The City Council champion of a controversial plan to rename Balbo Drive for Ida B. Wells said Wednesday she’s open to a compromise that would name another major street for the civil rights icon. Ald. Sophia King (4th) said Lake Shore Drive is a distinct possibility. So is Congress Parkway, or any major street that has few business addresses, thereby minimizing inconvenience.
“There’s a conversation that we’re having about that. And I am open to having another street named after Ida B. Wells. [But], it has to be something that celebrates her in the way that she should be,” King said. “Lake Shore Drive — a lot of it is in my ward, as you know. That is a consideration. We’re looking at a lot of things. … But it has to be a street that’s befitting to somebody like Ida B. Wells. … You have to be pragmatic as well. Streets that don’t have a lot of businesses on `em where it would force them to change and cost a lot of money. We certainly are sensitive to those businesses.”
