I wish Loyola students and staff cared to respect "No Wheels on Sidewalks" rule for Sheridan Road, instead of pretending to not know, or showing us middle finger when we point it out. We seniors have been living here for decades, paying high taxes, yet can not safely go for a walk along Sheridan, can't even walk to Ardmore to use Lakefront Trail or the beaches when these monsters are biking at full speed on sidewalks despite so many signs telling them not to. Bikes, scooters, roller skates, all of it. Too dangerous for us elderly who can easily lose our balance and fall.
More cultural diversity & inclusion through various events
I’d like Loyola to stop buying and taking over more land/property forcing longtime residents and businesses to move.
Loyola should make clear to its student body that there are two excellent bike paths here - one on Kenmore and one on Winthrop, and that they must not ride on Sheridan Road sidewalks are street, Also, Loyola running groups should use those streets to get to the Lakefront instead of Sheridan, which is a very crowded street. Every year, students must be reminded.
Loyola University is a leech on the neighborhood,making lots of money and paying no taxes and not contributing to the Rogers Park community. Loyola is the reason that a community garden space was turned into an empty parking lot, and a thriving community and Arts space, Archies, was ripped away from us. Residents were also displaced of their homes. Loyola offers nothing to the neighborhood residents that are not part of the university… and honestly should be a taxed entity,and really should do more for this neighborhood as a whole Loyola is not Rogers Park. Rogers park is beautiful,diverse,multicultural and Loyola does not represent the neighborhood.
I look that the university to raise property values.
Stop tearing down large apartments and letting land sit vacant for decades and driving out small independent business in favor of national chains.
The corner buildings at Devon and Broadway are sad— except for the one on SE corner. If given lots of dough, would be great to redo this entire intersection. More green, more human.
YOU ALL ARE COLONIZERS AND SHOULD BE ASHAMED
Would like to see Loyola benefit the local economy much more than now
Loyola has never shared their vision for their future in Rogers Park. They continue to purchase land and take it off the tax base without providing any plan for the future.
Loyola has not been a good neighbor to rogers park. It has not put resources back into the community continues to buy up property reducing housing inventory eliminating businesses.
"I am not aware of anything I might have access to within Loyola simply by living in Edgewater.
I am mostly concerned about the turnover of small businesses in the area and vacant storefronts. If the university can find a way to bring more small businesses to the area to enhance it (not just bars and restaurants) that would be helpful."
I wish Loyola wasn't buying up so much of the area, consuming so much real estate, and contributing to the loss of affordable housing accessible to all community members (including students).
Loyola is kind of a bully. The takeover of N Kenmore is a prime example. That was a public space that just got taken over. I was in those “community meetings “. They filled the room with lackeys who voted for taking away our street and who didn’t live here. Also: the St Francis environmental building kills a lot of birds. It’s a glass curtain with plants inside and no pattern on the glass so birds go to land on the plants they see and kill themselves by accident. Pretty ironic when you consider the name. I get so sick of all the dead birds.
"Students need to be more aware that people live here all year
Do like programs to community, “green spaces"
Ending the leases of businesses on Loyola Ave, like Archies, etc. are detrimental to Loyola's image
"For people who are Chicago residents, not out of town and suburban kids, to have access to Loyola at vastly discounted rates so that they can receive higher education. Clearly Loyola only values people to stay in the area if they go to Loyola. Not everyday people who are trying to make it by. Calling Rogers Park and Edgewater a transient community and saying that only Loyola students stay is classist. Of course people with higher education stay in the area. They will get higher paying jobs because you provided them degrees while contributing to locals being pushed out.
You cant exist in these communities while doing everything you can to make sure Chicago locals don't get a good chance to attend. Loyola is a gentrifying institution that breaks local businesses and contributes to pricing out small families. Further expanding only benefits the students of Loyola, the staff who don't care about low income families and harms the people of Chicago"
Please stop gentrifying the area. The better Loyola gets as an institution, the worse it is for the people who live in Roger’s park and Edgewater. So many of my favorite businesses have been forced to move because you’ve bought their building and pushed them out.
It is crucial that Loyola remain aware and accountable for their potential to negatively impact the neighborhood through gentrification (via their voracious dominance of real estate) and continue to be a respectful and conscientious neighbor in a predominately residential area.
"Loyola and its students positively impact the community. "
"I’m actually not aware of anything Loyola does that benefits me or the neighborhood directly? Perhaps some neighborhood PR would help. I do see that businesses have been purchased and demolished since we’ve lived here, and it sounds like student rental housing is going to be built in its place. Obviously students need to live somewhere but we also miss the restaurants and other buildings/businesses that have closed. These may not be owned by Loyola now, but the perception is that they’re “for students,” even if they’re actually owned by another company. "
Buying up and destroying longstanding local establishments is the exact opposite of what Loyola should be doing. If dorms can't keep up with enrollment, STOP accepting as many people.
It would be nice if Loyola stopped misplacing residents from affordable housing in order to build dorms. It would also be nice if Loyola didn't keep the empty lots purchased more than decade ago without doing anything with them. They are making those areas in community ugly and unsafe. Aggressive acquiring of properties in Rogers Park by Loyola is hurting this community.
My child attends Loyola University Preschool and we absolutely love the community and are so grateful to be a part of it.
I appreciate Loyola's investment in the community, but also respect that community and don't steamroll because of your financial power. Respect and enhance the history of the neighborhood.
I am glad that the campus grounds are open to community members. I enjoyed walking and biking around the campus, especially during the pandemic. I felt privileged to live so close to a beautiful campus.
It is hard to believe that Loyola has any interest in the Rogers Park community when it forces the closure of a vital community hub like Archie's and demolishes an architecturally and historically significant building to be replaced by an (empty lot??) - Despite overwhelming community sentiment to the contrary. It is shameful and an outrage.
I think if Loyola were to give me a slice of pizza or a taco, that it would greatly improve my experience with Loyola in the neighborhood.
Please do not impact traffic on Sheridan Road more than Loyola already does. Please ensure landlords for Loyola students maintain their properties. artfully designed spaces are less inviting than authentic neighborhood places.
1. Loyola replaced some local business I loved (Standees, Hancock Fabrics) with chains - very disappointing. 2. I hope LUC will support the St. Ignatius food pantry. 3. I appreciate the gorgeous eco-friendly lakefront path at Loyola and the beautiful plaza.
