CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals has rejected controversial plans for another homeless shelter in the Uptown neighborhood.
The shelter would have displaced 40 residents of micro apartments in a mixed-use building at 1140 West Wilson, where Mike Sullivan opened the 2Bears Tavern on the ground floor in 2022, following a half-million-dollar renovation and a quarter million in start-up costs.
"We had concerns about the viability of our business, that it would not be able to survive in a situation like this," he said. "This was a one-of-a-kind, never-tried-before social experiment."
He added that "there's not a single example in the United States of a non-congregant shelter being in the same space as retail tenants, let alone a tavern."
The Zoning Board of Appeals was split 2-to-2. It takes three for approval. The decision is final.
The Uptown Update calls it "a plot twist that none of us expected."
The proposed shelter had the support of the Alderwoman Angela Clay. Cornerstone Community Outreach was to be the operator.
WBBM has reached out to Cornerstone for comment.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram