 |
Harper
Court (Harper and 52nd) redevelopment question, from mid 2007> This page is provided as a resource and record by the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, its Preservation-Development-Zoning Committee, and its website, www.hydepark.org. Join the Conference, support our work. |
Page
index. Locator Map. Two Hyde Park plg.
experts put HC in larger context.
Survey Preliminary
results online (see
also Report from TIF meeting and March
08 Reporter- excerpt below).
RFP process from Feb. 26 meeting.
Next community meetings on Harper Court April 9, 7 pm, Neighborhood Club.
Previous
1 (Jan 2003-Nov 2005-March 2006). Previous
2 (March-June 2006 incl.
Forums). Previous
3 (mid 2006-mid/late 2007)
Continue with Harper Court
Papers-ideas and principles and
HPKCC and Harper Court and **special issue
May 2006
Conference Reporter (Harper Court forums reports, data) - PDF
version. Winter
2006 Conference Reporter has more
Visit Harper Court
Story- background and history and Harper
Court Chess Controversy.
Visit the Letter of the Save Harper Court
group, with
contacts, petition. Also:
Harper Theater
RFP guidelines (model). Development
navigation homepage. Business
Climate and District Development page with community views. TIF
News home. 2000 Vision
for the Hyde Park Retail District study. Newest - 53rd
Street Vision and News page.
Summary document of
previous public input and studies Priorities for Harper Court.
To reports on February 26 2008 mtg. on Harper Court
RFP process.
Final Results of the Harper Court Priorities Survey (HPKCC & TIF comm.)
in hydepark.org/survey.
Other websites:Harper Court/ and Harper Court Foundation /with Harper Court Arts Council, and Community Art Fair
Vision process, was in SECC website. http://www.hydeparkchicago.org/3.html. Now up in
http://www.vision53.org/
***Also up in those 2 sites: Harper Court Area Redevelopment Guidelines for RFQ/RFP- comments can be sent to
Example possible physical rendering- up in http://www.romerocook.com.
You can join a group of neighbors with a list serve: harpercourt@googlegroups.com adm. Jay Mulberry.Shortcut to Harper Court's statement of RFP Guidelines. Shortcut to Jack Spicer on
Comment on Harper Court's future, development or management of its assets to HPKCC President George Rumsey, and hpkcc@aol.com as well as the Harper Court Arts Council at info@harpercourt.com or Artscouncilinfo@harpercourt.com.
Here: (Shortcuts to Harper Court's Guiding Principles, July 10. Report on that meeting's extended discussion of Harper Court.)
May 27, Tuesday, 6:30 pm. The Planning and Development subcommittee of the 53rd St. TIF Advisory Council, Chuck Thurow chair, meets to receive and review comments on the Guidelines for RFQ/RFP for Harper Court and the City Lot, up through June 12. Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell.
Reports and documents on the February 26 community forum on Harper Court RFP process and timeline below.
The Harper Court Priorities Web Survey has closed. Preliminary results below and in the March 2008 Conference Reporter.
Thanks to everyone who participated and worked on it! Over 1600 responses at last released count. Over 56 pages of single-spaced comments!
March 10 TIF Advisory Council heard
1. Update from joint TIF Neighborhood & Business Environment& HPKCC
Development Committee on survey and development process - Jane Comiskey,
Co-Chair TIF Neighborhood & Business Environment & George Rumsey, President
of HPKCC2. 53rd St. Vision Workshop; distribution of Draft 53rd St. Workshop
Report & discussion of next steps in planning process for 53d St. - Irene
Sherr, Community Counsel - consultant to SECC and 53rd St. TIF Council
Hyde Park Herald, March 19, 2008. By Sam Cholke
53rd St. dominates March TIF meeting
The 3rd Street TIF advisory council meeting on March 10 proved anticlimactic for those who anticipated a breakthrough on redevelopment of Harper Court.
George Rumsey, president of the Hyde Park Kenwood community Conference, presented the initial results of a survey about how people want to see Harper Court redeveloped. The survey is a joint effort of the TIF council and HPKCC. Rumsey said the council has been getting about 00 responses a day and that slightly more since it put a link up on the social networking Web sit Facebook.com. There were more than 1,600 responses to the survey as of March 10, he said. The survey will be available until Thursday at hydepark.org/survey.
"Passing out results of the survey now could skew it," said Irene Sherr of Community Counsel, a local planning and development consulting firm. Rumsey contended that the results compiled so far were too general to dramatically alter the final data.
Half of the responses were from people ages 19 to 39, with ages 19-29 and 30-39 each accounting for about 25 percent of the total. Seventy percent identified themselves as white. "African American results doubled in the last week," Rumsey said. Eighteen percent of respondents identified themselves as African American or Black, according to Rumsey's preliminary results.
"People are really making use of the comment box," Rumsey said. Rumsey said he has 56 single-spaced pages of comments so far to go through. A lot of people say they want more businesses in the neighborhood that are open ate 9 p.m.--and that's not just coming from the younger respondents, it's across the board, he said.
Sherr next presented the draft report analyzing the poll results at the Dec. 8 53rd Street Vision Workshop. There was a tremendous amount of consensus in the results, Sherr said. Diversity of the community ranked very high, she said. "The element is something that comes up all the time when we talk about development," Sherr said. "What does that really mean if we want to have more retail and housing?"
Sherr said another obvious trend that arose in the polling was the desire to see 53rd Street treated like the main street of t he community. The draft report is available online at vision53.org.
A follow-up workshop will attempt to address the questions raised by the draft report. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon May 3 at Kenwood Academy, 5015 E. Blackstone Ave., Sherr confirmed Friday. Top
April 9, Wednesday, 7 pm.- community showing and comment, renderings of physical visions of what Harper Court and City Lot could look like and work. Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood. View one set of concepts at http://www.romerocook.com/hc.html. Others are expected to give their ideas.
Harper Court survey designs on tap for April 9 HP-K conference meeting
Hyde Park Herald, April 2, 2008. By Kate Hawley
The results of the Harper Court survey are in, and some of them will be revealed at the April 9 meeting of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave.
A broad array of community groups created the survey, which was meant to find out what kind of redevelopment local people want for the Harper Court shopping center, located on Harper Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets. While a full analysis will take longer to develop, "preliminary results" will be announced April 9, said George Rumsey, conference president.
The survey circulated for a little more than a month, and in that time 1,697 people participated, according to Rumsey. "There are some very clear statement that came out of the survey," he said..
The most important issue of 73 percent of the participants: the development that replaces Harper Court should provide "well-lit ambience at night," Rumsey said.
Also on the agenda for the meeting: local planner Aaron Cook will again show his proposed designs for Harper Court. Cook's designs are meant to stimulate discussion in the community about what kind of development would best suit Harper Court, according to Jack Spicer, a member of the conference's Development Committee.