It’s disappointing to see Loyola purchase building that result in the closing of small businesses/local restaurants that add charm and value to living in Rogers Park.
Loyola is purchasing and developing far too many properties. This forces out existing tenants, both residential and retail, which is detrimental to the community.
All of the questions about Loyola bringing good things to the community are false. The students are drunk in the streets. I was mugged by a student and they litter everywhere.
Be mindful of displacing long term businesses
Please stop demolishing buildings of character for bland boxes. Keep the history of the area in mind and restore & rehab before replacing. The community will thank you for it.
A botanical garden, but it’s be nice if Loyola wouldn’t knock down small businesses to build dorms
Please stop forcing out small, local businesses (such as Archie’s) that support and enrich the lives of students and residents of Rogers Park. New is not always better, and many
What a waste of money to purchase the building Archie’s is in just to be torn down!! Where else can the kids go to listen to music and be close to campus. The students DO NOT take care of public property nor school property.
I would love to see Loyola establish a more connected town square type feel where students and community members interact and share experiences and ideas. Cultivating opportunities for connections and debate among students and community members.
Stop buying up properties and leaving them unused! Bad for business, residents and neighborhood vibes! Also, you should compensate Khmai for all the construction chaos that forced them to close for months!
I've noticed that when the Loyola students are walking on the sidewalks in groups that they are unaware of other pedestrians or choose to ignore other pedestrians. This creates a situation where other pedestrians are either forced off the sidewalks or pedestrians are forced to abruptly avoid the group of students. This type of situation is particularly dangerous to elderly residents of the neighborhood since falls in old age can be disastrous. I have heard many similar complaints from my neighbors who live near Loyola. Students should be encouraged to be considerate of other pedestrians when the students are walking in groups. Students should be encouraged to share the neighborhood rather than attempting to dominate it.
No
Loyola is great!
“Wellness” in question 6 and 8 is not defined and feels somewhat meaningless combined with other ideas.
"Rent assistance
Notice about community resources usurped by Loyola without replacement (Vedgwater & affordable housing)"
I wish the campus had not destroyed so many beautiful outdoor spaces, trees, plants and bushes where birds and animals were living. I think the new spaces are ugly and barren of life and nature.
The visual presence of the campus plus its upkeep enhance the beauty and environmental goolth of the community
"I believe most of the anti-Loyola rhetoric in the neighborhood is rooted in antiCatholicism and cultural bias.
I am a Loyola alum. I am proud and still in the neighborhood."
Community gardens on Loyola vacant lots.
I am a LUC alum (class of 2019)
The campus path along Lake Michigan is my favorite part of my daily walk between my two homes.
Despite recent challenges, Loyola works very hard to stay connected and support the immediate surrounding community. While some of their decisions have been unpopular to a few, this nonprofit has stayed true to their mission and always benefit the community in the long term. I trust that Loyola acts in the best interest of the community even if it doesn't seem that way in the short term.
Help keep Our area of Rogers Park safe
Stop destroying Loyola Ave, West of Sheridan.
Please stop buying up lots in the neighborhood and leaving them vacant. Looking specifically at the area by Loyola red line stop. If you’re gonna buy them don’t leave them vacant
It blows that you bought and are tearing down a low income housing building that also had the best cafe in our entire neighborhood.
Please consider that when you’re renting out retail space that not everyone in the neighborhood wants that strip of Sheridan to turn into a suburban shopping mall.
Neighborhood diversity is an essential ingredient of what makes this neighborhood vibrant and that wasn’t in your lists
Archie’s shouldn't have died for your manifest destiny- you are killing the culture and community for the sake of increasing tuition every year and putting more money in mark's pockets
Stop buying and demolishing the buildings where my neighbors live and work and where we already have community spaces.
I am concerned that Loyola takes and gate keeps more from Rogers Park residents than it gives back. It has a large footprint on our neighborhood's lakeshore border that could otherwise be used by residents for recreation and relaxation. Loyola acts as a gentrifying force by driving up rent costs with the presence of students who are able to pay their rent with student loans and university or familial support, while nonstudent residents are priced out of rentals in the neighborhood. Additionally, I am angered that local establishments such as Archie's Cafe and Roman Susan Gallery were forced out of their buildings because Loyola University bought it out. It's worth nothing that while more independent businesses have shuttered on Sheridan Ave near the university campus, more chains have cropped up in their place. Meanwhile, I have not heard of Loyola University doing any sort of advocacy or direct resources investment in the neighborhood to address struggles our residents are facing when it comes to lack of access to food, affordable housing, and mental and physical healthcare. The youth and families of the North of Howard neighborhood disproportionately experience poverty, houslessness, hunger, violence and are academically under resourced compared to the rest of the neighborhood and many other areas of the city. Loyola University's presence also leads to a higher presence of police and non-police security personnel who make our neighborhood less safe and more threatening for those historically targeted and harassed by policing: Black and brown, LGBTQ+, and mentally ill and disabled folks. Loyola needs to reckon with its impact on Rogers Park through true community dialogue, not just performative pop-ups and surveys, and put a pause on these expansions.
"My child used to take swim lessons at Loyola and we did family swim times. That program was eliminated during the pandemic.
We have had many problems with Loyola students in the neighborhood.
Loyola has displaced beloved independent owned businesses.
Most of the new businesses that the students frequent are chains."
Please don't buy vegewater community gardens and make it into campus housing/ building
I think responsible property ownership is important. Thus far Loyola has proven that they aren't always doing that and that makes me sad. Loyola needs to listen to what people that live here want, before they actually go and do it, that's why I am pleased to see this survey. I don't live super close but hear from those who do all the time, and they are not happy.
Please don’t gobble up anymore mom and pops
You guys have what feels like a walled garden. I have never seen any community outreach from the university and I’ve lived here for nearly 10 years. And after the hiccup with Khmai I am very hesitant to trust Loyola to care for locals.
Please don't build any more parking structures!
More integration with the neighborhood and communities
The most valuable community asset is the lakeshore. To create more easy access areas to the waterfront would encourage success for new amenities & facilities.
Displacing authentic art and retail places like Archie’s and taking over massive swaths of real estate to sit on for years and lower housing stock is very negative for the community. Trust in Loyola which was at an all time high when we moved here 15 years ago is at its lowest.
