We are perhaps halfway or so through our building permit time table so far:

Request an appointment to submit plans - 5 weeks
Initial review - 5 weeks
Wait for city to put rubber band on plans and allow us to pick them up and make changes - 10 days and counting

As I've previously mentioned, the city now lets you check you status daily, and it looked like things were going well when all initial reviews were completed September 19th. Now we need to review their comments and correct our plans, except for the snag that we can't actually pick up the plans until they say so. It's now been 10 days, which makes it time for this public whine from yours truly. When we called, the response was along of the lines of 'don't call us, we'll call you'.

Word is that the department is extremely low on staff these days stemming from all the staff lost to scandals in the past year. And with the city budget woes, the prospects look dim for much change.

For those seeking the blow-by-blow update, we are now a month into our quest for a building permit. A few years ago, the city started published building permit status to the general public. Enter our address, 2323 N. Milwaukee to see where things lie. The city updates this database nightly, so every morning I've built a habit of logging in whilst enjoying the mandatory cup of joe. As of today, we're waiting for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities to complete their first review, but have already passed the plumbing and electrical disciplines.

In other news, the building is a mess as the former occupants move out and the roof leaked straight down onto my desk and computer printer last week. Most of the paper on the desk which got water-damaged were legal bills anyways. Thank you mother nature for the temporary assistance with accounts payable!

We get a mention in an article in Today's Trib about Chicago-area brewpubs with in-depth profiles of Moonshine, Flossmoor Station, Three Floyds and Crown Brewing headed by my old Goose-era friend Jim Cibak. The print version on the cover of the 'At Play' section had a great picture of Flossmoor's Andrew Mason shoveling out the mash tun.

Here's a basic layout of the first floor:

Download a PDF (284K) and zoom in if you wish. The Milwaukee Ave. door is on the right. As you enter, you'll see a large, walk-around bar in the center of the space, a fireplace to your left and seating around the perimeter of the dinning room. The fermentation cellar and kitchen will both be visible from the restaurant with the hot-side brewhouse operation a bit farther back towards the rear of the building, but still in view. For the moment, we'll be leaving the second floor vacant but have plans for a special event space up there once we get around to that.

Well we submitted our final plans to the Dept. of Buildings today, which is a big accomplishment for the design team of Ravi and Cheryl form Wrap Architecture (they promise to improve their website soon!). I'll try and post some images of the floorplans in the near future for all to see, but first we are focused on the machinations of city review. It took six weeks to get an appointment to even submit the plans, and we expect at least 4-6 weeks to get back the initial review from plumbing, electrical, HVAC....

Once we get that permit in hand, we'll be able to close on our construction loan with super small business lender Banco Popular. We should be breaking ground in October and there's about 9 months of work ahead of us. *If* all goes well, we'll start brewing next summer!

Last week, the City's Zoning Committee approved our request for a zoning change to reduce parking requirements for our brewery. We've had a couple community meetings about this, and almost everyone in attendance was in favor, so there wasn't much controversy. All the same, this is just one of the many bureaucratic hoops we need to jump through on our way to opening.

Rehabbing and old building that covers the entire lot we had to make the choice between making space for fermentation tanks or cars, which was easy for me to make. Milwaukee Ave. has lots of metered street parking, and I hope most folks walk or take public transport, especially if they're drinking. The proximity to CTA service (El stop and three bus lines within a block) were major factors in choosing this location.

Next hoop to jump through: getting a building permit. It only takes 4-5 weeks to get an appointment with the Dept. of Buildings to apply and submit plans. When the plans are approved is anyones guess. I think we'll be lucky if we get through the process in another 3 months. Gotta love Chicago.

A couple weeks ago, about 40 people assembled for the unveiling of the Milwaukee Ave. Corridor Plan for the stretch between Western and California. Our building is about 100 feet away from the 'study area' in the next ward over, but I'm a nosy neighbor so I got involved anyways.

Alderman Manny Flores instigated the plan (and convinced the city to pay for it with TIF funds) and you can download it off his website. If you didn't know it already, lots of properties are changing hands in this area and drastic redevelopment seems like a guarantee. Page 33 of the report maps out the carefully-worded 'Sites Susceptible to Change' and shows that most of the properties are in play.

I attended a few of the community meetings to gather ideas for the plan, which were well-run as community meetings go thanks to the folks at CNT. Although the plan is a nice-looking document and makes some good recommendations, there doesn't seem to be any swift change in policy or zoning coming out of it. I'm all for its number one theme of transit-oriented development but I know that to make that happen we'll need some action on the policy front and continuing support from the community. The best immediate impact the plan had in my eyes was just getting residents, businesses and land owners in the same room to talk turkey for a few hours. There is as much disagreement as agreement on issues, but at least we put a human face on the debate.

Everyone wants to know what is going to be built on some of these sites. Condos? A strip mall? A new McDonalds? Or some nice pedestrian-friendly multi-use retail buildings? Whatever gets built (and how fast it happens) will have a definite impact on our success as a brewpub but we'll just have to wait and see for the most part. Hopefully things go according to plan:

From Page 26:

Development Principles
The following “development principles” have been derived from the
community input that was strong throughout the planning process.
These principles should be used to apply the community’s vision and
plan for the future development of a vital commercial district on
Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square.

1. Encourage compact, mixed density development with
multiple uses: a mix of uses and density generates a vibrant
assortment of people at many hours of the day. Urban
corridors, such as Milwaukee Avenue, have several built-in
advantages: many different uses are located close by, they
are easily accessible, and uses are often mutually supportive
(i.e., entertainment and restaurants). The Corridor should
contain a mix of building types: high and low, old and new,
that accommodates a range of businesses and residents.

2. Design for people, not cars: recognize the desire for
diversity and transportation options other than driving.
Given the strong presence of transit along the Corridor,
Milwaukee Avenue should continue to have a
pedestrian/bicyclist/non-motorized transportation
orientation. Encourage bicycle parking in new
developments. Set aside more area for dedicated, secured
bicycle storage and parking. Implement existing zoning
regulations that allow for lower parking standards when
developing within 0.25 -miles of either the Western or
California Blue line stations.

3. Involve the private sector and encourage public/private
partnerships: other than the CTA Elevated tracks, sidewalks,
streets, and other easements and rights-of-way, there is no
publicly-owned land along the corridor; thus, most change
will come from the private sector. Whenever appropriate,
incentivize development that conforms with the vision and
development principles put forth in this Plan.

4. Promote diverse housing options: allow higher density and
require a mix of product types for a broad range of incomes.
Living near transit can satisfy the desire for community,
independence, opportunity, and convenience for all ages
and income levels. Housing should include rental and forsale,
at both market and affordable housing price ranges.

5. Create public spaces: encourage creative opportunities for
open and green space, including public art, street vendors,
markets, concerts, and performances that draw people and
vitality into the area to stimulate economic activity.
Encourage plazas and gathering spots as part of new, larger
scale residential development. Work with the CTA to use
the land under the CTA Elevated tracks for public use around
the Western and California stations and local parking at
selected mid-block locations.

6. Promote pedestrian connections and innovative use of
public right-of-way: recognizing that Milwaukee Avenue is
highly-used by commuters, residents, and visitors, any
improvements in pedestrian connections, safety, and bicycle
storage are important to the community and key to
maintaining and enhancing the vibrancy of the Corridor.

7. Establish attractive landmarks & gateways: incorporate
unique streetscaping elements along the Corridor, such as
public art, benches, lighting, and signage that signify
Milwaukee Avenue as the “front door” to Logan Square.

8. Develop retail that is market driven: “ understand that retail
follows rooftops”--- increasing the amount, type, and mix of
retail is a desirable element in a community and a valuable
generator of taxes and services, but needs to be supported
by market demand. It is better to have a few busy,
successful stores than many dark empty ones.

9. Promote environmental best practices: use programs such
as Chicago’s Green Streets & Alleys and other pilot programs
underway by the City. Promote use of green roofs and U.S.
Green Building Council standards. Plant trees along the
Corridor to clean the air, reduce heat islands, cool buildings,
relax people, and provide shade for pedestrians.

In the many moons it took get this project rolling, I've received lots of emails offering help and several resumes from aspiring brewers (no we are not hiring yet). By far the coolest thing to come in was a hand-scrawled postcard from some neighborhood folks who I don't believe I've met, Mark & Melissa Munson: Okay I promise to cut the sentimental stuff out real soon, but I've had this up on the wall in the basement office for a while and now as a constant reminder to keep the nose to the grindstone. Let me tell you, every little bit helps. Cheers to craftiness...Josh

Below you can read about our big news, but in related happenings, the Logan Bar & Grill seems about ready to open on California. I wonder if they'll have pictures of the general himself on the walls? And just down the street, New Belgium's Tour de Fat is gearing up for its Illinois debut in Palmer Square Park on Saturday, June 21st. I'll be volunteering to pour beer for the competition and raise some funds for West Town Bikes. Who knew this area would be the new mecca for for craft beer?

All good things must come to an end and that's what happened today for our brewery project. Our lengthy quest to acquire a building for our brewery ended and we have started a new chapter. Today we closed on the purchase of 2323 N. Milwaukee after 15 months of negotiating, raising funds and dealing with more lenders and lawyers than I'd care to mention.

Makes you wanna shout: 'firkin yeah!'

Although I've lead the charge, so many people have contributed to making this happen including my wife who helped rush the final check downtown and all our investors and friends who have provided monetary and emotional support along the way. Our bank, Banco Popular came through in the clutch when few others were willing to even hear out our plans for a new restaurant and brewery in Logan Square.

There have been many ups and down along the way and the river often appeared too deep to wade across. Not quite a Homerian epic tale, but it didn't go unnoticed that today is Bloomsday.