening a small business on our stretch of 95th St., it seems that either buildings were not well maintained, rents were high for the size and/or quality of the space, or both.  The recurring problem of the clogged drain in front of the storefront at 1800 W 95th, with flooding in heavy rains, hasn't helped.  With a bit of fix-up, this could have been an attractive block again. Instead, we are getting an unneeded auto parts store with a parking lot.

More car traffic in a location next to a Metra station where many people are walking - brilliant! Replace a vintage building with a generic single-purpose box that will probably be a vacant white elephant in five years - brilliant!

Not much left of old 95th St. storefronts

I've heard rumors of someone opening a coffeehouse a few blocks further west on 95th. That would be a welcome change. Stay tuned...