Please don’t bring in more police because that increases instability and makes me feel more unsafe. I’m also still saddened by the closing of Archie’s due to campus expansion. Moving to the far north of Rogers Park was absolutely influenced by the campus location, because I did not want to live close to campus, but I did want to live in Rogers Park. It would be really great to be able to access Loyola wifi & library
Time to mingle
It scares me as a long term resident how much land Loyola is buying, especially when lots remain vacant and property taxes keep going up for those of us that aren’t churches. Please stop buying out our neighborhood.
Just walking through the campus and casually interacting with students and neighbors gives me a safe, peaceful feeling. So glad to be a neighbor of Loyola!!
Commercial residential developments for students have negative impact on our community increasing density, traffic and access to parking.
It would be beneficial, I think, for elderly residents to have ways to interact with Loyola students, e.g., through common courses, discussions, events, etc.
Please refrain from tearing down existing buildings
Loyola does not take responsibility for its impact on the community. Businesses come and go like the wind on its properties. Important community cultural spots are replaced by sterile empty storefronts.
Loyola is reducing the uniqueness that once made Rogers Park and Edgewater a unique and thriving neighborhood. Makes me really sad to see residents and businesses pushed out for even more school expansion. I only see Loyola taking from the area for their own gain, not contributing anything to non students.
Loyola cares about Loyola. They do not care about the community and the residents. Rogers park has issues of homelessness, mental health concerns, limited affordable housing, lack of accessible healthcare and Loyola does nothing to help the area. How about providing real support for the community? Housing options/mental health clinics/ food pantry/ etc. there are real concerns in this community and Loyola is in a position to really offer help and support for our community. But I don’t see it. What I do see is Loyola continuing to acquire more buildings and expanding their campus. How does that support the community? What it does is drive people out. Loyola has a tagline of “to see god in all things” but I don’t see them living that truth. It’s about profit and expanding campus for the administration in charge. They can and should do better. Most faculty don’t even live in Roger’s park or edgewater - they choose to live in Evanston or further away from campus. Why? I love my Roger’s park community and if I had the means to do more I would. Loyola has the means and chooses more students and fancy buildings than to truly be a pillar of the community. Do better Loyola.
The neighborhood and campus should be separate but Loyola should have community relations to invite community members to participate, but not alter the community without surveys of sites off campus as its footprint continues to expand into neighborhoods and takes away things like community gathering spots and gardens.
Maybe don’t kick out long term existing tenants?? (Archie’s cafe, etc). Community isn’t something you get to conjure out of thin air, it’s something that was here before you and will be after you.
I think the recent closure of Archie's Cafe and Loyola's related acquisition reflect poorly on Loyola. I have concerns about Loyola 's future acquisitions, as well as its overall influence on the neighborhood.
"I am sad when beautiful buildings and small, treasured businesses are closed due to Loyola.
I would also love to see fewer chain restaurants and more local, small businesses "
I strongly disagree with Loyola’s destruction of Roman Susan gallery and Archie’s Cafe. These places are not just businesses. It takes years to build this kind of community and you are literally tearing it down.
Sullivan Center should not be rebuilt any higher than it is. Or be converted to an open space .
Please do not build higher than 2 stories.
Improved safety
Lake front bike path- Loyola is a good route 22 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO CAMPUS PLAN 2025 Appendix APPENDIX Survey Results Q 11.0: Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences or visions for the community? (Continued) to safely connect to the lake front path, but would hard during school. Would be nice if there was a more dedicated bike route through/near campus
Thank you for being a great neighbor.
Sheridan road is an atrocity. That is not Loyola's fault, by any means. But I would love Loyola to create an incredible landscape and architecture that makes the traffic and congestion of Sheridan Rd seemingly disappear. Like Olmstead did in that suburban where the roads were below park ground level which gave the illusion there were no cars. That would showcase Loyola's environmental studies on a whole new level if it was a monster, BEAUTIFUL creation.
Stop pushing successful and beloved businesses out of their locations
I hope that Loyola can improve the dangerous roads such as Sheridan, Broadway, and Devon and help make them easier to navigate and cross so that the campus easier to access. It's a great campus, please keep the campus open to community members
Will never forgive Loyola for what it did to Archie’s. Shame.
No
Really disappointed how Loyola has displaced a long time business in Archie's and has yet to monetarily compensate Kuan Khamai for damages. Loyola is trying to destroy the neighborhood.
I would hope that any changes would contribute value to the existing community as well, rather than driving current residents and business out by taking over space and driving up prices.
Safety and efficiency for both drivers and pedestrians
Loyola can go get bent for buying the building Archies is in and kicking them out. That small business was the platonic ideal of the type of community you supposedly want to "improve the neighborhood" with.
"I think this survey is a missed opportunity for Loyola to build trust and gather valuable feedback from the community, and it reflects the gap between Loyola officials' words and actions about community engagement.
As neighbors (and alumni), what do we want from Loyola?
-We want a vibrant and diverse campus that encourages students to live fully in the community, whether on campus or off. Jesuit colleges were built in cities for a reason.
-We want a bustling commercial district that serves students, their families, faculty, visitors, and RP residents.
-We want Loyola to recognize the value of small business owners in a bustling commercial district.
-We want a transparent community partner that doesn't take property off the tax rolls and then sit on it for years without sharing a plan for the future.
-We want Loyola to be a partner in solving community issues that impact students' experiences in the neighborhood.
-We do not want to be Lincoln Park.
A university is an asset to a neighborhood; Loyola could be a much stronger asset."
I really like community spaces like the Vedgewater garden where groups host educational activities. I'd like to see more of that.
I think this survey is a missed opportunity for Loyola to build trust and gather valuable feedback from the community. As neighbors (and alumni), what do we want from Loyola? We want a transparent community partner that doesn't take property off the tax roles and then sit on it--often as empty lots--for years without
I appreciate that you request community input!
"Build spaces and routes for people, not automobiles
A lot of the rest falls into place!"
I dislike strongly that Loyola has bought multiple lots and property and have left them empty or vacant. For instance, buying the building with Archie’s cafe and having no plan for it. Kicking out long term residents of the neighborhood and two retail/arts spaces that are a cornerstone of the neighborhood.