A developer hasn't yet been chosen for Harper Court. The city, which owns the parking lot adjacent to the shopping center, will issue a Request for Proposals for t he project, though no timetable has been set.
One month comment period for Guidelines for Harper Court-city lot went online May 12-June 12 at http://www.hydeparkchicago.org or http://www.vision53.org. Comments may be sent to ccs@ccstudioinc.org. TIF Planning and Development subcommittee will also meet to take and review comments May 27, Tuesday 6:30- pm at Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell.
Next steps: UC, city, consultants get appraisal for city lot part, prepare RFQ/RFP in accord with previous input such as 53 Vision, Survey, more and comments on Guidelines (post June 12) for issuance in late fall (after Nov. 15 vision workshop III). After receipt and narrowing of proposals, the leaders will present and selection made in spring 2009.
It came as quite a surprise to many at the May 12, 2008 TIF meeting that the University had closed with Harper Court Arts Council for $6.5 million (city appraised value), perhaps more than a month before. The University and city department of planning and development were now working with Chicago Consultants Studio, Inc. to get the necessary appraisals, create an inter party agreement, and start the process of preparing RFQ/RFP text. They said because the clock starts ticking on land values, it was necessary to complete public review and comments on general guidelines for what should be the RFP quickly, between May 12 and June 12. The presentation summarized below and online was given, with means to make comments. In looking at them, some felt privately that the objectives were (necessarily?) general and even buzz-word--(in fact they were largely from the Harper Theater RFP and The SOM 2000 Vision for the Hyde Park Retail District), but most thought that what is there is good--some saying after that they would have to be carefully parsed.
A couple of items were thought not included despite frequent mention at public meetings and in the Survey, namely keeping a part of the original mission re: incubating start-up small businesses and artisans, need for a community center, including intervening and opportunity parcels, as well as concern over tightness of parts of the timetable and that decisions will be set before the November 15 block-building exercise. It also looks as if the full emphasis is on upscale retail while the housing component is to be for diverse income levels.
It was
noted by one that it is unclear that HCAC has a right to to hold or sell the
public-purpose shopping center est. c. 1965 to further an original purpose,
to shelter artisans and incubate small businesses and the arts. (The University
was mentioned in the charter as a possible successor to the Foundation; on the
other hand it had members on the Arts Council Board and is a different kind
of nonprofit. The University said it would its new position to facilitate new
spaces for current tenants.)
Top
Herald coverage, May 14, 2008 By Sam Cholke
The University of Chicago announced Monday it has acquired the Harper Court for $6.5 million, close to two years after the university made its first attempt to purchase the 53rd Street shopping center. "The deal is done," said Bob Rosenberg, a spokesman for the university. Rosenberg said he did not know how long the purchase had been in the works but it had begun over a month ago.
The purchase was announced Monday night at the 53rd state Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District advisory council meeting. James Wilson from the Chicago Planning and Development Department said the parcel would include the adjoining parking lot, but the coupling of the tow lots was not yet finalized and the city was awaiting an appraisal of the parking lot parcel.
The University has no plans for the shopping center in the immediate future beyond preparing for the city-mandated development process, Rosenberg said. The university has had individual discussions with current business owners at Harper Court and plan to extend what are for most month-to-month leases through 2008, he said.
Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (4gh) characterized the sale as a "positive development." she said she had been in dialogue with the university for some time concerning their intention to purchase Harper Court. "The Arts council, made up of our friends and neighbors, was having difficulty figuring out what to do with the property," Preckwinkle said. The previous owner of Harper Court, the Harper Court Arts Council, had delayed the sale of the property after the Illinois Attorney General's office became inclined to look into the legality of the transfer of the 40-year-old shopping center from the Harper Court Foundation to the arts Council in December 2005. The Attorney General's office has said it will not pursue criminal charges in the transfer, but has suggested organizational changes. Most recently, lawyer Jorge Sanchez expressed concern that the 501(c)3 nonprofit Harper Court Foundation did not follow accepted practices for dissolving its board when it transferred ownership of the property to the arts Council, a board helmed by many of the same board members as the Harper Court Foundation.
The alderman said after the meeting that she thought more people would be upset by the surprise transfer. I'm still letting it sink in, said George Rumsey, president of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HPKCC).
The university has contracted with the Chicago Consultants Studio to develop the request for qualifications and requests for proposals (RFP) from developers with the city's Planning and Development Department. The university worked with the downtown firm on the RFP for Harper Theatre, at the corner of Harper Avenue and 53rd Street.
Tim Brangle with Chicago Consultants Studio presented initial guidelines compiled from the Dec. 8 53rd Street Vision Workshop, the HP-K CC survey and other sources at the TIF meeting. Brangle said expectations for the development included retail space in mixed-use buildings and a height limit comparable to the Hyde Park Bank across 53rd Street. The initial briefing used to guide drafting the RFP is available on the Website hydeparkchicago.org and will be made available on vision 53.org in coming days. The public comment period on the document will be from May 12 to June 12. Chuck Thurow will be collecting comments at the f5:30 p.m. May 27 meeting of the 53rd Street Planning and Development committee at the Hyde Park Art Center. Comments can also be e-mailed to ccs@ccstudioinc.com.
Susan Campbell, vice president of community affair at the university, said they hope to issue the request for qualifications in the fall. Campbell assured attendees at the TIF meeting that public comment periods would come at every turn in the in the development process.
Rosenberg said it as "not entirely clear" what the university's expectations would be on a return for their $6.5 million investment. The university's priority is to facilitate a vibrant and livable environment for its students, faculty and neighbors, he said. "Ideally, this project can create something that is reflective of the distinctive nature of Hyde Park and something that represents the best of Chicago's mid-South Side," university President Robert Zimmer said in a prepared statement.
Text of the Guidelines to be commented on by June 12 2008
Original by Chicago Consultants Studio, Inc.
