DOWNTOWN — Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said he was pressured into ending a popular outdoor dining program in his ward, cutting a deal with city officials to let it operate last year before they sidelined it completely.
The alderman spoke out after Block Club Chicago reported the Clark Street Dining Program will not returning to River North this summer following pushback from neighborhood groups and influential neighboring restaurant owners who complained of traffic jams. City officials denied the program was canceled, but opponents’ lobbying against it say it’s unlikely the city will approve permits for restaurants.
After Block Club’s Clark Street report went live, a letter was provided to Block Club showing Reilly agreed to cancel outdoor dining on Clark in 2024, igniting debate on who really was to blame for the end of the outdoor dining program. But Reilly says there’s more to the story.
The Clark Street program, which ran on Clark between Kinzie Street and Grand Avenue, was profitable for restaurant owners and popular among neighbors, according to a 2023 survey from Reilly’s office. News of the program ending prompted backlash from neighbors.
Reilly previously alluded to a conflict with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office about the future of the program. In a recent interview with Block Club, Reilly said he was pressured to write and sign a letter last year saying he would not support the Clark Street Dining Program this year. In exchange, city officials approved outdoor dining permits for Clark Street’s 2023 season, he said.
“I hated making that deal. But at that time, it was my hope that over the course of a year, the administration’s view of this program on Clark Street would evolve and that they would reverse course,” Reilly told Block Club.
This isn’t the first time an official has said the Mayor’s Office tried to use pressure to make a deal: Another Downtown alderman, Bill Conway (2nd), said this fall he went to the Mayor’s Office for help with safety in his ward — and was told he’d have to back two of Johnson’s progressive initiatives.
‘I Had To Cut Some Deal To Get These Guys The Street’
Outdoor dining was part of a larger city initiative to allow eateries to expand seating onto sidewalks, streets and parking lots during the pandemic.
On May 19, 2023, Reilly took part in a meeting to discuss and negotiate the terms of the outdoor dining ordinance, he said. City Council approved the legislation later that month to make the sidewalk dining program permanent, allowing restaurants to apply for expanded outdoor dining permits in the summer and early fall.
Several aldermen attended that meeting. Other officials included Mayor Johnson’s senior adviser Jason Lee; Commissioner Ken Myers from the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection; Bob Reiter from the Chicago Federation of Labor; Sam Toia from the Illinois Restaurant Association; and Johnson’s then-floor leader, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), according to an attendance list referred to by Reilly.
The first half of the call was focused on “wrapping up negotiations” over the proposed ordinance to make extended outdoor dining permanent, Reilly said. The second half of the meeting was directed at the Clark Street program, he said.
“Carlos Ramirez-Rosa flagged the fact that the Mayor’s Office had received some letters of opposition from some neighborhood groups, business groups and that a restaurant nearby had issues with it. … Bob Reiter jumped in and said, ‘Yes, we’ve been receiving complaints from members about accessibility and traffic flow,'” Reilly said.
A dozen opposition letters had been sent to the Mayor’s Office between 2022 and 2023 from River North Residents Association, Gold Coast Neighbors, Street Organization of Active Residents, The Prime Group, 630 North State Parkway Condo Association, The Sterling Condo Association, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, The Magnificent Mile Association and Grant DePorter, CEO of Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group.
The letters, which were obtained by Block Club, state similar reasons for opposition, including concerns about traffic congestion and public safety.
Reilly pushed back, citing overwhelming support for the program from his community survey and feedback from local police and nearby businesses, he said.
“I said, ‘Look … there’s a disconnect here. I can’t speak to these letters, but I’m the alderman, and I’ll take the arrows if I’m wrong, but everyone likes this. … This is a good program. I disagree with you and with these associations’ assessment,'” Reilly told Block Club.
Reilly said he was backed into a corner. It was already more than two weeks into the outdoor dining season and restaurants had invested thousands of dollars for outdoor seating and beautification, he said.
To get outdoor dining on Clark Street approved for 2023, Reilly agreed to put in writing that he would not support the program in 2024.
“I had to memorialize in writing that understanding, that there would be a 2023 season but that would be the last season. And I had to send that letter to the mayor, Grant DePorter,
Bob Reiter … and that was the deal,” Reilly said.
Ramirez-Rosa confirmed in a statement to Block Club he attended the May 19 meeting, but the discussions focused on the extended outdoor dining ordinance and how it would be worded, he said.
“The primary matter we discussed regarding Clark Street and the ordinance was whether existing outdoor dining programs, like Clark Street, would be automatically renewed every year or require annual aldermanic sign-off,” Ramirez-Rosa said in a statement. “We opted for the latter in the ordinance to preserve local community input and ensure aldermanic support for the ordinance. I was not aware of Alderperson Reilly’s rejection letter to outdoor dining applicants and played no role in drafting or reviewing his letter.”
The Mayor’s Office did not respond to questions about Reilly’s account of what happened.
In a June 23 letter to DePorter, Reilly said he promised to review future proposals to close Clark Street with a “very narrow focus.” Any future requests to shut down Clark Street would likely be denied due to a “number of changes in the neighborhood,” he wrote.
“I had to cut some deal to get these guys the street. That’s that’s how it played out,” Reilly told Block Club.
Text messages obtained by Block Club show a June 23 exchange between a staff member from Reilly’s office and a city staffer confirming Reilly sent the letter to DePorter.
On June 30, a member of Reilly’s staff asked for an update. “Any updates? CPD signed off but CDOT hasn’t answered me,” the alderman’s representative said.
On July 6, Reilly’s staff member asked if the city’s business department had a date for the outdoor dining permits to be issued. The city staffer said everything should be resolved the next day.
On July 7, the city staffer said, “It’s happening, tell the applicant to get ready for payment.”
On July 11, parts of Clark Street were closed for the outdoor dining program.
‘This Is Not Beneficial To Everyone’
Despite Reilly’s support for Clark Street outdoor dining, DePorter of Harry Caray’s maintains the program has hurt his business and reduced accessibility to his restaurant for older patrons.
“All the restaurants that weren’t at Clark Street were having huge traffic problems,” DePorter told Block Club. “It was the most circumvented thing, and it went on for two years like that, so it’s one of those things where how can you ignore that. … I called the city many times and I said, ‘When is this going to be over?'”
Office buildings surrounding Harry Caray’s are attempting to have workers return to in-office work full-time, which would only make traffic worse, DePorter said.
The city’s decision to extend Clark Street Dining last year was a “real letdown,” DePorter said.
“I could not have been more disappointed with the way it was all playing out. Because it was like, all my issues were kind of being put to the side,” DePorter said.
DePorter pointed to opposition letters from other groups. Several of the group he’s affiliated with: He sits on the board of directors for the Magnificent Mile Association, 630 North State Parkway is his condo association and the association is also a member of the River North Residents Association.
DePorter told Block Club he met with these groups about his opposition to the Clark Street Dining Program.
“I know all the groups. I’ve been around for many, many years. A lot of people care about different issues Downtown, whether it be crime or other things, and just trying to get the city back on track. So every group talks,” DePorter said.
Sam Sanchez, owner of Moe’s Cantina in River North and former chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said the Clark street closure negatively affected his restaurant at 155 W. Kinzie St. and others in the area.
“This is not beneficial to everyone and only benefits two or three owners in that area,” Sanchez said. River North “has vacancies that have beautiful sidewalk cafes. Why do they find the need to shut down a street when there’s beautiful sidewalk cafes and restaurants that are for lease and restaurants that are struggling right now?”
Sanchez and DePorter hope Reilly keeps his end of the bargain, referencing the alderman’s promise in writing from last year. Sanchez does not believe Reilly was forced to write that letter to DePorter.
“He’s a very, very successful alderman. Nobody tells him what to do. … He doesn’t let people push him around,” Sanchez said.
To apply for Clark Street Dining program, at least three or more restaurants, taverns or breweries on the same block need to apply for full street closures to expand outdoor patios.
Permits are reviewed by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The department seeks input “from multiple other city departments and from the alderman of the impacted ward,” department spokesperson Erica Schroeder previously told Block Club.
That includes the city’s business, fire, police and emergency management departments, as well as the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and neighborhood stakeholders, Schroeder said.
According to city policy, ultimately CDOT “shall issue the Outdoor Dining Street Permit to the applicant if the Commissioner finds that the applicant meets the applicable requirements and the alderman’s recommendation is that the permit application should be approved.”
No restaurants have applied for this year’s outdoor dining season, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. Reilly believes that will soon change.
Since Block Club first reported on the program potentially discontinuing, a petition was launched in support Clark Street outdoor dining. It has garnered over 1,800 signatures.
“I think it’s a fantastic program. I was really happy to work with Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot to help establish it. And I think the city should continue it,” Reilly said.
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