I would really love access to the pool, especially in winter months when there aren’t other nearby swimming options.
The destruction of Archie's and Roman Susan is such a short sighted anti-community move. You claim to be for the community and local businesses or RP but go out of your way to buy up and demolish a building that housed community members and 3 local businesses with no clear plan on what you will do with the underlying land or a timeline for when you will do something with said land. I don't think your a good neighbor or community member. Removing local businesses is not a community minded approach and makes you look like a greedy developer.
Loyola needs to stop buying up and demolishing buildings in our neighborhood. It’s depressing to see buildings be destroyed just so that the campus can expand. Tearing down historic structures changes the historic feel of our community.
I love it that I can hanging around Loyola area (eastern side by the lake and open space). Thank you Loyola
I am upset with the recent purchases of buildings and the subsequent purging of important neighborhood institutions. Loyola has shown little regard for the surrounding community which is unfortunate. This is a wonderful community and Loyola should be adding value not closing off more of it for exclusive uses
I worry about Loyola’s gentrification of the neighborhoods it exists in. Loyola must ensure that housing is the area is affordable and it must actively work to house our unhoused neighbors.
"There are a lot of apartments around here that are either owned by Loyola
Or they have landlords, but it’s hard to find an apartment around here that isn’t only renting the students not fair…"
I would like to see you use the space on Loyola avenue that has sat vacant for years. I’d also like to make sure that the space that was taken from Archie’s cafe and the arts area is used to continue to showcase the unique arts scene of Rogers park.
I fear Loyola will eat the entire neighborhood alive. My 25 years in the neighborhood is evidence to that. Loyola has no value for anything that’s already in the neighborhood and the students treat it like a trash dump.
Loyola shitting down Archie’s is a cultural L
Do t tear down Archie’s/roman Susan/historic building. This is a hostile act towards the neighborhood
Stop making parking lots. Encourage small businesses since we have plenty of fast food chains. There are so many things that could be done to help Devon Avenue. Why is that not a priority please have consequences for students who live off campus and party all night, disrupting the neighborhood
Would love an indoor walking track.
I am an a Loyola alum that lives in Edgewater. Loyola does not need more strip-mall businesses. Needs real restaurants. Real coffee houses to study in. Should feature their interfaith efforts and not just Catholic. Community needs to know more about what Loyola does for sustainability. I don't really want to pay to attend arts programs when I can go to DePaul programs for free.
None.
Campus improvements are great - disrupting the neighboring community by forcibly removing tenants, retails and restaurants, and not taking responsibility for your negligence when construction in building causes costly damages to businesses that want to celebrate your community is inexcusable. I had a positive view of Loyola when I moved to Roger’s park that has been soured by how Loyola has acted and responded to the community.
Clean up the vacant lots you own and give the public’s use of them for gardens
There are two many empty storefronts in Rogers Park and Edgewater. Restaurants geared towards adults and small businesses need to be lured back to the community, especially within walking distance of Loyola. Why is there no bread bakery in the area?
My children attend Northside Catholic Academy. I'd like to see more partnerships/ opportunities to work together so that our kids can see the value in a Catholic University opportunity.
I would love to see LUC more involved with the seniors of the community. Isolation is a real issue with seniors and would love to see more ways for them to get involved with LUC. They have so much to share.
My experience is that you are a corporate bully gobbling up property in the neighborhood. I find your students rude, entitled and often bullies on the area public sidewalks. You are NOT a good neighbor.
Please don’t destroy the Vedgewater garden. It’s part of the community.
Please do not decrease lanes on Sheridan road (east/west). Traffic is already congested so much and this would worsen it and lead to increased safety issues. Instead please consider working with the city to incorporate more pedestrian and bike safety features for community and student safety in the areas of the neighborhood and around campus.
I wish Loyola would rent to more local businesses and encourage their presence of Sheridan (instead of fast food chains).
I am saddened that the fountain was replaced with an ugly cement plaza and fake hills. The landscaping is shabby looking. The geothermal installation was a great leap for the environment. The Sullivan Center is a gem along the lakefront sustaining geese migratory nighttime roosting on its rooftop. What an amazing sight to see over 100 birds there roosting overnight before takeoff at dawn. The rest of the campus is quite lovely. Thanks for your generous allowance of neighbors access to the walkways as well as the chapel. I am proud to be an alum.
Stop buying properties and forcing out long term tenants who have lived in the area around Loyola for decades and cannot afford other housing units in the neighborhood!!!
I miss Archie's. Please don't buy buildings and knock them down for parking lots
Hope to see more restaurant s and theaters
Por favor no dejen espacios vacios con piedras, pongan pasto o arboles. Algunos de estos espacios han estado sin desarrollar por mas de 20 anhos
"I would like to see a commitment to keeping the stock and availability of affordable housing in Edgewater. I want less Becovic owned properties, or any monopoly by a small number of management companies.
I would like Loyola to concentrate its campus expansion NORTH of Granville."
Loyola above all needs to take account the resident's needs. Loyola must NOT do anything without community input. Loyola as an institution has a big responsibility and should put itself to higher standard.
Would like to see spaces in the community utilized instead of left empty
I believe that there is a large lack of study spaces for students in and around Loyola's Lakeshore campus, both for groups and individual study. The plans for the community should include an expansion of indoor study space both in the form of on campus sites and open to the public businesses that encourage people to sit and study while encouraging the development of local businesses.
Every successful neighborhood has an economic center. Loyola has the opportunity to foster that economic center in both Rogers Park and Edgewater connecting the 2. The rent Loyola is asking might be market value for other neighborhoods but it drives out the unique small businesses that compliment universities. I would like to suggest that Loyola adopt a policy that resembles the affordable rent guidelines that Chicago has for developers. This will allow room for the new entrepreneur, the quirky coffee shop, and mom and pop shops. Currently Sheridan rd North of Columbia resembles a suburban strip mall. I know your suburban and rural patrons can identify with that scene but I believe a university should offer more and I also believe your patrons don’t want another corporate retail entity. Loyola has an opportunity to do this with style, I hope that's what you choose other than the current mess it resembles. Also, bad move getting rid of Archie's. On every conceivable level, it was a horrible move.
Please make Loyola's LSC safer, and partner with small businesses to make our community more vibrant.
Less tenant evictions,including apartments and independently owned businesses, and clean-up of empty lots owned by Loyola
As a previous student and community member, Vegewater Community Garden is an incredibly important space to connect Students with their community. So much for "Care for our community".
The loss of Archies is a terrible loss to the community. It would be great for Loyola to have a strong presence at local schools and if the wellness centers were open to the public. Taking over the movie theater would be extremely good for the neighborhood and for students.
It would be nice if there was a sign that told the public we have a Theatre and Arts complex in the Mundelein Center
Loyola really needs to address the awful traffic and pedestrian inaccessibility around their campus. Sheridan is a dangerous mess and Broadway is as well.
Safety is the most important thing to. secondly, work with the community in fields of nursing, social work education.
The right northbound turn lane pedestrian intersection is dangerous to pedestrians and needs to be addressed by the 49 ward community, council member, Maria Hadden and Loyola. It presents a danger to pedestrians. Cars do not follow the traffic lights and speed up. The “L” train viaduct creates a blind spot for pedestrians so it’s difficult to see if cars will be coming when pedestrians are crossing.
I want to let you know that over 50 geese roosted on the roof of the Sullivan Center last night and took off South this AM at 6:18 AM in 3 groupings. Thanks for providing such space to them and for all the natural habitat you foster along the lakefront.
There’s a lot of empty parking spaces/gravel lots around the Loyola red line. It looks like wasted space, even if there is a future plan. It would be nice to see some green space in there even if it’s temporary. I also think Campus Security is great, but it doesn’t help the residence in the area so I feel neutral about that. I wish Campus security could do more for students, but people who live on campus.
I don't believe the university has the best interests of the community at heart and isn't actually looking to partner with residents to improve the neighborhood.
I've lived to see Loyola replace local businesses with multinational chains and architectural diversity with prefab boxes. Town/gown relations in RP have long been dismal, perhaps because few financial officers of LU live here.
please open the Halas pool to the community. We live right next to the lake and there is no place to take swimming lessons. This is a drowning hazard
Loyola should stop tearing down buildings and aggrandizing its alleged reputation for sustainability.
"stop tearing down buildings. Be resourceful & committed to re-using rather than destroying sound residential properties you are gobbling up at all your perimeters.
Support green space & shore conservation on your lakefront. Be good stewards of the historic buildings & the lakefront. "
Wish there could be more collaboration between area non profits and small businesses
Personally, I would like to be made more aware of classes available to senior citizens on an ad hoc basis.
I feel that Loyola is a positive influence for the Rogers/Edgewater area. It's making long term investments in the community, which I hope will have a longer term impact.
The campus is beautiful. At one time, we were able to use the pool and gym but that was many years ago. We live very close to campus and often feel in the dark about big projects or events that impact our homes and lives. We are given enough information so Loyola can say that they "communicated" but not enough for us to react in a timely maner. Greater transparency would be great as we all have a lot invested in this community. We have concern about the over-development of properties on the edge of campus. There is not a realistic, affordable parking plan for campus visitors, so they overflow onto our residential streets. When developing commercial properties, we worry that Loyola turns a blind eye to how certain commercial tenants will affect the immediate residential neighbors. For example; a restaurant (garbage and late night noise), retail, delivery trucks that block traffic or sit in alleys discharging diesel fumes into adjoining homes, or noisily idling early morning before 7:00 am. It is important to remember that we live here every day, all year round, at the end of the day we do not go home to another neighborhood. Loyola has benefited from TIF money so it would be a nice gesture if the campus facilities were made available to the surrounding communities - even if in a limited way.
I wish we could share our community more with the students. They have everything they need on campus, and remain fairly isolated from the community. Unlike most campuses, there’s not an active street life on the edges of LSC. I believe both the students and the community would benefit from more interaction.
Vedgewater is a very important community garden.
Students always bring cars, more parking should be included in Campus planning. All of the vacant lots could be used for parking or gardens instead of remaining empty.
Stop buying building and turning them into parking lots. Stop building cookie cutter buildings. They contrast negatively with the beautiful century old buildings. Reuse the old buildings.
Please stop buying property to then leave vacant for years or renting to the only people who can afford it here, students.
Loyola has a huge opportunity to be Chicago’s premier college. The school needs to invest in the campus, safety and sports facilities. I appreciate being asked my opinion but I don’t think the school will do much with and any of the neighbors opinions unless they match the schools.
Loyola look at all changes via an environmental impact, sustainability lens.
"Loyola could collaborate and take advantage of small business over Clark St. RPBA could be the hub between Small Business over Clark and Loyola. The Loyola community has many options in Clark Street, like food, Beauty salon, Flowers Store, Piñatas Store, rental chairs and table for events, balloons decorations, and more.
You can connect with Alexia Guzmán aguzman@rpba.org she studied in Loyola, and is director in Economic Empowerment Center. There are many opportunities in order to work together, and improve the neighborhood and his perception about Loyola. I live near Loyola, and love the university, the church and overall the people." into private campus space?
It is deeply disappointing that Loyola buys and demolishes properties with little to no regard for people within those properties. I recently chose against going to Loyola for grad school because of this complete disregard for the community I live in.
I would like LU to stop buying, and demolishing valuable housing/retail infrastructure in this community, displacing residents, and leaving vacant lots for years with no improvement. I would like it if this university began acting as a part of this community, not a tumor upon it, killing this community slowly but surely.
Sure, why don't you finish remodeling the Loyola Red Line station, you never did ANYthing to the west side. It's still ugly as hell, crumbling cement, chain link fence enclosures, etc.
Devon Ave has such potential and it’s been so empty for years.
Loyola has been a good neighbor and has improved the neighborhood.
No
In a previous survey I had indicated that I support business. Loyola does not need to recruit national chains to the community. Quit buying up property and displacing renters, owners and businesses.
This survey seems to focus on what Loyola can offer the neighborhood. It's also worth considering what the neighborhood offers Loyola, and how Loyola's campus expansion can harm existing community amenities. The recent controversy over the buildings at 1226-1234 Loyola Ave is a good example. This building provides housing, space for small business, and a cultural venue. Where will these things go if Loyola turns the building
Do not shut down vedgewater community garden! I am a student at Loyola and while the school is appealing it is community centers outside of the school that make rogers park so great, not just loyola
Really wish there were more bike lanes and better street scaping. The big sad sidewalks could be improved upon so much to make the retail in the area feel more inviting.