Heart of Hyde Park
TIF Advisory CouncilHarper Court Area Redevelopment Briefing
City of Chicago - University of Chicago May 12, 2008
I. Overview
- Development includes the Harper Court Properties and City Parking Lot
- Collaboration between th e City, Alderman Preckwinle and the University of Chicago for broader development opportunity
- Process is a public RFQ/RFP
- Focus is to create a neighborhood town center
- Community input into the RFQ/RFP process
II. Project Orientation
- Recent Initiatives -Positive development environment for investiment [map showing location of redevelopments, maps and pictures of the TIF District. Ongoing Hyde Park TIF District Appreciation. Improvements to 53rd street Streetscape & Cleanslate Program, Park 52 Restaurant, Checkerboard Lounge. Hyde Park Produce, Treasure Island Opening. 53rd Street Workshops]
- Development Parcels - Assemblage of prime continguous sites [aerial, the parces on a struture map, photos]
III. Project Framework
- Development Objectives
- Create a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood core to serve teh neighborhood, University and city-wide visitors
- Improve the image and identity of 53rd Street/Harper area as an attactive commercial district
- Leverage the historic character of the neighborhood
- Attrdact a high quality mix of commercial uses, local and national, while offering relocation strategies for existing tenants
- Increase residential offerings in the neighborhood with a mix of product type an for a range of incomes
- Feature high quality urban design and architecture commensurate with Hyde Park
- Establish an accessible, pedestrian-friendly environment through quality landscape, open space and design
- Provide convenient parking to serve the 53rd Street area
- Urban Design Components - Elements of a Neighborhood Center, Re-establish a "Heart of Hyde Park"
- Create a Gateway to 53rd Street District
- Enhance "Town Center" Space
- Reinforce 53rd Street as Main Street
- Reopen/Reconnect Harper Avenue
- Program Criteria - Unique mix of tenants and residents
- Retail and Entertaiment. A creative mix of retail and entertainent tenants to achieve an active, dynamic urban neighborhood center with increased nighttime activity and destination appeal
- Residential. Apartment and condominium product, including a 20% affordable housing component, to increase the vitality and vibrancy of the area
- Other Commercial and Specialty Uses. Potential for quality office space toserve the area or a neighborhood/boutique hotel
- Open Space and High Qualtiy Urban Design. An important urban amenity and "address" for retailers, residentss an visitors with potential for cultural and civic uses/programming
- Access and Circulation. Convenient circulation to and through the area with proximate parking to promote retail activity
- Development Range. Overall density range of 2.5 - 3.5 FAR with building heights commensurate with adjacent buildings and context (max Hyde Park Bank Building)
- Community Input
- Initial Input contributing to this RFP:
- 53rd Street workhops where over 325 people from Hyde Park and the Mid-South Side attended (December 8, 2007 & May 3, 2008)
- Harper Court Survey
- Comments include:
-----universal desire for a greater variety of retail options
-----emphasis on 53rd Street a a primary shopping street with more entertainment, cultural and nighttlife options
-----encourage mixed-use development with retail on the ground floor and residential of office above
-----promopte and maintain a visually clean and attractive environment
-----structures should reflect the architecural character of Hyde Park
- Opportunities for Continued Community Input
- Presentations/input at TIF Advisory meetings
- Comments fdrom posting of RFP Draft Parameters and guidelnes on SECC website
- Ongoing updates throughout various stages of the RFP process including community presentations Spring 2009
- Precedents -Examples of quality and character [Delmar Loop, St. Louis; University City, Philadelphia' Oak Park/River Forest
- The Process and Milestones
- Open, public process
- RFQ followed by RFP
- High quality developers
- Full development proposals
- Community review process
- Predevelopment process
- Anticipated timetable
- DPD Presenttion of RFQ/RFP Process and Milestone February 26 2008
- Public presentation of " Objectives & Parameters @ TIF Advisory Meeting May 12 2008
- 30-day Public Review and Comment Period [closing] June 12, 2008
- RFQ/RFP Issuance Fall 2008
- Proposals Due Early Winter 2009
- Community Presentations and Developer Selection Spring 2009
Please visit the SECC website where a copy of this prsentaiton will be posted for the 30-day Public Review Period. www.hydeparkchicago.org.Forward your comments and input to: ccs@ccstudioinc.com.
Introductory remarks
It looks like an inclusive process for Harper will be set up as part of a larger planning process possibly with professional facilitators-- The nearing approach of Harper Court RFQ/RFP process- starting as soon as spring 2008 - was the "rush reason" for the 53rd Vision Workshop. HPKCC's expanded Development Committee is planning with the TIF Neighborhood and Business Environment Committee and community organizations a process-- inclusive and community wide to reconsider and finalize guidelines for the Harper RFP and varied Harper Court options. For information contact Gary Ossewaarde at hpkcc@aol.com or George Rumsey at rumsey@aol.com.
Planning continues for 53rd and beyond area planning step 2 (step 1 was the Dec.8 Visioning Workshop)
Prepared by Gary Ossewaarde,
HPKCC vice president and hydepark.org web writer
From the March 2008 Conference
Community learns about, queries RFP process for Harper Court
On February 26 the HPKCC Development Committee [chair Gary Ossewaarde] and the 53rd St. TIF Business and Neighborhood Environment Committee (chairs Andre Brumfield and Jane Comiskey) convened a community meeting at the Neighborhood Club to learn about and discuss the anticipated Request for Proposals process for Harper Court. George Rumsey, HPKCC President, moderated. James Wilson, 4th Ward Project Manager in the Chicago Department of Planning and Development presented. Answering questions with Wilson were Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (4th); Howard Males, TIF Advisory Council Chair; and Irene Sherr, Community Counsel, counsel to the TIF.The meeting followed a series of joint planning meetings (outlined in a handout) which also produced a Community Survey on Harper Court Priorities announced at the meeting... and is also part of a larger community input process on 53rd Street and business district visioning and planning process (information available at www.vision53.org and in www.hydepark.org.[)]
A two-part Request for Proposals (RFP) for Harper Court and the City Parking Lot at 53rd and Lake Park and likely to last up to a year is likely to be inaugurated at the May 12 TIF Advisory Council meeting. Mr. Wilson and Ald. Preckwinkle said it is their intent to make the process as open and transparent as possible, with opportunity for comment as well as review. But, they noted, there may be documents, especially in proposals, that are proprietary or involve financial and ability-to-produce and complete the project information that the city has to review in private. Wilson noted that RFP review is the most transparent process the city has. This RFP will be tailored to allow the community to help shape the guidelines and requirements given potential developers. Finalists will be required to present their proposals to the community. Many, and occasionally all, proposals have been rejected in RFP processes.
An RFP is a legislative process whereby a qualified development team is chosen through competition. The Department of Planning controls the process, consulting with or through local aldermen. The selection and planned development must be approved by the Community Development Commission and City Council.
Because of the size and complexity of this project, potential developers will be gauged and winnowed in two stages. Part of the complexity, Wilson said, is due to the mixed-use nature, this community’s sense of identity, historical character, and standards, and some due to goals, especially to enhance the pedestrian character and friendliness of the area, melding with transportation and access, and the combining of public and private land. The first stage, request for qualifications, will mainly judge proof of financial ability and experience to conduct and complete this project. The second stage is also aimed at what best fits for this development and the community.
The development framework for RFPs
· Order appraisals, surveys, title work (Title of the property must be free.)
· Draft the document (about 100 pages)
· City legislative process- presentation to and approval by Community Development Commission
· Advertisement (Sun-Times, city website, other; likely a broker or facilitator)
· Pre-bid conference at City Hall 2-3 weeks after Advertisement
· Deadline passes, respondents’ financials and experience reviewed (90+ days)
· Those qualifying are invited to submit a proposal in phase 2—they submit large documents showing conformity to the criteria and requirements (must be close), legal and financial information, drawings, resumes of partners.
