WICKER PARK — The city says a windscreen in front of Wicker Park's Chop Shop obstructs the public way, poses safety issues and must come down.
The action comes after DNAinfo wrote about complaints and inquired into how the city regulates the seasonal canvas vestibules, which are common in front of bars and restaurants during winter.
In the case of the Chop Shop, 2033 W. North Ave., a sloping sidewalk, which was a remnant of the building's previous use as a garage, added to the alleged problem.
Nick Moretti, owner of the Chop Shop, wasn't immediately available for comment but had said he had a permit for the windscreen, which prevents cold winter breezes from blowing into the business, and had vowed to fix the sidewalk in front of his business.
The wind protector takes up about a third of the width of the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to move closer to the sloping curb and cutout created when it was part of the garage's driveway.
Angel Hawthorne, a spokeswoman for the department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said on Wednesday that the city issued a removal order for the windscreen at The Chop Shop.
"The windscreen posed safety issues and was not in [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliance. The Chop Shop also received notices for several other Public Way Use Violations for which they have 90 days (for each violation) to obtain a permit," Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne did not say what the other public way use violations were.
Hawthorne said that the city has "zero tolerance" for any business that violates the city code.
Hawthorne said that business affairs department has issued about 124 permits for wind protectors in the city.
"We will issue notices and/or tickets to businesses that do not comply with ordinances that regulate the use of the public way," Hawthorne said.
Earlier this month, a blind man fell to the ground when his walking stick slipped on an angled stretch of sidewalk as he navigated around the Chop Shop windscreen, according to witness Jeanny Bradfield.
Marca Bristo, President and CEO of Access Living, a disability advocacy group, said that in addition to obstructing sidewalks, the seasonal vestibules can also present a problem because of their narrow doors.
"Wind protectors not properly designed and installed can pose major obstacles for wheelchair users and some blind pedestrians. This is not only due to sidewalk blockage but more so because the doorways in the temporary wind protector is more narrow than the actual door," Bristo said.
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