Living Together

"For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people's love and concern for each other..."

-Millard Fuller, Founder of Habitat for Humanity International

When people live, work and recreate within a confined urban area, it can create a diverse and stimulating environment, but two guiding principals are essential to the success of such a community. 

1. A recognition by individuals and organizations that, regardless of intent, their actions can impact their neighbors and that care must therefore be taken to avoid behaviors that result in unreasonable risk, disruption or harm to others.

2. A recognition that in a communal setting, limited resources must be utilized in a manner that considers the entire community and creates the greatest benefit for the greatest number of constituents, including those with special needs.

The River North Residents Association believes in mutual respect, civic responsibility and personal accountability.  The information and resources presented on this page are intended to encourage and facilitate the application of these principals in River North.

Statewide Smoking Ban Enacted

The ban went into effect January 1st and trumped most local ordinances, including those that allowed smoking bans to be phased in or exempted businesses with air filtration systems.

Under the law, people are allowed to smoke in their homes, cars, outdoors, at retail tobacco shops and in certain hotel or motel rooms. Smokers who violate the law could be fined between $100 and $250. And businesses that repeatedly violate the law could be fined at least $2,500. Click here for the DBA fact sheet

Weekend Street Cleaning Pilot Program

Out-of-area patrons of our local hospitality venues often leave a mess on our streets on Saturday and Sunday mornings, which remains until Monday when the Streets and Sanitation crews come through River North.  To address this problem, a consortium of local bars and restaurants have engaged Cleanslate Chicago to clean up the pilot area (shown below) every weekend morning. 

This program resulted from the Chicago Hospitality Resource Partnership, a not-for-profit association representing key stakeholders including the hospitality industry, licensed beverage suppliers, public safety officials, regulators, community organizations and other businesses that works to create safe and vibrant places for people to socialize by helping communities to plan, manage and police hospitality and entertainment districts.

Find out more about Cleanslate Chicago and the Cara Program which provide training, guidance and temporary employment opportunities for individuals who are seeking self sufficiency and independence.

RNRA thanks the following local establishments that provide funding for this initiative and invites other local bars and restaurants to join the program.

18th District Resources for the Homeless

Click here for PDF

Community Associations Institute

The Illinois Chapter of Community Associations Institute serves the educational, business, and networking needs of condominium, cooperative, and community associations in the Chicagoland Area. The Chapter has almost 600 members including nearly 270 businesses, and over 320 community associations  representing  over 100,000 homeowners. 

The website www.cai-illinois.org contains a wealth of valuable information about planning, organizing and managing homeowners and community associations.

Click here to access the CAI Rights and Responsibilities Document

Common Interest Radio is a one-hour, live, talk radio program, hosted by local experts.   CAI's radio program is on WBIG AM 1280, serving Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties. It also streams live online.  It features guests on each show, focusing on a particular topics of interest to condominium residents --- the law, budgets, finances, insurance, management, and so forth --- with a discussion followed by a live call-in Q&A period.   The hottest topics of the day can be addressed, with current answers provided by the leading experts in our industry.

Tune in to your radio every Friday at 12 noon to listen, OR listen live through your computer by visiting www.wbig1280.com and clicking the link on the left to listen to the streaming audio.  Call in with your questions and have them answered live at (630) 585-1280.

Dog Protocol

One of the most challenging aspects of managing residential communities in urban areas is developing and executing sound public policies concerning dogs.  The RNRA believes that the presence of well-behaved dogs can make a neighborhood more pleasant and complete.  In the interest of the welfare of pet owners, non-pet owners and pets themselves, we advocate the following policies.

1. Responsible pet ownership should be encouraged at every opportunity.

2. City ordinances regarding pet ownership should be obeyed by pet owners and fairly and uniformly enforced by public safety officials.

3. Developers and homeowners associations should provide sufficient onsite resources to accommodate the primary needs of resident pet owners.

4. Where feasible, public resources should provide supplemental support for pet owners in the community.

5. Non-pet owners, children and the elderly should be able to enjoy the community with reasonable protection from unwanted contact with dogs.

City of Chicago Pet Ordinances

Generally speaking, the City of Chicago requires that animals be licensed and restrained in all public places and that owners or guardians remove any excrement deposited by any animal they are responsible for.  Please click here for more detailed information about the primary Municipal Codes concerning pets in public spaces.

Pet Theft

This is a growing problem in many U.S. cities.  Stolen pets may be used in unimaginably horrible ways.  Click here for information and ways to protect your pet.

Other Pet Related Resources

Please click on the links below for additional information.

• Being a Responsible Pet Owner - CAPS

• Animal Care and Control

• Dog Advisory Work Group (DAWG)

Hospitality and Entertainment Issues

River North is unique in Chicago, in that it is one of the fastest growing residential communities and also has the city's highest concentration of bars, restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues.  This confluence creates the potential for a variety of problems for our community.  The good news is that an organization has been established to address this very issue.

On April 7 at the Palmer House Hilton, representatives of the local media were invited to witness the unveiling of the Chicago Hospitality Resource Partnership.  Initiated by the California-based Responsible hospitality Institute, the CHRP is an organization representing city officials, local residents, the hospitality industry and other stakeholders working together to create safe and vibrant places to socialize.  Its strategies new business orientation sessions, hospitality roundtables and an early assistance team to help at-risk establishments get back on track.

Click here for more information about Chicago HRP

Say No To Aggressive Panhandling

The 18th District Community Policing Office wants you to know the facts about this illegal activity.  Click here for more info.

Noise Control Ordinance

The Department of Environment (DOE) and the Chicago Police Department enforce the Chicago Environmental Noise Ordinance, a section of the Municipal Code that sets time limits and noise standards on a wide range of noise sources in the City.

Click here for details.

Deleterious Impact Ordinance Enacted

On March 11, 2007 the Department of Business Affairs and Licensing announced that a new ordinance took effect to provide communities with new tools to address negative impacts caused by local liquor establishments, and to provide hospitality business owners with an opportunity to improve their operations and avoid more costly administrative sanctions. 

Click here to access the DBA fact sheet.