· 2-3 finalists present to the community
· Final choice is submitted to Community Development Commission for public hearing. (CDC has 12 members, appointed by the Mayor; some are ex officio)
· City Council committee hearing and approval, full City Council approvalCommunity Q and A
Where are the initial points for public input? Ideas for criteria should go to the TIF or Alderman Preckwinkle’s office now. The Survey data will also be submitted. As the RFP is prepared, the department will come to the TIF with proposed criteria. Wilson would check with city legal as to whether and how much of the RFP document could be available for view and comment before being issued. The alderman agreed there will be a 30 day comment period as with the Harper Theater. A generic or sample RFP will be provided and posted on line.
Criteria suggested included Minority and Women participation, an affordable housing component, and accessibility, all assured as mandatory components.
How will zoning changes be addressed? Criteria such as height and coverage will be specified, likely using existing limits. RFP does not morph a project to suit a proposal outside the criteria.
How will the private property part be incorporated into the RFP and controlled by its criteria? The legal department is working on this; a memorandum of agreement will be needed. Review at the various stages will have to be done jointly by the owners.
How strict will the guidelines on materials, architecture and other quality standards be? Very. Much of this is specified in state law.
Are responses likely? Yes, several developers have already met with the city.
When will responses be made available? When there are finalists and only such material as the finalist will make available in a presentation. Audience members insisted that as much as possible to guide preference be made available, including ahead, online.
Who would control the current public and private property once selection is made and a sale concluded? The chosen developer would control all the property, privately. Top
City planner explains Harper Court proposals
Hyde Park Herald, March 5 2008. By Kate Hawley
Hyde Parkers got a glimpse into the inner workings of city planning last wee, when a city official explained how a developer will be chosen for the Harper Court shopping center. Harper Court, located on South Harper Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets, is slated for redevelopment, though no firm timeline has yet been set.
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, James Wilson, of the Department of Planning and Development, came to Hyde Park at the behest of two neighborhood groups, the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference and the 53rd Street TIF Council. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) also attended.
Wilson, who has handled 4th Ward planning for the last six years, addressed a group of about 30 at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Cub, at 5480 S. Kenwood Ave. He explained that the city owns the parking lot adjacent to the Harper Court property, which will likely be included in the redevelopment plans. That means the city can issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking developers.
The other part of the land is owned by the Harper Court Arts Council, a private non-profit. It's unclear at this point how the Arts council will participate in the redevelopment of the property. "The lawyers are still working though some issues related to this," Preckwinkle said.
Questions have surrounded the redevelopment of Harper Court since the Harper Court Foundation transferred ownership of the 40-year-old shopping center to the Arts Council in December 2005. Some Hyde Park residents, most recently a local attorney, have contacted Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, claiming the transfer as illegal. Madigan's office has s far stopped short of accusing the Arts Council of illegality, instead recommending some organizational changes.
The RFP for Harper Court will happen in two stages, due to project's complexity, Wilson said, adding that a developer planning to build on the site must take into consideration its size, density, the nearby transportation, parking, and the character of the community.
The first stage is a request for qualifications or RFQ, which asks developers with appropriate experience to submit their names. In the second stage, called the RFP, the city narrows the field, asking developers it deems qualified to submit proposals. The city drafts the RFQ and the RFP based on recommendations from the community, Wilson said.
The RFQ and RFP for Harper Court will draw from the 53rd Street Vision Workshop, held Dec. 8 by a variety of Hyde Park groups, according to Ald. Preckwinkle. At that event, more than 50 people voted on how they'd like to see the 53rd Street commercial corridor redeveloped.
And the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference is currently promoting a survey seeking community input on Harper Court. It's available online at hydepark.org/survey. [Now closed.]
Once the RFQ and RFP are approved by the city's Community Development Commission, the city places ads in major newspapers seeking developers. Two or three weeks later, pre-bid conferences begin at City Hall, in which interested developers have preliminary meetings with Planning Department representatives. Several weeks later, the city sets a deadline for developers to respond to the RF.
For some larger projects, the city brings in a broker or consultant to seek out qualified developers. Wilson said he's lobbying for this option for Harper Court, to speed what promises to be a complex process.
The city then chooses developers for the next round, who get no less than 90 days to come up with proposals. Those are typically reviewed for four to six weeks. The top two or three developers will be invited by the alderman to present their projects to the community. A 30-day public comment period typically follows these presentations, Preckwinkle said.
The whole process can last 90 days or nine months, depending on its size and complexity, Wilson said. An RFP is "the most transparent and open process the city has," he said. "It's the only process I know of that encourages competition."
Some who attended the meeting wished the process were more open. Roger Huff said he felt the community oversight wasn't adequate, since developers aren't require to present the entire RFP to the community. Preckwinkle said that's because the documents contain confidential financial information, among other reasons. Wilson said he would check the legality of presenting the entire RFP to the community.
Community involvement has emerged as a key issue relating the redevelopment of Harper Court, in part because the community has had a stake in the shopping center since its inception. It was conceived as a way for local artisans displaced by Urban Renewal to showcase their work. Funding came from the federal government and a local bond-selling program. Many of the bondholders later donated their investments to the project.
In recent years, Harper Court's fortunes have faded, as tenants have complained about dwindling foot traffic and an ailing physical structure.
[Note that people are looking at broad concepts, and using particular architecture styles et al as fillers. GO]
Last night people interested in Harper Court met for the third or fourth
time to discuss plans that are being mutually developed by the community and
with the generously donated help of Aaron Cook of the Romero Cook Design
Studio <http://romerocook.com>. The project is being pursued under the
auspices of the Hyde Park/Kenwood Community Council and is meant to give
some meat to the RFQ process now in progress to rebuild Harper Court.I have found these meetings *extremely* interesting and can hardly do
justice to the lively conversations that take place in them. The concepts
are quickly evolving into a plan that I think can greatly enhance the
community.Rather than try to do them justice, and perhaps get fried by people who have
a different take on the matter, I will recommend that you work page by page
through the drawings that start at http://www.romerocook.com/hc.html.
Fascinating!If you want get right to the meant, jump to an animated overview of what has
evolved in the project so far at http://www.romerocook.com/hc93.htmlPlease note that there will be a meeting for the community on Wednesday,
April 9, at the Neighborhood Club to show and discuss the latest and nearly
complete version of the plan.Put it on your calendar NOW. It is not something you would want to miss.
The Steering Committee met February 4, reviewed Trish Morse's compilation of past studies and public input on Harper Court, reviewed and modified web (plus) Priority Survey (when vetted by February 10 will go up through March), set agenda for February 26 agenda and set survey results review date as March 3. See Summary of Past Input into Priorities, following, and coverage of planning.
