Aldermen committee advances alley vacation to consolidate parcels for new 911 call center

The Public Infrastructure and Utilities Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, recommended a due pass for Board Bill 156, an ordinance to vacate a 15-foot-wide, 123.225-foot portion of an east–west alley in City Block 974 so multiple city-owned parcels can be consolidated for construction of a new 911 public safety answering point facility.

Committee sponsor Alderman Rasheen Aldridge said the alley vacation and lot consolidation are needed so the 911 call center can be sited on a single parcel. "It's a simple bill...this is just to make sure all the parcels are together," Aldridge said as he closed the item.

Jarek Chernykevich, identified as the chief design engineer for the Board of Public Service, told the committee the purpose of the vacation and subsequent lot consolidation is to meet zoning requirements. He said the site now consists of multiple city-owned parcels and "the separate parcels do not individually meet minimum lot requirements, front edge setback requirements," adding that consolidating the parcels "eliminates the risk of violating restrictions related to property lines." The bill's ordinance text, read into the record, also references a prior ordinance (61792) and contains an emergency clause.

Members of the committee asked no substantive questions. Alderman Autumn Ballmer and Alderman Velasquez each said they had no questions and expressed trust in the project team; Vice Chair Browning also said she had no questions.

The committee moved and sustained a motion to give Board Bill 156 a due-pass recommendation. The clerk recorded four "aye" votes and the committee passed the bill out of committee with that recommendation.

The action now moves to the full Board of Aldermen for further consideration. The committee record shows the Board of Public Service is managing the project; no budget or construction schedule was discussed in detail at this hearing.