Beat 2431 News - Rogers Park 24th Police District

Most residents support zoning change for bar/restaurant on Morse

About 35 residents from around Morse Avenue heard Alex Samardzija explain his plans to bring a bar/restaurant to the new commercial space at 1412 W. Morse. These plans would require a zoning change from B3-3 to C1 because there is another tavern within 400 feet. So 49th Ward Alderman hosted the community meeting to get feedback on the plans.

Judging from comments made, those in attendance overwhelmingly support the development and required zoning change. About 15 people spoke in favor of the bar/restaurant concept, while two neighbors opposed it.

Samardzija said the unnamed bar would be very similar to his other bar/restaurant in Lincoln Square at Damen and Grace called Xippo. The decor would be modern, seating about 50-60 people. He will serve a light fare -- paninis and salads priced from $5 to $10. He also expect to feature acoustic music. Samardzija sid his family has been in the bar and restaurant business in Chicago for 40 years. Alex himself is a real estate developer who has been working in the 49th Ward for about 10 years. He built the 16-unit mixed use development at 1412-14 W. Morse three years. It is now all rentals until the condo market turns around.

Here is a sampling of comments from the audience: "We need something like on Morse." - "We need sidewalk traffic on Morse and this will bring it." - "We can make our neighborhood safer by having more people spend their dollars here." One person described Xippo as having a "lovely, understated decor -- like out of Crate and Barrel II."

A person who opposed it said there are enough taverns in the area, and said she has seen problems with taverns in mixed-use buildings. Samardzija said there would be a a restaurant focus here rather than a bar focus. He wants the tavern license so he can keep food costs lower and serve liquor after the kitchen closes. Samardzija said he would employ 12-16 people.

Alderman Moore said folks could still comment on the zoning change via email or by calling his office at 773-338-5796.

2008 successes in Beat 2431

Beat 2431 has seen many successes this year -- both by the police and the community in the form of economic development.

The following police accomplishments were reported by CAPS Sgt. John Delgado.

Comparing Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2007 to 2008

                2007                            2008

Incidents    904                              852

Arrests        601                            494

Service calls    13,192                11,724

Contact cards    2614                  2,782

Incidents/case reports down 6% over 2007 -- This reflects a decrease in criminal activity. 

Arrests down 18% over 2007 -- This is because there is less crime occurring on the beat.   

Service calls down 11% -  People are not finding the need to call because of less illegal activity.

Contact cards are up 6% -- This is an indication that the Officers are actively engaging the individuals on the street.  Because contact cards are up, this could be one reason why the other three categories are down.  The officers are preventing crime from occurring, not just responding to crime after the fact.

The arrest of Milton Ervin. Even though he lives on beat 2432, the officers tell me that after his arrest, Morse Avenue became very quiet for a period of time. 

The arrest of Jacob Westerhoff in August -- The offender attempted to rob several stores on Sheridan and Morse while using a knife.

Three new blocks clubs registered on the beat.

Economic Development in the Beat

• Opening of RoPa Restaurant, Pratt and Sheridan
• Opening of Alhambra coffee house at 1622 W. Morse
• Opening of Morse Theatre, 1328 W. Morse.
• Opening of Century Public House Restaurant, 1330 W. Morse.
• Opening of rehabbed Reside On Morse Apartments, 1340 W. Morse and 1345 W. Lunt
• Condo conversion at the corner of Morse and Greenview, plus the continued success of the Common Cup at that southwest corner have stabilized that busy corner.
• Construction of two new mixed use commercial/condo buildings in the 1400 block of Morse.

Soo’s Liquors promises more security cameras, cooperation with community and police

In an Aug. 19 City Hall community meeting, owners of Soo Liquors promised to continue to work with the community, call police about crime problems in front of their storefront, and security cameras on the exterior of the store at 1420 W. Morse.

The community meeting, hosted by the city’s Dept. of Business Affairs and Licensing (DBAL), was called after the city got a number of written complaints from neighbors regarding loitering, drug sales and public drinking around Soo Liquors. The meeting is the first of at least three meetings where the community and Soo owners come together to discuss crime problems and work to resolve them.

At the hearing, Police Office Rich Heinosch reported that in the last year there were about 30 calls for service to Soo’s at 1420 W. Morse. He also said there were four arrests on the street at the address.

Kevin O’Neil, CAPS Beat 2431 facilitator, noted that there were 84 calls for service for narcotics loitering and drug sales to 1418 W. Morse, the Los Portillos restaurant. Juan Gonzales, the restaurant owner, has aggressively called police about the loitering in front of his establishment and Soo’s Liquor.  Soo’s shares an entryway with Los Portillos.

By contrast, only about 25 similar calls for service were logged at 1400 W. Morse, home of the Morse El Liquors in the last year.

O’Neil also reported that recently, the Soo’s management has been attending beat meetings, and have agreed not to sell cheap wines, malt liquor and cheap half pints selling for less than $3. Gonzalez also noted that there has been a recent reduction in loitering. Community members also emphasized the importance of Soo's continuing to abide by the agreement.

Mary Lou Eisenhower, acting director of the DBAL, said there have been no major license violations recently, and that recent investigations, including those looking at illegal sales to minors, came back negative.

Peter Lee, an attorney representing Soo’s, said that sometimes management is afraid to call police for fear it could be used against them in license hearings such as this one. But Eisenhower said that was false, and that a condition of holding a license is that licensees must report criminal activity in and around their place of business.

Eisenhower also asked about security cameras on premises. When told there were four cameras inside, she suggested installing an exterior camera. The manager, Mr. Kim, agreed to do so.

In the end, Soo’s owner and manager agreed to continue attending beat meetings, not to sell the products mentioned above and to install the exterior camera. The next community meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m., in Room 805 at City  Hall, LaSalle and Randolph.

Morse Theatre is a "boon to neighborhood" -- Tribune report

A Tribune story about the soon-to-open Morse Theatre describes it as a "boon to the neighborhood" and notes that  "it's uniquely positioned to draw audiences not just from its neighborhood but from two choice, close-by markets: Chicago's North Side, where many affluent concertgoers live, and the comparable North Shore suburbs of nearby Evanston, Wilmette and the like. Major name attractions, of course, could draw listeners from much farther afield."

Read the Tribune story here.

View a video a Tribune-produced video about the 299-seat restaurant/jazz and blues venue below.

Click the continuation for more details on the Morse Theatre.