Survey, workshop seek residents' views on Harper Court's future.
Hyde Park Herald February 27, 2008
Residents hoping to weigh in on the future of Harper Court can now take a survey on how the shopping center should be redeveloped. The anonymous survey, which is available online at hydepark.org/survey, addresses what kinds of businesses a new harper Court should have and what its design should look like, among other issues. It's designed to take less than 10 minutes to complete.The survey was created by a working group comprised of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference's development Committee and the53rd Street TIF Council's Neighborhood and Business Environment Committee.
[Ed. correction- the following group is not connected to the TIF Council and is not empowered to produce any preliminary plan, just it own concept. A group] will host a workshop showing one possible design for a new Harper Court, as a way to spark discussion about the redevelopment. The workshop, the third in a series, will be held Wednesday, March 5 at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave. Planner Aaron Cook will show and discuss his renderings. The public is welcome.
Continue, following
Complied by Trish Morse, HPKCC Secretary, as a fulfillment of request of Alderman Preckwinkle for the TIF committee and HPKCC to compile/prepare community input into Guidelines for a Harper Court RFP for March 2008. Morse used the documents listed above in preparing her report, submitted to Harper Court Future Steering Committee February 4, 2008. The headings and organization were suggested by Harper Court Arts council in its June 2006 document. This document is the foundation for a Priorities Survey being compiled.
The following can be viewed in its own page.[Documents used to compile the Survey:
- "Guiding Principles to be Incorporated into RFP," July 10, 2006, Harper Court Arts Council.
- "Harper Court Forum: Ideas and Principles," April 25, 2006, HPKCC [see link at top of page.]
- PowerPoint presentation for the development of the 53rd and Harper University property, January 9, 2006, University of Chicago and SECC [Find in Theater RFP page.]
- "A Vision for the Hyde Park Retail District, March 2000," Skidmore, Owings, Merrill.
- "Design Guidelines for Commercial, Industrial, and Mixed-Use Buildings," City of Chicago. [Search in www.cityofchicago.org; some of this is in the preceding document and in Small Business Improvement Funds and Accommodating Persons with Disabilities guidelines sections.]
- www.vision53.org (polling results of the 53rd Street vision Workshop, December 8, 2007).]
Survey content created at www.surveymethods.com.
The 53rd Street Future Steering Committee,
Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference Development Committee
RFP guidelines task force: Gary Ossewaarde (chair), Trish Morse, Charles Newsome
*Harper Court*: Draft Guidelines for RFP and Possible Points for Priority Survey
By Patricia Morse - February 4, 2008*Gateway to 53rd Street Business District*
1. Pedestrian friendly on Lake Park, 53rd, and Harper Avenue to welcome into the space
2. Flexible design for changing needs
3. Relate to the 53rd Street streetscape—modern design with sensitivity to the three-story brick buildings and redone Hyde Park Bank building as its immediate neighbors.
4. Destination –needs dramatic design, signage
5. ADA accessibility
6. Environmentally friendly (e.g., rooftop garden, green technology, trees*Mixed Use Development*
7. Recreational
a. Opportunities for teenagers (e.g., skateboard park)
8. Shopping
a. Clothing
b. Specialty stores
c. Stores that serve the arts (e.g., sewing, crafts, art supplies, fiber art)
d. Art galleries
e. Major retail
9. Nightlife
a. Cinema
b. Theatre/performance space
c. Spaces for poetry readings, smaller interactive performances
d. Music
10. Dining
a. Sidewalk café
b. Bars
c. "Destination" dining
11. Office space
a. Small businesses and professionals
b. Space for services (e.g., veterinarian)
12. Residential (e.g., Upper story residential)*Public Space for Street Level Activity*
13. Large public space (e.g., for Farmers' Market, Art Festivals, Concerts)
14. Spaces for impromptu gatherings (chess tables)
15. Landscaping—trees, seating, flowers
16. Well-lit ambiance at night*Parking*
17. Multilevel parking garage to serve it and the Hyde Park business district
18. Available day and night
19. Unobtrusive parking at the back of the development or underground
20. Unobtrusive truck delivery (along 52nd?)*Carry Forward the Original Purpose of Harper Court*
21. Space for small businesses, artisans, and cooperative art galleries
22. Provide subsidies/"affordable" rents to nurture local artisans
23. Space for interactive entertainment (e.g., music, poetry, art)*Developer Must Present Development Plans for Public Comment*
Continues following
Top
Harper
Court Arts Council statement of guidelines for Harper Court redevelopment, mid
2006, used as sections for the 2008 HPKCC Priorities Survey.
Harper Court Arts Council
Guiding Principles to be incorporated into RFP
DRAFT July 10, 2006
- Recognition that 53rd Street and Harper Avenue is the center of the Hyde Park Business District, and 53rd & Lake Park Boulevard an important gateway to this area. Use the opportunity of the combination of the Harper Court and Parking Lot sites to rework the orientation of parking, shopping, street access, and public space to provide an attractive pedestrian-friendly urban "downtown" for the Hyde Park community, and a retail destination for the south side of Chicago.
- Create a mixed use development that is primarily commercial. Residential development may be included. The development should provide variety in the size and types of offerings so as to serve residents and attract customers from inside and beyond the neighborhood. A component of recreational, cultural, dining/nightlife venues is also highly desirable. Any residential component must not be of a kind, size, configuration or location as to diminish or limit types of commercial or all-hours venues.
- Development should be of a size and configuration that complements the Hyde Park business streetscape, and is pedestrian friendly, offers welcoming vistas, and offers space suitable to public street level activity including events, farmers' markets, and public gathering point.
- Development provides adequate parking consistent with both the development and the Hyde Park Business District.
- The development should carry forward in some degree the original purpose of Harper Court to encourage local artisans and small businesses including through the possibility of temporary relocation or phasing of building to allow tenants to continue to be part of the 53rd Street business district. Considerations might also be given to setting aside space for small businesses that might need start-up or ongoing subsidies to exist.
- The successful Developer will present their plans for the development for public comment and community review through the 53rd Street TIF Advisory Committee.
If you have comments or suggestions concerning these Guiding Principles, please send your comments to Artscouncilinfo@harpercourt.com.
Harper Court survey plans near completion
Hyde Park Herald, February 13, 2008. By Sam Cholke
[Parts of this were out of date when printed as survey launch and end date were pushed back some and final refinements, introduction etc were finalized. Also, the survey is a joint product with the 53rd St. TIF Advisory Council.]
The Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference (HP-KCC) finalized questions for an online survey soliciting community input on Harper Court this week. "This will be our final fact-finding effort to find out what the community would like to see at Harper Court," said George Rumsey, president of HP-KCC.
