Lincoln Park Says THIMBY, Not NIMBY. Some Neighbors Aren't So Sure.

Thousands of people in Chicago's Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods are fighting against plans to build a new electrical substation on Diversey Parkway. The electric company ComEd wants to build the station at 1111 W. Diversey Parkway to keep the area from losing power. But many residents say the land should be used for housing instead, and they formed a group called the Diversey Community Coalition, or DCC, to stop the project. The fight has become one of the biggest neighborhood battles in Chicago in recent years.

The DCC has gathered more than a thousand supporters and says it is not acting out of selfishness. Members reject the word 'NIMBYism,' which stands for 'Not In My Backyard.' That term describes people who block projects near their homes simply because they don't want them close by. Instead, the group uses the term 'THIMBYism,' which stands for 'Transit-oriented Housing In My Backyard.' They say they are not fighting the substation out of fear — they are fighting for better use of the land.

Mary Driscoll, 81, is one of the coalition's key members and has lived in Lakeview for more than 50 years. She says there is a big difference between pushing back against a power company and trying to keep a neighborhood wealthy or exclusive. 'The community has come together around this in a positive way,' she said. 'Not in a Not In My Backyard kind of way.' She believes the site could be used for something that helps the whole community.

The coalition says the property could fit more than 200 apartments for over 450 people, including some affordable units. They also say such a development could bring in around $5 million more in neighborhood spending each year. However, Chicago attorney Edward Kus, a former city zoning administrator, reviewed the plan and was doubtful. He said a building that large would be nearly impossible under current rules for that land, and that the lot could likely hold fewer than half the apartments the group imagines.

There are other challenges, too. ComEd already paid $11.5 million for the land back in 2021 and is allowed to build a substation there under Chicago's rules. Even if ComEd wanted to sell, the company's leaders have said they will not. 'This is not a fight for us,' said Keisha Parker, ComEd's vice president of external affairs. 'This is the site.'

The coalition has also raised safety concerns about the substation. Members warned neighbors that the facility could cause loud noise, smoke, and even fire, pointing to past incidents including a 2025 transformer fire and a 2018 substation explosion in Chicago's Loop. They also noted that a 2006 explosion at the same Diversey location left nearby neighborhoods without power for days. Three schools are near the site, including a preschool just 30 feet away.

ComEd pushed back on those worries, saying modern substations use updated technology that is much safer than older equipment. Parker noted that more than 98% of Chicago's 130 substations are already within a few hundred feet of a school. Several major health organizations, including the World Health Organization, have found no proof that substations cause health problems. Parker also said modern substations are often built to blend into the neighborhood so well that most people walking by don't even notice them.

The coalition spent over 100 hours searching the city for other places to put the substation and gave ComEd a list of 14 possible locations in September. The group said it only looked at industrial areas away from schools and public transit. But when reporters visited some of the suggested spots, they found several were near schools, daycares, and student walking routes. Some residents near those locations were upset to learn their neighborhoods had been included without their knowledge.

ComEd reviewed all 14 locations and said none of them would work. Moving the project, the company said, could cost up to $270 million more — money that would come from electricity customers across Chicago and northern Illinois. 'We can't let Lincoln Park and Lakeview have the answer just because they're being the loudest,' Parker said. 'We are holding the line on advocating for the other wards.' The coalition disputes that conclusion, calling ComEd's rejection a blanket dismissal with weak explanations.

The Illinois Commerce Commission is expected to make a ruling on the project soon, and an October recommendation from the commission's judges questioned whether ComEd had fully explained the project's size and cost. The DCC saw this as an encouraging sign. ComEd, however, said the judges did not question whether a substation was needed or whether the Diversey Parkway location was correct. For now, both sides are waiting to see what happens next, and as one Lakeview resident put it: 'Everybody is just rallying to the truth that they want to believe.'