Community Gardens play a vital role in the community, please do not over develop the neighborhood at the expense of it's year round residents. We are made better by the student community but we need to co-exist and enjoy the diversity.
"I don't appreciate it when you buy up local real estate, tear it down, and replace it with property that's exclusively tailored to your students at the expense of residents. My kid has benefited from mental health sessions with your students, who benefit from the training. I appreciate having a university nearby, but I don't like how you're affecting the real estate market in the neighborhood. It's already too expensive and there's not enough housing to go around as it is.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I'd like to see better town-gown relations in the neighborhood. "
"When I attended Northwestern in the 70s, we often came down to the Loyola neighborhood for a night out, visiting the restaurants (My Pi was a favorite) and the bars. Now there's a virtual dearth of these things. There's not a decent pizza place around (I know this is a matter of taste, but the only palatable pie is Giordano's, and not everyone likes deep dish). There are no live music venues, no welcoming bars.
What happened?"
As a Loyola alumn, I am horrified at the changes proposed by this new administration. The campus does not need to prioritize student housing, deconstruction of current buildings, and vacant lots, over existing businesses and cultural venues such as Archie's Cafe. Capital drive and expansion at the expense of community is not a Jesuit value. Furthermore, the library resources are a vital point of accessibility to research materials in the community (and across Chicago). To decommission a significant portion of the Cudahy collection and space for administrative offices devalues a Loyola education and experience. From an environmental perspective, the community and alumni perspective on Centennial Forum that I'm aware of is negative: The environmentally and fiscally-conscious choice would have been to renovate, not demolish. I was aware as an undergraduate of the rocky relationship Loyola has with its community. I know these views have only worsened in recent years, making me ashamed to be affiliated with a school I once loved so deeply and wanted to donate to. To fix this, begin by investing back in the community more actively and earnestly. Require** days of student service and charity; invest and truly encourage involvement with local businesses beyond the freshman UNIV food crawl, rather than contributing to businesses' closings in an already-parched neighborhood. Work with the St Ignatius property to reinstate the food bank, offer community spaces for creation and growth, etc. Invite community members into Loyola not merely to enjoy the green space, but to feel as though we are ALL called to set the world on fire. It starts with you, Loyola. If you lead only with/for money, what will a Loyola education really be worth?
I am an LUC alum and happy to see how far it has come since I graduated over a decade ago. Would still love to see the neighborhood develop particularly along Broadway/ Sheridan and Devon. There isn't much night life around campus that could keep students in the Rogers Park area as opposed to going to different neighborhoods. Think it's missing social spaces like the old Hamiltons or P. cos.
Quit destroying the neighborhood by removing older buildings and replacing them with ugly buildings that do not fit the look and scale of the neighborhood.
Dont mess with the Park area unless it enhances the natural features. In other words, dont build on it. Don’t displace people from the homes they can afford in an effort to provide more housing for your students.
Stop buying properties and tearing them down!
The decision to take over the residences located in Archie’s and Roman Susan was a very poor one and negatively affected the community and their overall view of Loyola. Do not move forward with this, or give the spaces back. These locations are vital to the community and the residents there.
When new construction or renovations are considered the total look of the community shoul be considered. This is a brick and motor community, not shiny stainless high rise buildings. More renovation and less tear down.
Leave Archies be!
Don’t push out local businesses and decrease housing stock
The tearing down of affordable housing by Loyola and Loyola then leaving those lots empty for decades is a detriment to the neighborhood.
Loyola's efforts to buy up land, tear down existing buildings, and leave properies vacant for years on end is very concerning. As a permanent resident, I feel that loyola is more concerned with bolstering it's real estate portfolio than contributing to the community.
Stop taking up all our street parking!!
I really dislike how Loyola snaps up properties and causes rent to go up for the rest of us. it also only seems to drive large chain businesses.
the process of buying up and then demolishing affordable housing is appalling. loyola (the institution) is not earning goodwill with its neighbors.
Loyola’s real estate management and acquisitions are opaque and disruptive. Loyola needs to be a much better neighbor and stakeholder.
Safety is primary concern
I love the idea of improving the neighborhood but not at the cost of existing homes and businesses.
"I think Loyola has this idea of how the community views them, then there is the reality of Loyolas land banking the empty lots by the cta, removing affordable housing and shorting us (the community of rogers park) on property taxes in the process. Development is fine when done well for the good of all of us, not just Loyola uni. Removing Archie's and roman Susan only benefits Loyola and removes two well liked local small businesses.
I want you to stop encroaching on our neighborhood. I want you to pay property taxes on all the land you own. I want to see something done with the vacant lots before you tear down another building for your so called ""neighborhood initiative"""
To see Loyola slow down the demolition of viable buildings & look to be a good stewart beginning with the displacement of tenants, the waste stream from demolition and look to reuse the stock Loyola has in their inventory.
I have lived for 40 years in the Rogers Park/ Edgewater neighborhoods. I experienced no outreach to events or resources at Loyola and found many resources restricted to Loyola students and facility. Its a gorgeous campus with huge potential to be a much much better neighbor to the general community.
Yes, How can we assist the police, community to decrease crime to provide safety for all ?
Loyola is outpricing many residents in the area, especially older residents who see Rogers Park as their home.
I am a very local alum (next block over) and cherish being able to use my privileges-especially the library and the IC. I do miss the access to the Halas pool/athletic facility. The campus grounds and facilities are appreciated by my fellow alumni and neighbors, and visitors. Thank you for making it available to community members.
"It would be wonderful if Loyola could advertise to the community when there are music recitals, concerts, plays etc. Any performances by students.
I didn't realize Loyola is more involved in our community than I previously thought. I'm doing research on Rogers Park local schools for this cycle of Partipatory Budgeting and learned about the Loyola Univerity School Partnership Program. I wasn't aware of your partnership with our schools. It's good to be proven wrong sometimes!"
I would like to see Loyola take a more generous approach to sharing the campus with the community. The campus does a great job of sharing outdoor spaces, but I am unaware of the interior spaces being shared with the community in any way. I understand it must be prioritized for students, rightfully so. But I believe the university has more to offer the community in terms of freely or cheaply renting meeting spaces, advertising events that are open to the public, and allowing limited hours/access of study space. I would also like to see loyola spearhead more building renovation with newly acquired properties, rather than bulldoze and build new. I understand that new builds can be built with new sustainability features, but the true hero of sustainability is using costly resources that have already been produced—like fully built and functioning buildings. This also maintains important neighborhood culture and history.
Loyola should help small business and restaurants to open and stay open, not only thinking about the students but the community in general. Their policy of not allowing alcohol sale has a negative impact in the community, because restaurants don't stay long or want to come (but Loyola owns a bar- rolling my eyes). In more than 20 years that I live in the community, Loyola has tear down buidings and leave gravel lots behind, creating ugly spots and devaluation the properties surrounding. There are no services to the community from Loyola. For years I heard about ESL classes, but no way to enroll. The library and the gym used to be open to the community, not anymore. They don't have the "walk to work" incentive anymore. LUC used to collaborate with schools in the area, some of those collaborations don't exist any longer (after school math program). It feels that Loyola is closing themselves to the community in the last few years. There are so many services that they could provide, like tutoring for kids, support food pantries, ESL classes, with minimun or no cost.
It would be nice of Loyola provided more parking for students. i pay for zone parking on Loyola Avenue and during the school it is difficult to park. Students ignore parking restrictions. To be a better neighbor the University should encourage staff and students to park in their parking structures. If need you should built a parking garage at the corner or Loyola Avenue and Sheridan. My building is about 40% students and 60% community members. Rents are too expensive for students, so management companies are relaying on people like myself to fill the units.
Loyola Alumni returned to the community due to the positive atmosphere. There is no saftey on the redline. I was assaulted, followed and threatened at the Loyola stop. No security nor police available and the blue light emergency response was non existent.
The Vedgewater community garden on Loyola's property at magnolia and Broadway is such a wonderful and special community environment. I am very grateful Loyola provides it, and I hope they will continue. It would be a significant loss to the community if it is developed for private use.
Loyola feel seperated and isolated from the surrounding Rogers Park community, and all the economic, community and real estate development lead or inspired by Loyola primarily benefits the unversity and its students.
have attended musical, environmental,theater programs at Loyola and was very pleased with events.
"This survey is not especially detailed and the public engagement period is quite short. It makes me feel like there’s not a legitimate effort to meaningfully engage the community and understand their preferences.
In general, the campus is quite inaccessible to the surrounding community. My friends who are non white have complained that they’ve received especially aggressive responses to being around/near campus.
I think Loyola is a net benefit to the community but there’s a lot of room to grow in community relations. (The loss of Archie’s and accompanying housing is quite sad.)
I hope there’s a more fulsome effort to engage the surrounding community on these plans. "
I went to Loyola and it was lovely. However, the apartment buildings owned by Loyola (Lakeshore Management, I think), are not well-maintained. There is also an issue with buildings becoming overrun with Loyola students, and those students not being respectful to working families who live in the buildings. I do want to thank Loyola for helping me achieve my professional goals and land my dream job
I have very mixed feelings about Loyola's presence in this community. In some ways, it is a positive force, but in others, the relentless drive toward expansion in the past few years has seemed ruthless and unnecessarily harsh. I am especially talking about the drive to destroy the building on Loyola Avenue west the the el station, for no apparent good reason. It would seem much more "neighborly," more ecologically sound, and more responsive to community needs to renovate this building to meet the needs of current occupants and the university.
Loyola has much to offer regarding arts and culture but is terrible at promoting it. As an employee I know that many events are marked "open to the public" but there is no outreach to the community on these to get the public there.
Please stop destroying our cultural heritage. Please.
Please keep accessibility in mind for people with disabilities.
We lost a lot of good restaurants in the neighborhood due to the pandemic. Loyola should hopefully help bring those back. It is important for Loyola events, prospective faculty and staff dinners/lunches, etc.
Frankly, your campus community actively decimates the vibrant community in Rogers Park. Campus Safety goes well out of bounds and drives recklessly in residential areas, your students drive up our rents without engaging directly in the community they live in (except to buy alcohol....thanks...), the businesses the university brings in are aggressively mediocre, and you tear down or push out existing active community spaces. I know you have an Office of Community Engagement but I see little active reckoning with the community you've imposed yourself upon.
Loyola has shown little concern for tesidents of Rogers Park and has had a negative impact on the community through its use of properties W of Seridan Rd. The removal of Archie's and Roman Susan is one example of this. Loyola seems interested in gentrification in order to attract wealthy students, but Rogers Park is culturally and economically diverse. Loyola's goals are not in sync with those of Rogers Park residents.
Loyola has many gravel lots in RP. They also took away affordable housing in Edgewater. They also just bought a building on Loyola Avenue. They do not enhance our neighborhood. If Loyola rehabbed the St. Ignatius school and had a Cristo Rey high School it would attract more families to the area and better prepare students to apply to Loyola for College. Loyola needs to use their faculty more as they did in the 70s, 80s and nineties to serve the community through St. Ignatius Early Childhood Center, counseling, religious development, etc.. Since the Jesuits made a deal with the Archdiocese to close our grade school in 1994 RP has lost families with young children. It will not help if Loyola builds more dorms in the neighborhood as students contribute little to the neighborhood in terms of long term community development. Loyola promised to work with us at St. Ignatius in 2018, then reneged with Covid excuse even though they got funds from the government at that time. Loyola needs to stop Wayne Madziarz from making decisions based on money not mission. You are losing respect of the community and trust. The impression is you will do what is best for Loyola and say it is for students. The environmental sciences department could have a hydroponic space in a rehabbed school where students could work and sell produce. So many creative ideas. The Loyola students said lately that they did not have space to practice their arts/ theater projects. The Ignatius school has a 300 seat theater students could use. To many of us Loyola has a cant do attitude. That is very frustrating.
Loyola needs to preserve and prioritize the community as their properties continue to expand. This means that businesses should not be shut down, and especially not for reasons that remove the character, arts, and culture of Rogers Park from the neighborhood.
Need to survey students for more food options and things to do.
happy you're being more pro-active within the community. perhaps more social services/awareness for affordable housing, jobs, etc.
Loyola has a real opportunity and responsibility to contribute to (and not detract from) the vibrant neighborhood community, particularly in the significant artistic/cultural presence of Roman Susan and its building. In my years recently living in the neighborhood, they rallied the neighborhood with their programming, making it a place that people wanted to live in and felt meaningful. Loyola ought to extend itself to support and build on that strength for its students, campus, and the broader community.
How can students interact more with the community and both parties benefit from the experiences?
First: notably missing from your list of neighborhood priorities is affordability of housing. Resources are important, and amenities are great, but none of it is useful if my neighbors and I are priced out of the neighborhood. Second of all: I want to specifically call out your plans to displace the art gallery and cafe Casa Roman at 1224 W Loyola Ave. Development doesn't have to come at the expense of this important neighborhood cultural hub, and your disinterest in preserving it is frightening to me as a neighborhood resident, because it indicates a lack of care about gentrification, displacement, and erasure.
"After the re-dedication of the Loyola red Plaza, the community lost its Farmer's Market and venue for street musicians. It was prettified but now is barren of vitality.
The aggressive purchasing of R.E. to only demolish and horde also straps the community of safety and vitality. The nonnegotiation over the triangle building west of the red line station is a prime example of community entitlement. The tax-exempt university coaches land, and destroys affordable housing, a community art center, and neighborhood cafe. Students expect to live beside and within a community, yet the university saps the vitality out of that very community."
I wish there was more fostering of independent restaurants and businesses and less catering to fast food and chains in the Loyola area.
As a student, the biggest constraint was a lack of space at the Halas Rec Center. Somehow expanding fitness facilities to accommodate the larger student population would be incredibly beneficial.
"Loyola has currently purchased the building behind the CTA stop, with plans to demolish it as soon as possible and without having submitted any plans for building something new. Meanwhile, residents of that building are being displaced, as is the valuable art space of Roman Susan. Tenants and patrons of RS have proposed rehabilitating the existing building as a model of adaptive reuse, creating a sustainable mixed-income development with affordable housing and a community arts incubator, maintaining its current tenants, and programming educational student-run storefronts. They have also proposed maintaining the existing building and lease it as affordable housing, art studios, and creative spaces until the next steps are in place to move forward with future development. Why have neither of these solutions been selected? Prioritizing profits over people is the wrong choice, and it's why Loyola does not have a great reputation in the community.
By the description in this very survey, ""Loyola's Lake Shore Campus is part of two diverse and thriving neighborhoods within the City of Chicago. The neighborhood’s spirit and cultural diversity is often one of the reasons students choose Loyola."" If that is true: why is the school choosing to REMOVE diversity from the neighborhood? The university already controls considerable beachfront and general green space near the lake, and increased campus police presence in the past 5 years has made it much less friendly for residents to even walk in certain areas near campus. And I'm saying this as a white woman, who is least likely to receive aggression from police. I understand there were rapes and moments of aggression towards students which instigated the increase in police presence. But are police really the answer? Residents in the neighborhood deserve to walk around without feeling uncomfortable by police presence and made to feel as if we're trespassing on public property.
Students AND residents alike deserve access to art spaces and the ability to remain in their homes without being evicted by the university. Choose to integrate into the neighborhood. Our problems are also your problems - create an opportunity for your students by making a mixed use building oriented towards the arts and affordable housing. "
I don’t like when the University buys up properties and displaces a cafe/music venue, artists and other tenants. The University needs to be more aware of the negative impacts on their community when they displace viable businesses and people living in the buildings that they purchase to tear down and rebuild. Maybe look into helping the community reopen the closed movie theater to provide entertainment for both the community and students.
I would like more programs for kids (elementary and high school), especially, but not just, over the summer. Affordable camps and lessons (language, arts, sports) run by Loyola and Loyola students would enhance the neighborhood and give meaningful jobs to Loyola students.
If Loyola goes through with the eviction of Roman Susan and Archie’s Cafe, longstanding community hubs, I will no longer support Loyola University in any way.
Loyola has purchased many buildings in the neighborhood and then left them undeveloped for years. This hurts the neighborhood. It would be so much more positive if Loyola would focus on developing their existing properties, and doing something with the vacant lots in their possession, rather than acquiring new properties. Loyola should be a part of the neighborhood, not try to consume it.
Loyola is currently trying to tear down important community spaces in an older building that contributes to the character, community, and culture of the neighborhood, as well as displacing residents that need robe affordable housing offered there, in order to increase their footprint in the neighborhood. Loyola should consider the impact it us having by causing the shuttering of Archie’s cafe and Roman Susan, especially considering the multiple undeveloped lots they own which are eyesores and basically useless space.
Loyola should not be buying and demolishing affordable housing in the Rogers Park community. Loyola should focus on its educational mission, not become a subsidized mega-landlord.
Loyola's gentrification is driving the privatization of Rogers Park and Edgewater. Contribute to the community sustainably or expect resistance.
Thanks for upgrading our community! Love to attend the baseball games. Walk through the campus daily; the grounds staff should be commended - always looks beautiful!!
Please save the artist community at 1224 Loyola Ave.
Please don’t tear down the building with Archie’s and Roman Susan.
I value having the added safety of Loyola protecting our community.
Loyola has a history of buying buildings in the neighborhood without a development plan. Please do not demolish and redevelop the building at 1228 W Loyola Avenue. I also worry that Loyola will purchase, demolish, and redevelop other culturally significant buildings in Rogers Park, namely the former Rogers Park Montessori School and St. Ignacius Church. I live across from the church, two blocks from 1228 W Loyola. Me and my neighbors do not want Rogers Park to lose its artistic and cultural assets. I do not believe that Loyola has the community's interests in mind. From my perspective, the university intends to gut the neighborhood of its community spaces, drive up housing prices, and push out longtime residents.
Arts and culture are essential for a healthy community. Loyola could lead by example and give back to the neighborhood and build more housing to replace what they have taken away. As a Catholic, I have high expectations for Loyola as an institution to provide for the neighborhood as well as it's private students. It has the ability to make lives better for everyone in its proximity.
I have no idea what Loyola adds to the community. Loyola does a poor job of outreach. Can community members use the library, the pool, audit courses? I have no idea. And do students volunteer in our community? What do they add? Again, no idea. All we see is Loyola land banking, creating a strip mall environment, bringing in ugly franchises, and destroying the charm of our community.