The survey will be available online in coming weeks and will be distributed through various channels throughout the community. HP-KCC members have been compiling polls and reports on the Harper Court Shopping complex, 521 S. harper Ave, in anticipation of a request for proposals or a request for qualifications form developers. This group will submit considerations they want included in any RFP or $FQ [to] the 53rd Street Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District advisory council.
"We know no [developer] is going to match every one of these needs," Rumsey said. "The purpose of this is to come to a conclusion of things the community needs."
During the Feb. 4 meeting, HP-KCC members hashed out phrasing and general completeness before handing it off to HP-KCC member Vicki Suchovsky's daughter, a doctoral student in social work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to administer.
"When you put ["Carry Forward the Original Purpose of Harper Court" as No. 2, it starts framing your mind for the next questions," said Fabio Grego, an architect with Fabio Grego and Associates. Rumsey predicted that any surprise results in the survey would likely relate to that question, saying he didn't think many people were interested in preserving the court's original intent of supported artisans and small businesses.
The survey was made available to the community at large on Sunday and will be collected and compiled by March 3. The survey draws on community desires that have been documented repeatedly, most recently Dec. 8 53rd street Vision Workshop. The form asks participants to rank items such as "space for impromptu gatherings," "should become a 'destination," and others on a scale of one to five, from not important to very important.
"A lot of businesses want Harper Court to be a draw," said Lenora Austin, executive director of the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce. People want a new Harper Court to have higher visibility to people who aren't already familiar with it, she said. "I can't tell you how many times I've been on the phone directing people [to Harper Court]. Austin said.
HPK-CC members and residents at the meeting agreed that a redeveloped Harper Court would need to draw on people Court would need to draw on people from outside the neighborhood if it's to succeed, but will now put the question to the community at large.
"If it's going to succeed, it needs to be a destination point," Rumsey said. "I think 'destination point' is open to interpretation. The interpretation of destination point elicited the most reaction during the meeting. "What I like about Hyde Park is we don't have a lot of chain stores," said Grego. Grego said he is worried that a redeveloped Harper Court might draw those chain stores. "If we rely on [people from the North side of Chicago], it's probably going to fail," said Robin Kaufman.
Rumsey reiterated that the suggestions HP-KCC will submit to the TIF council are wishes and basic guide lines for considerations, and not an attempt to limit specific businesses coming into the neighborhood. Rumsey said the only person who has the power to dictate what businesses do or do not come into the neighborhood is Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th). Rumsey suggested that concerns pertaining to the appeal of or aversion to chain stores are best directed to t he alderman, and HP-KCC has no authority to make andy decision about vendors.
The last item on the survey, "Finalists should present possible plans for community input and reaction," attempts to address and create an outlet for community members' concerns about what store owners a redeveloped Harper Court would attract, Rumsey said.
Top
Continuing
Herald January 23, 2008. by Sam Cholke
A dozen members of the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference (HP-KCC) Zoning and Development Committee met Jan. 10 to hash out plans for how the group would be involved in the future development at Harper Court, 5211 S. harper Ave.
"Harper Court has been a mangled mess," said George Rumsey, president of the HP-KCC. "It needs to be Apache in a reasonable way so that it's not more of a mess." Rumsey and the other member of HPKCC stated a desire to be involved in the process of developing the site as one voice of the community. "It always feels like something will happen tomorrow," said Jack Spicer, who added that Hyde Parkers want to be involved before something happens to ensure it benefits the community.
The members of the HPKCC agreed what a community workshop similar to the Dec. 8 53rd street vision Workshop would be a sensible way to involve the many disparate voices of Hyde Park, assuming that the workshop accurately represented the many groups in the neighborhood. The group expressed concern that if the forum were not representative of most it would not be effective.
"Some people will not come no matter how much we invite them," said Aaron Cook, a partner at Romero Cook Design Studio..."Will the plan hold any weight?" "People will look at it--that has weight," said Church Thurow, a council member on the 53d Street TIF Advisory Council. But the outcome of the workshop would not hold any legal weight, said Thurow.
"We need to involve the community before there is a negative reaction to a proposal," Pat wilcoxen said. "So far, the African American community has not been represented well."
The group repeatedly came back to the idea of inclusiveness. They said they did not want to move forward endorsing any plan unless a broad swathe of the community had had the chance to weigh in on it.
Irene sherr, a community consultant and organizer for the 53rd Street Vision Workshop, said that local officials involved in planning the future of Harper Court have been very receptive to community input, from her experience. She said the Dec. 8 workshop was received very positively and future workshop would likely be received in an equally positive manner. Sherr said t hat the last workshop produced firm data that many people in the community want the same sorts of businesses and opportunities in the neighborhood.
At the end of the night, Sherr and the members of HPKCC agreed to work together in planning future community workshops. Top
Continuing
H.P. weighs Harper
Court Development, releases online survey to gauge opinion of development options
Chicago Maroon, February 29, 2008. By Michael Lipkin
The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HPKCC), a neighborhood civic organization, launched several initiatives this week to solicit input on the upcoming redevelopment of Harper Court.
The group has contracted local designers to conceptualize a developed Court, and created a survey at the behest of Alderman Toni Preckwinkle to gauge Hyde Park residents' opinions on the possibility of development in order to increase community input on the plans, said HPKCC president George Rumsey.
Harper Court, a shopping center on South Harper Avenue and 53rd Street, was built in 1965 in an effort to support local businesses after many were displaced by urban renewal projects.
Currently, however, Harpers Court is in a state of disrepair, Rumsey said. "The buildings are deteriorating, there's a high vacancy rate, and there is a sense that the people managing it don't know how to fix it," he said.
These problems causes the Harper Court Arts Council, the mall's owners, to look for buyers to redevelop the property. After announcing their intentions to sell in 2002, they made no progress, prompting Preckwinkle to step in. According to HPKCC minutes from April 2006, Preckwinkle announce that due to the failure of the Arts Council to make a sale, she had decided to shift the responsibility for seeking a buyer to the city. She also decided to include an adjoining city-owned parking lot with the parcel of land to be sold in order to increase desirability of he land.
Rumsey said that despite Preckwinkle's move, plans for Harper Court's redevelopment stalled again. In an effort to bring momentum back to the project, Preckwinkle asked HPKCC "to solicit community responses on how to move forward on Harper Court," Rumsey said. The group responded by crating the survey now on its website.
The questionnaire asks respondents to rate the importance of various aspects of the redevelopment, like the inclusion of residential space or 24-hour accessibility. "It's really quite remarkable," Rumsey said. "[In the first four days] it's been up, we've had 539 responses." According to Rumsey, the most importantly qualities identified by participants so far are well lit nighttime ambiance and a strengthening of the pedestrian character of 53rd Street.
Rumsey said he hopes that the results from the survey will allow the Hyde Park community to have some influence over what happens to Harper Court.
