# State judges say ComEd hasn't justified the size of its Diversey substation. The ICC decides by Dec. 15 *Ald. Timmy Knudsen proposed 14 other sites, and ComEd rejected them all. Our records show what the Council can and can't do about a utility project, and a Diversey zoning change now in committee.* By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 24, 2026 Three administrative law judges at the Illinois Commerce Commission said ComEd did not justify building a substation as large as the one it wants at 1111 W. Diversey Pkwy., a former COVID-19 testing site about 735 feet from the Diversey CTA station, the [Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/energy/2026/10/22/comed-lincoln-park-substation-icc-judges). The judges recommended that the commission consider an "appropriately scaled project" if ComEd proposes one. Why it matters: the site sits on a busy Lincoln Park corridor near the 'L', where neighbors and local officials have pushed for housing instead. ComEd says nearby substations serving Lake View, North Center, Uptown and northern Lincoln Park are projected to pass 95% of capacity. The ICC, not the City, has the final say, and it must rule on ComEd's grid plan by Dec. 15, according to the Sun-Times. ## The fight so far Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) worked with a neighborhood coalition and consultants to identify 14 alternative sites, including a Jewel-Osco parking lot on North Clybourn Avenue, and ComEd rejected all of them, the Sun-Times reported. In September, Knudsen sent ComEd 10 questions about how it judged those sites, and said its answer "falls short" of the data-driven explanation he asked for. The Illinois Attorney General and the Citizens Utility Board criticized the project's scale, arguing that five transformers would overbuild for the North Side's slowing demand growth, according to the paper. ComEd said its plan shows a need for three transformers, that the judges did not reject the location, and that it is preparing a more detailed equipment plan. ## What our records add **The Council's tools are mostly about land use.** A substation's need and size are utility questions for the state. What the Council controls is zoning and street rules. On Oct. 14, Knudsen introduced an ordinance, co-sponsored by Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th), to designate segments of West Diversey Parkway as a pedestrian street and change the pedestrian street rules on portions of Diversey ([O2026-0029431](/matter/O2026-0029431-segments-w-diversey-pkwy-right-way)). It is in the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, where Knudsen and Lawson both sit. The ordinance's text does not name the substation. The site is also near transit, which under the City's [2022 Connected Communities ordinance](/matter/SO2022-2000) and this month's [TOD streets ordinance](/on-my-block/north-center-lincoln-square-western-ravenswood-tod-streets) shapes what can be built near stations. **The Council has asked about ComEd and the grid this year.** At a July 13 Environmental Protection and Energy Committee hearing on data centers, the Citizens Utility Board told members ComEd had spent more than $3 billion since 2021 connecting large facilities, with most of the cost falling on other customers ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/2620748D-6E6E-F111-AB0C-001DD808E0AF?t=4190)), and pointed to the City's franchise agreement with ComEd as potential leverage ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/2620748D-6E6E-F111-AB0C-001DD808E0AF?t=4568)). Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) asked what the City could request from ComEd after it asked West Side residents to cut power use ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/2620748D-6E6E-F111-AB0C-001DD808E0AF?t=7841)). Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th) said it would have helped to have ComEd at the hearing ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/2620748D-6E6E-F111-AB0C-001DD808E0AF?t=9777)). We covered the data center rules that followed [here](/on-my-block/chicago-data-center-energy-benchmarking-water-data). **Down the street, housing.** At 920 W. Diversey, a few blocks east in the 44th Ward, a developer has proposed 52 apartments near the Diversey Brown Line; [our story on that rezoning is here](/on-my-block/920-w-diversey-52-apartments-rezoning-lakeview-tod). **The ward.** The substation site is in the [43rd Ward](/ward/43). Knudsen has filed to run again and was the only candidate listed on our [43rd Ward race page](/elections/2027/ward/43) as of Oct. 21. ## What's next - **By Dec. 15:** the ICC rules on ComEd's grid plan, including the Diversey substation, according to the Sun-Times. - **Zoning committee:** the Diversey pedestrian street ordinance is waiting for a hearing. The committee's next scheduled meeting is [Nov. 17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/C3D059C8-D0CB-F111-A05C-001DD80B58E5). *Sources: [O2026-0029431: Diversey Parkway pedestrian street designation](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0029431-segments-w-diversey-pkwy-right-way); [SO2022-2000: equitable transit-oriented development (Connected Communities)](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SO2022-2000); [Chicago Politics: 43rd Ward race, 2027](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/ward/43).* ## Sources 1. Chicago Sun-Times: [Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/energy/2026/10/22/comed-lincoln-park-substation-icc-judges) 2. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2) On the map: [Lincoln Park](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/lincoln-park), [Sheffield & DePaul](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/sheffield-depaul), [Lakeview](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/lakeview), [43rd Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/43), [44th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/44) --- Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/comed-lincoln-park-substation-1111-w-diversey-icc-judges · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt