The infamous Lincoln Park Pirates (aka Lincoln Towing, aka Protective Parking Corporation aka Scum of the Earth) may have finally met an opponent it can't beat: the consequences of its own actions.
If you've been around Uptown more than a minute, you may remember former 47th Ward alderman Amaya Pawar doing his best to get Lincoln Towing's license revoked.
And for good reason: after a years-long investigation of its business practices, in 2018, the Illinois Commerce Commission declared that the company was unfit to hold a license, citing 462 unauthorized tows performed by the company in an eight-month period, and 362 tows during that same period by drivers without a valid operating permit.
But then, in 2020, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen bought a Hail Mary argument by Lincoln Towing's lawyers and unrevoked its license, claiming Lincoln Towing's rights had been violated.
The company changed its sign to read "Protective Parking Services" and continued on with its questionable business practices.
Fast forward to October 12, 2022.
A man named Jermall Harvey had parked his car in the CVS lot at Ashland and Division. Legally. He even had a pass given to him by CVS stating that he was permitted to park in the lot while he worked at his nearby office.
He was alerted that a Lincoln Towing truck was about to tow his car, and came down to show his pass to the driver and straighten things out.
But that's not how the Lincoln Park Pirates roll.
This is what happened instead:
We reached out to lawyer friend CH, a fancy big law firm lady who Knows Things, and this is what she said--
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| The former Leland Hotel at 1207 W. Leland |
After years of mismanagement, Heartland Alliance stepped away from the building, which was poorly maintained and home to rampant drug and alcohol abuse problems that often spilled onto the surrounding streets. After a foreclosure and a tour through housing court, Mercy Housing agreed to acquire and renovate the building to continue use as affordable housing.
As part of the deal, Mercy gets $20,000,000 in city taxpayer (TIF) funds from the City.
You might recall that this same building received $2,000,000 in TIF in 2004 as part of a $15,000,000 renovation in 2005.
Now, after two decades of poor stewardship by Heartland, Mercy is set to receive 10 times the 2005 TIF amount.
Per Alderwoman Clay's announcement, the renovated Leland Hotel will offer 107 units to low income residents (down from the current count of 137). The cost? A cool $59,200,000.
That's $59 million for RENOVATIONS. NOT a new building.
To break that down, the renovation cost is:
Total cost ($59,200,000) / 107 units = $553,271 per unit.
Yes. You read that right.
Adding all the numbers up, by the time this new "renovation" is complete in 2028, this building will have received a total of $74,200,000 in "renovations" in 20 years, or $693,458 per unit.
Where is the money going?
After our eyes stopped watering, our team got to digging a little more.
Just for fun, we looked up the funding status of the Sarah's Circle building coming to Clarendon and Sunnyside. The estimated cost there was $34,000,000 for 54 units of housing.
Using those estimates:
Total estimated cost ($34,000,000) / 54 units = $629,630 per unit.
So the going rate for new construction is $629,630 per unit, and the twice rehabbed Leland is $693,458. Hmm...
While we understand the need for affordable housing, these costs are truly insane, particularly in the case of the Leland Hotel.
By way of reference, Homes.com data says the median price of a one-bedroom condo in Chicago in 2025 was between $250,000 and $266,500.
So, for the current $93,200,000 tied up in these two projects, the City could buy 351 condos at $266,000 per unit. That would house more than double the number of people these two projects will provide.
The issue of insane affordable housing costs has been explored in depth by others, so we don't have much more to add. The City needs affordable housing, no question. But since the days of Helen Shiller, it's been mantra that Uptown must be the home of all affordable housing, regardless of cost, and it appears to be more of the same under Ald. Shiller's hand-picked successor Angela Clay.
Affordable housing is certainly anything but "affordable" to build (or renovate).
If you haven't seen it, the "outdoor patio" in front of Gigio's is gone.
The structure was illegal under the City's ordinances and got significantly worse when the owners blocked all ability to view behind the structure. The tarps were eventually removed when neighbors complained, but the area in and around the structure became a center of drug sales and illicit activity in the neighborhood.
All of this was reported to Gigio's ownership and clearly obvious to anyone with eyes, but they seemed not to care. Drug dealing was good for business, it appeared.
From reader emails, we are aware numerous complaints were made to 311 and to BACP, but this has persisted for over two years. Things move slowly in the City, and we are told the City, with support from the Chicago Police, finally had enough and ordered the patio removed.
Gigio's has been around a long time, but history in the neighborhood doesn't earn them a free pass for bad behavior.
If you see drug activity continuing in front of Gigio's or in the parking lot across the street, call 911 and report it. Also call 311, and feel free to email us (link on the right) if you want to share with us as well.
And make sure to support the businesses around Gigio's (Tiffany's, In On Thai and Sky's Beverage Depot). All three businesses have suffered mightily while Gigio's ownership has pretended not to see what was right in front of their face.
UPDATE 10/25
We are aware that one of the owners of Gigio's has posted a response to this piece. While we were told this structure was removed at City request, we will not quarrel with the owner's statement that it was her decision. If it was her decision, credit where it's due.
Of the many questions that remain, question one is why this wasn't done much earlier. Our first piece (linked above) was published 22 months ago.
This has been a known problem and was addressed at multiple CAPS meetings and local safety meetings. Our sources tell us that despite repeated invitations, Gigio's attended one (1) CAPS and Wilson Corridor meeting in the last three years, and none of the concerns raised in the response were brought up then.
Question two: we have received multiple eyewitness reports that the (male) co-owner has been observed conversing, laughing, eating and drinking with the drug dealers. Do they deny these reports are true?
Question three: sources tell us that the owners are renting the apartment above Gigio's to a multiple time felon and known drug dealer. Sources also say that person frequently does deals that start on the street and end in the alley behind Gigio's. Giving Anna, as the landlord, the benefit of the doubt, does she or Gigio's intend to change that?
We await a response and will publish it once it appears.
We have been watching the building at 4848 N. Clark with interest for years now.
The handsome but non-descript old warehouse & manufacturing building along Clark was built in 1936 just north of the now demolished Rainbo Gardens (later Rainbo Roller Rink). In a reflection of the changes to Uptown in the 1930's, the building had various automotive and light manufacturing tenants over the years and was most recently home to a couple of art studios.
The building has been on and off the market since at least 2008 with no buyers. The property recently sold, and we are happy to announce that Garner Development will be doing a project on site.
Garner has not yet responded to our inquiry about plans for the space, so we don't know if this is a tear down or conversion. They do nice work and we would expect something similar to the projects here.
The current 3-story building is currently around 12,000 square feet. It could be converted, but the property is zoned C2-2 in a reflection of the building's automotive and manufacturing history. The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for the current site is 2.2, meaning Garner could build a building up to 24,200 square feet with a building height of 50 feet by right.
This is in the 47th Ward, so Alderman Martin will have the final say on any request to modify the current zoning.
Uptown remains hot, with a recent influx of new projects and housing developments along the 4400, 4500, 4600 and 4700 blocks of Clark (and more to come).
We are not surprised this property finally found a developer.
Chicago continues to need new housing stock, and we are very happy that this disused building and lot will transition to housing and add additional density to a portion of Uptown that needs more.
We're looking at you, Lincoln Towing.
“Harry S Truman College has spent 70 incredible years of opening doors of opportunity for our students through education. Opportunities they’ve earned and deserve, so as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary of service to Chicagoans this October, we stand prouder than ever because of them,” said President Shawn Jackson, Harry S Truman College. “With our students at the center of our mission, Truman promises to remain a beacon of accessibility and academic excellence—for the decades to come.”
For the last 70 years, Harry S Truman College has evolved from a small night-school initiative to serving thousands of students each year.
The college traces its origins back to 1956, when it was established as a two-year "evening college" operating out of Amundsen High School on Foster Avenue. The program was launched following community demand for more accessible higher education options on Chicago's North Side.
Its Mayfair Era began in 1961 when the program grew rapidly, soon outgrowing the high school space. At this time, community leaders secured a former elementary school on Wilson Avenue, transitioning the school into Mayfair College. Then in 1976, it moved to the location where it stands today, 1145 West Wilson Avenue in Chicago’s Uptown Neighborhood.
The main building was designed by John Moutoussamy, a pioneering modernist architect and the first Black architect to design a high-rise building in Chicago. Upon opening, the school was officially renamed Harry S Truman College in honor of the 33rd U.S. President, who was an advocate for public and community colleges.
At that time, the construction of the campus required demolishing local apartment buildings, which initially displaced families, including members of the neighborhood's Native American community. Over the subsequent decades, administrators worked intensely to reconnect with the community, launching supportive initiatives like the Institute of Native American Development and the Red Path Theatre. (source: Indigenous Chicago)
Additionally, the campus birthed the renowned Pegasus Theatre Chicago which went on to win dozens of Chicago's prestigious Jeff Awards.
In 2010, the college footprint expanded with the completion of the Larry McKeon Student Services Building. This LEED Silver-certified facility consolidated student resources and added a 1,100-space parking structure.
In 2014, as part of the City Colleges of Chicago’s "College to Careers" initiative, Truman College was designated as the district’s hub for education, human, and natural sciences.
Always dynamic and inclusive, today, Harry S Truman Colleges’ annual enrollment boasts students representing more than 100 different countries and speaking over 90 languages.
When Dr. Kana Nagai first arrived at Harry S Truman College, she knew learning English would be a big task. What she didn’t know was that going to Truman would open the door to multiple academic degrees, advanced research, and work funded by NASA. “City Colleges always showed me the next opportunity,” she said. “That pathway—from ESL, to Gateway, to transfer—was incredibly important.” Today, Dr. Nagai holds a doctoral degree and works as a Senior Research Associate at Illinois Tech. While completing her postdoctoral fellowship at IIT, her research focused on GPS and navigation systems, creating safer navigation technologies for transportation systems. Her work has been supported by NASA and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
City Colleges of Chicago is currently enrolling now for its Fall 8-week, Winter 4-Week, and Spring 16-Week sessions. Fall 8-week session begins October 19, 2026. Register today and click here to apply.
