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stevevance.net
Steven
@stevevance.net
4.4K followers 2.2K following 11K posts
Chicago, zoning, transportation, maps

my blog: http://stevencanplan.com
my business: http://chicagocityscape.com
cofounder of @chi.streetsblog.org
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stevevance.net
I went on my first The Yard Social Club train crawl and it was excellent (I came back after the Oak Lawn stop)

10/10 would recommend
A Metra train illuminated by the sunset Selfie in front of a Metra diesel locomotive that I secretly despise Bar crawl schedule Bar crawl itinerary
November 29, 2025 at 12:38 AM
stevevance.net
I'm pretty good at adding ALT text, it looks like
94% of images have alt text
November 27, 2025 at 8:11 PM
stevevance.net
Other photos of Delft, Netherlands
Delft city hall Old church and plaza Locksmith Courtyard apartments
November 27, 2025 at 4:18 PM
stevevance.net
you can see how the planes all descend at the same spot, like they're on a floating escalator
screenshot of Air Loom
November 26, 2025 at 10:59 PM
stevevance.net
you can see the ORD normal queuing over Lake Michigan really well in this diagram/map
screenshot of Air Loom
November 26, 2025 at 10:54 PM
stevevance.net
this Air Tahiti Nui flight from LAX to CDG is flying over Chicago right now at 37,000 feet
screenshot of Air Loom and flight THT8
November 26, 2025 at 10:54 PM
stevevance.net
new way for home-based planespotters to spend more time at home just dropped

*real-time 3D visualization of planes at all altitudes*
screenshot - look at the queue of incoming planes!
November 26, 2025 at 10:51 PM
stevevance.net
CDOT posted this video showing driver’s and bird’s perspectives of the Logan Square traffic circle changes (which is helpful because I haven’t seen it since it fully opened earlier this month)
November 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM
stevevance.net
Map of where downzoning occurred (via changing the map)

findingspress.org/article/1474...
Map of chicago showing values blocks that were downzoned in different decades
November 26, 2025 at 8:55 PM
stevevance.net
The country has 17 million inhabitants, equivalent to being the fourth largest state in the U.S.

Now with countrywide ADUs (with limitations, the biggest being that only a first degree relative can live there)
And it looks like not only informal care homes will then be permit-free, but also the more broadly defined family homes, says lawyer Jasper van Heeren of the MantelzorgNL association. „For a first-degree relative, i.e. a parent or child, a house may be laid in the backyard or a barn converted without a permit. A big profit point. We are super positive about this.” In the Netherlands, there would be room for almost 120,000 of such residential units, according to MantelzorgNL. In that calculation, the association looked at people over 45 who own a house for sale with a garden of at least fifty square meters.
November 26, 2025 at 7:58 PM
stevevance.net
I have patronized Bagel & Bean
Bagel, coffee, table. With the serving counter in the background
November 26, 2025 at 6:35 PM
stevevance.net
Idk if it was free but there was this parking lot at Wolf Point
Aerial photo via https://www.chicagomag.com/wp-content/archive/whet/wolf-point-2.jpg
November 26, 2025 at 4:55 PM
stevevance.net
It’s been empty, save for storing a Transformers film set in 2010, since 2002, when the Old Chicago Mercantile Exchange was demolished
Black and white photo of the former building Photo of fake debris on the same site, for the movie filming
November 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
stevevance.net
The Old Chicago Mercantile Exchange was there until 2002
Old photo of the building
November 26, 2025 at 4:32 PM
stevevance.net
here's info on CREATE project EW3 (aka Pullman Junction at 95th/Stony Island): the State of Illinois just bought these properties for $1.37 million so that another track connection between the BRC on the west and the NS on the south can be built (amongst other changes)
EW3 project location map via https://www.createprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/EW3.pdf
November 26, 2025 at 8:43 AM
stevevance.net
it’s not mentioned in the story but this is also planned to be the location of a COVID-19 memorial monument
Rendering of the park showing where the monument would be located. Via https://covidmemorialmonument.org/the-monument/ Apple Maps look around image of the park location at Polk/Ogden/Damen
November 26, 2025 at 7:38 AM
stevevance.net
There’s a new coffee shop in the Loop called Bagel & Bean

You can only get one of each
Photo Of the storefront at 111 W Jackson Blvd
November 26, 2025 at 5:21 AM
stevevance.net
I reported the tax bill amounts, not the assessed values

check out the county-established values in this screenshot – more info is on the CCAO website: www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/pin/17094420...
Total Estimated Market Value: $2,190,360 https://www.cookcountyassessoril.gov/pin/17094420080000
November 25, 2025 at 11:19 PM
stevevance.net
tax bill of this vacant lot in downtown Chicago

2023: $292,593.15
2024: $70,386.00

change: $222,207.15 decrease is a 76% drop

the property owner lost every recent appeal at the Board of Review (the last one was 2020) so this is likely because property values have dropped a lot
google street view image of a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Franklin Street and Washington Street
November 25, 2025 at 8:20 PM
stevevance.net
The SSL needs to do something about these “timed transfers”
Screenshot of the video showing a 48 minute connection time
November 25, 2025 at 6:16 PM
stevevance.net
Voters in this district, come to the candidate forum tomorrow night at Sulzer library
Tuesday, 11/25, 6:00-7:30 pm

13th Illinois House candidates:
Adam Braun
Ridge Knapp
Sunjay Kumar
James O’Brien
Demerike (Demi) Palecek
Map of 13th Illinois House district Flyer for the event, indivisible Lincoln square
November 24, 2025 at 3:10 PM
stevevance.net
Warsaw tram, Warsaw train
November 24, 2025 at 5:18 AM
stevevance.net
did you read the president's letter this month about their wet leaves problem?
Nov 7, 2025 Dear South Shore Line Riders, Last fall, I wrote to you about the challenges we were facing with “slippery rail” conditions along the South Shore Line during the autumn season here in northwest Indiana. At that time, we were experiencing extensive delays due to the impact of wheel slip, causing flat spots on our equipment. If these flat spots reach a certain threshold, for safety reasons, we take the equipment out of service. If this occurs en route, our passengers can experience lengthy service disruptions. After discussions with other Midwest and northern passenger rail carriers, this year we have implemented a variety of strategies to minimize disruption. This includes temporary train acceleration and braking strategies, additional on-track equipment to remove leaf sediment from the rail, positioning of additional workforce and equipment to deal with issues as they arise, and, at certain locations, slower speed orders. I know many of our riders have experienced some of the delays associated with “slippery rail” that we are referring to as “temporary operating conditions” in our delay notices. Though on-time performance is very important, and many of our trains continue to make it to their destinations on time, we know that these “temporary operating conditions” are causing some trains to have minor delays. We apologize for this inconvenience and understand this seasonal occurrence impacts your experience. We want to assure you that we are working to address wheel slips while maintaining schedule to the maximum extent possible. Our teams are operating around the clock to inspect, repair, and return cars to service. Looking ahead, we will continue to explore emerging technologies, including laser systems and high-pressure water treatments. This year we purchased equipment to sweep/brush the rail to help remove leaf sediment that is now in service on a daily basis. We are committed to investing in long-term solutions to prevent future disruptions.
November 24, 2025 at 3:41 AM
stevevance.net
thank you

there are some long transfer times on here...

Westbound, for example: 48 minutes and 33 minutes
November 24, 2025 at 3:33 AM
stevevance.net
then you can play with the roly polys
November 24, 2025 at 1:53 AM