In an HPKCC meeting Tuesday, James Wilson, project manager of the Fourth Ward at the Department of Planning and Development, said that community input would be taken into consideration in Harper Court's redevelopment. "We will be using the most open and transparent process the city has," he said. This process involves the drafting of a list of requirements that potential developers must follow if they wish to take on the project. Wilson said that input from residents will be taken into account during the drafting of the initial version, and kept open the possibility of submitting this version to the community for a commenting period.
HPKCC also recently contracted Romero Cook Design Studio, a local design firm, to envision Harper Court's redevelopment. Aaron Cook, a planner with the studio, drew up sketches of a new Harper Court for a meeting of HPKCC last Wednesday. Cook presented a series of four- to six-story mixed-use buildings with classic European design to the group, which responded favorably.
"We look at architecture from a traditional standpoint," Cook said. "Look at Europe and its pre-World War II buildings. They have everything viable and wonderful and beautiful." While Cook and Rumsey admitted that these plans would most likely not be the final design for Harper Court, they both cited the designs as an important step in deciding what to do with the space. "There are a lot of vision statements, all this talk and nothing ever happens," Cook said. "This design could serve as a catalyst for growth."
"I don't think or expect that's what's going to be built," Rumsey said. "but it's a thought process that allows the community to work with developers, architects, and political leaders.
Cook also emphasized the role of students in his designs. Having recently been a student himself, as well as being married to a law student at the University, allows him to see the problems students have with Hyde Park, he said. "We want to bring something to Hyde Park to have students stay in Hyde Park," he said. "Students leave this area because there's no reason to stay, no substantial retail or development."
Rumsey echoed these sentiments, pointing to low student representation in the survey results. "No consensus can be reached about the future of Hyde Park without student input," he said. "They are an integral part of the community."
Detailed online at http://www.hydepark.org/survey.
I: From the March 10 TIF meeting:
George Rumsey, president of the Hyde Park Kenwood community Conference, presented the initial results of a survey about how people want to see Harper Court redeveloped. The survey is a joint effort of the TIF council and HPKCC. Rumsey said the council has been getting about 00 responses a day and that slightly more since it put a link up on the social networking Web sit Facebook.com. There were more than 1,600 responses to the survey as of March 10, he said. The survey will be available until Thursday at hydepark.org/survey.
"Passing out results of the survey now could skew it," said Irene Sherr of Community Counsel, a local planning and development consulting firm. Rumsey contended that the results compiled so far were too general to dramatically alter the final data.
Half of the responses were from people ages 19 to 39, with ages 19-29 and 30-39 each accounting for about 25 percent of the total. Seventy percent identified themselves as white. "African American results doubled in the last week," Rumsey said. Eighteen percent of respondents identified themselves as African American or Black, according to Rumsey's preliminary results.
"People are really making use of the comment box," Rumsey said. Rumsey said he has 56 single-spaced pages of comments so far to go through. A lot of people say they want more businesses in the neighborhood that are open ate 9 p.m.--and that's not just coming from the younger respondents, it's across the board, he said.
II: From the March 2008 Conference Reporter
From the HPKCC Conference Reporter, March 20008, Vol. 14, No. 1.
(view whole issue in pdf.)The Conference in Action: HPKCC and 53rd Street TIF Survey Priorities for Harper RFP
by George W. RumseyAs a followup to the very successful December 8 53rd Street Vision Workshop, the HPKCC Development Committee held a meeting on December 19 to explore other concerns about the retail development in Hyde Park. With the idea that the long-expected Harper Court "request for proposals" (RFP) might be brought before the January TIF meeting, members of the Development Committee felt it was time again to move Harper Court to the head of the list of concerns.
As it turned out, the RFP was not ready in January, but Alderman Toni Preckwinkle Toni Preckwinkle used the opportunity to request that the HPKCC Development Committee (chaired by Gary Ossewaarde) and the Neighborhood& Business Committee of the TIF assess the community's concerns for the forthcoming RFP.
At a large planning meeting on January 23, the Iwo committees developed plans to conduct an online survey of community priorities for the redevelopment of Harper Court. A working group comprised of Trish Morse and Gary Ossewaarde (HPKCC) and Charles Newsome (TIF) agreed to review the large volume of documentation on Harper Court, and synthesize the results into a questionnaire framework.
The wording and order was discussed at length at a followup meeting on February 4. An overview group of Jane Comiskey, Irene Sherr, Pat Wilcoxen, and George Rumsey finalized and tested the questions, before launching the survey on February 23. To date, 1,688 respondents have taken the survey.
Survey participants were asked to rate each question on a scale of 5 (Very important( to 1 (Not Important.):
Redevelopment Goals for Harper Court:
1. Help create a gateway to 53rd Street business district
2. Relate to neighboring buildings through orientation and scale
3. Create a "destination" with appeal to diverse interests
4. Promote environmentally friendly principles (e.g., rooftop gardens, green technology, trees)Development Components:
5 Retail (apparel)
6. Retail - other (for example, home furnishings, gifts, galleries, craft shops)
7. Restaurants (for example, sidewalk cafes, bakery, ethnic restaurants)
8. Hotel
9. Movie theatre
10 Performance space (for example, a resident theater group, music)
11. Bars and clubs
12. Public space for community events like Farmer's Markets
13. Office space for small businesses and professional services
14. Residential: condo or rental
15. Affordable and/or senior housing
16. Recreation (for example, health clubs, swimming pools, family activities)Urban Design:
17. Make the landscaping welcoming, with trees, seating, flowers
18. Strengthen the pedestrian character of 53rd Street
19. Provide well-lit ambiance at nightAccess, Circulation, and parking:
20. Multilevel parking garage to serve Harper Court and the Hyde Park business district
21. Accessible day and night, with improved transit and handicapped access
22. Planned and separated access for service vehicles and deliveryPublic Comment on Proposed Development:
23. City should share evaluation criteria with community for review and comment
24. Selected developer finalists should present possible plans for community input and reactionThe Harper Court Original Mission:
25. The Harper Court Arts Council should use the proceeds from the sale of Harper Court to support the creation of affordable space for startup businesses, artisans, cooperative art galleries, etc.
26. Current tenants in Harper Court should be helped to stay in business.Several document were used to create the survey:
1. "Guiding Principles to be Incorporated into RFP," July 10, 2006, Harper Court Arts Council.
2. "Harper Court Forum: Ideas and Principles," April 25, 2006, HPKCC Community Meeting.
3. PowerPoint presentation of the development of the 53rd and Harper University property, January 9, 2006, University of Chicago and SECC.
4. "A Vision for the Hyde Park Retail District, March 2000," Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill.
5. "Design Guidelines for Commercial, Industrial, and Mixed-Use Buildings," City of Chicago.
6. www.vision53.org (polling results of the 53rd Street Vision Workshop, December, 2007).A mid-point report was presented to the March 10 TIF meeting, with a full report to be provided in the net HPKCC Reporter, online at hydepark.org, and at a future TIF meeting.
End from Conference Reporter. Top
From preliminary results. Supplied by George Rumsey. Detailed in http://www.hydeparkorg/survey.
Question Very+Important comb. Somewhat Important Less+Not Imp comb. Redevelopment Goals Gateway to 53rd 66 21 13 Relate to Neighborhood 59 23 18 Destination, appeal to diversity 87 9 4 Environment friendly 73 16 11 Development Components Apparel 57 25 18 Other retail 64 22 14 Restaurants 89 8 3 Hotel 26 19 55 Movie theatre 66 16 18 Performance space 49 24 27 Bars/clubs 41 24 35 Public space , i.e. Farmer's Mkt 79 12 9 Office space 37 28 35 Residential 18 19 64 Affordable housing 23 22 55 Recreation 33 23 44 Urban Design Welcoming landscape 88 9 3 Stronger pedestrian character 88 8 4 Well-lit night-time ambiance 93 5 2 Access & Parking Multilevel parking 59 20 22 Day and night access 73 17 5 Separate service access 65 23 13 Public Comment Community review 84 9 8 Public developers' presentations 84 9 7 Original Mission Keep original mission in some form 61 20 20 Help current tenants 66 17 17 Race of Respondents: 67 White, 19 Black, Multi 6, remainder 0-3% each
Age of Respondents: under 18 2%, 19-29 25%, 30-39 23%, 40-49 15%, 50-59 17%, 60-69 13%, 70+ 5%. 0-39 49%.
Priorities ranked in order of marked importance: (will be put into table form)
1 Well-lit night-time ambiance
2 Restaurants
3 Stronger pedestrian character
4 Welcoming landscaping
5 Destination, appeal to diversity
6 Public presentations by developers
7 Community review and feedback
8 Public space, i.e., Farmer’s Market
9 Day and night access
10 Environmentally friendly
11 Help current tenants
12 Gateway to 53rd
13 Movie theatre
14 Separate service access
15 Other retail
16 Keep original mission in some form
17 Relate to neighborhood
18 Multilevel paring
19 Apparel
20 Performance space
21 Bars/clubs
22 Office space
23 Recreation
24 Hotel
25 Affordable Housing
26 Residential75 percent Very and Important ends with 9 Day and night access
50 percent ends with 19 Apparel
25 percent ends with Hotel, leaving Affordable H and Residential below 25% important.
#20 Performance 1st in which very/important in minority
#23 Recreation 1st in which somewhat or less/not outpolls very/important1 93-5-3
2 89-8-3
3 88-8-4
4 88-9-3
5 87-9-4
6 84-9-5
7 84-9-8
8 79-12-9
9 78-17-5
10 73-16-11
11 66-17-17
12 77-21-13
13 66-16-18
14 65-23-13
15 64-22-14
16 61 20-20
17 59-23-18
18 59-20-22
19 57-25-18
20 49-24-27
21 41-24-35
22 37-28-35
23 33-23-44
24 26-19-55
25 23-22-55
26 18-19-64Additional conditions:
Income
about half over 75,00 with progressively fewer as income goes down.
Gender 63% female, 36% maleLength of residence – 2-5 and over 20 largest groups rest with other categories about half these two.
Zip code 37 half of 15 with very few from others.
Survey results aired at HP-KCC meeting [and comments on Aaron Cook's renderings of ideas for HCt]
Hyde Park Herald, April 16, 2008. By Kate Hawley
The nearly 1700 people who took a survey about how to redevelop the Harper Court shopping center rated "well-lit night-time ambience" their top priority, according to George Rumsey, president of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. Rumsey presented preliminary results of the survey last Wednesday before a working group established by the conference, in a meeting at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave.
The group has spent the last several months discussing what kind of building should replace the low-slung structures that currently comprise Harper Court, located on South Harper Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets. The city is slated to seek proposals from developers interested in rebuilding the shopping center in the coming months.
In light of these impending changes and array of community groups created a survey aimed at gauging what the community might like to see as a rethought, revitalized, redeveloped Harper Court. Rumsey spent weeks urging residents and local organizations to fill out the survey, which was available online at hydepark.org/survey. The survey closed after a month on March 24, and now the Web site gives a rundown of the results.
Participants were asked to rate the importance of 26 features under consideration for the redevelopment, from restaurants to affordable housing to parking. "Well-lit night-time ambience" wa the top item, rated "very important" by 93 percent of respondents.
Restaurants, "stronger pedestrian character" and "welcoming landscaping" also rated high, garnering the "very important" rating from 88 percent or more of respondents.
Overall, 19 of the 26 items on the list were rated "very important" by more than half of respondents."
Critics of the survey claim that it didn't require participants to vote for one option at the expense of another, renderings the preferences meaningless, Rumsey said. He shrugged off that criticism, saying, "It's not a scientific survey. It's just a sense of what people are interested in."
For the roughly two-dozen people who attended the meeting, the survey's results colored the ensuing discussion, in which local planner Aaron Cook presented his vision for Harper Court.
It was the third time Cook has given a visual presentation of his designs, which call for a dense arrangement of four- to six-story masonry building around an open courtyard. The mixed-use structures reflect traditional Chicago architecture.
Affordable housing and residential--two major elements of Cook's plan--scored lowest among survey respondents, said Dan Friedrich, who runs an information technology consulting business in Hyde Park. "It's just a perception that I think is unfortunate," Cook said. "We need residential."
Someone else pointed out that the people who took the survey were likely thinking about what features of Harper Court would benefit them most, so it's not surprising t hat new shops and restaurants superseded apartments.
Here and with the preceding we transition into discussion of urban planner Aaron Cook's design workshops. View at http://www.romerocook.com.
HP-KCC moving on Harper Court planning: Organizing forum, "hands-on" design workshops (Herald Jan. 30: Sam Cholke)
The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HP-K CC) decided Jan. 23 to draft suggestions for any request for proposal (RFP) involving the redevelopment of Harper Court, 5211 S. Harper Ave., as well as sketching out some ideas of what a redeveloped harper Court might look like.
"An RFP is simply suggestions [for development]. You're not committed to anything," said George Rumsey, president of HP-K CC. "Our role is to come up with things we feel need to be in an RFP that can be reasonably met."
Rumsey said suggestions submitted to the 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council need to establish minimums for an RFP, not minimums.
"Harper Court can't satisfy everything we desire," said Pat Wilcoxen, HP-K CC member and program director for Interfaith Open Communities.
The conference decided to distill the current guidelines for Harper Court drafted by various community groups over recent years into a single working document for the conference to start from. The HP-K CC RFP suggestions will be largely based on the Harper Court Arts Council's "Guiding