If you frequent Chase Park, you may have noticed the former church parking lot at the southeast corner of Ashland and Leland has been car-free for a little while now. That got our antenna up, and a new building permit issued yesterday confirmed the long-rumored and planned development at the parking lot, known officially as 4641 N. Ashland, is ready to put shovels in the ground.
More density is a great thing for the area, and more units to add to the Clark Street boom.
With the permit issued, expect construction soon.
On Saturday, October 24th Uptown United and My Art House Studio will be co-sponsoring the Uptown Candy Crawl, which will be a “trick or treating” event along Wilson Avenue between Dover and Racine from 12-4pm!
Courtesy of Reader SA, some interesting info on Uptown's not-for-profit dance organization Kuumba Lynx:
Hey UU -
I just thought you would like to see these donations from Kuumba Lynx to the Angela Clay campaign.These are illegal donations since Kuumba Lynx is a 501c3 nonprofit.About six weeks later, Kuumba Lynx received a city grant. Looks like pay for play is alive and well in the 46th!
| Kuumba Lynx 4501 N. Clarendon Ave Chicago, IL 60640 | $1,000.00 | 1/6/2026 | 4/14/2026 | Individual Contribution Neighbors for Angela Clay | |||
| Kuumba Lynx 4501 N. Clarendon Ave Chicago, IL 60640 | $2,000.00 | 1/6/2026 | 4/14/2026 | Individual Contribution Neighbors for Angela Clay |
Alternative clothing retailer Stylish Sin recently received a license to open a retail location at 1111 W. Lawrence, across from the Aragon.
Thanks to reader NV, we now have a photo of the front of the planned store:
Stylish Sin (motto: Let's Sin) advertises itself as a destination for "Cyber, Tech, Goth and Streetwear." Looks like plenty of cool stuff to buy and wear around Uptown.
The sign says October but not sure the store will be open in time for Open House Chicago. We think they will get plenty of customers from the Aragon and the Riv.
Welcome!
In case you missed it, the Chicago Tribune came out with a detailed investigative report this weekend regarding the financial malfeasance underlying the 2025 closure of Weiss Hospital and the 2026 closure of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.
According to the article, the 2022 purchase of the hospitals from Pipeline Health was approved by the State of Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board without sufficient investigation. While the leader of the new healthcare consortium (Dr. Manoj Prasad and investor Reddy Rathnaker Patlola) presented themselves to local and state leaders as experienced in healthcare, including healthcare turnarounds, they had little actual experience.
Under the arrangement, Patlola’s firm bought the properties and leased them to Prasad’s operating firm, Resilience Healthcare. The two investors (Prasad and Patlola) are currently in litigation over the closures and other financial matters, and the article notes that Prasad admitted in a recent deposition that the partners did not perform serious due diligence or review reliable financials until after seeking approval from the State.
The article notes that since the State approved the deal in 2022, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has handed out millions in loans and grants, including newer loans in 2025 despite Resilience missing 12 straight repayments, failing to repay any principal, and owing nearly $60 million in delinquent taxes and penalties.
The Tribune reporters also note that although state rules require recipients to be placed on a "Stop Payment List" if they fail to submit annual third-party audits, the Illinois Department of Public Health continued funding the hospitals for two fiscal years before halting payments in November 2025.
There's much more in the article about financial and oversight issues, including allegations of potential misappropriated funds by Prasad. Prasad blames failed attempts to to switch to a new electronic medical record (EMR) system for causing funding deficits, and the lack of a plan to ensure proper billing has hamstrung efforts to reopen the hospitals.
With respect to the hospitals themselves, the reporters show what we already knew: that the hospitals were unclean and lacked proper ventilation and supplies.
Overall, a great piece of investigative reporting and all credit is due to the reporters at the Tribune.
In a topic near and dear to our hearts, another COVID fraudster is finally answering for his crimes.
Seems like only yesterday that Jared Leonard was going to open a Budlong Chicken 'superstore' of sorts at 1329 W. Wilson (now home to Terrace).
Those plans evaporated when Leonard abandoned the Wilson project and moved to Colorado to open a Denver outpost of Budlong alongside a new concept (Au Feu).
Then COVID hit. Instead of working to survive and reset, Leonard decided to take full advantage of the COVID crisis by making up fake business losses and submitting false information to the government to obtain PPP loans.
Thankfully, sometimes justice prevails and crooks get caught and have to do hard time.
Via CWB Chicago, Leonard will be doing 30 months of federal jail time for his crimes.
Here's hoping the bell will toll for any and all local (alleged) fraudsters as well! (if guilty...)
