 |
Meeting reports and minutes of the Hyde Park 53rd Street TIF Advisory CouncilA service of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, its Preservation and Development Committee, and the HPKCC website, www.hydepark.org. Help support our work: Join the Conference! |
To
Earlier meetings (2002-September
2003). To late 2003-2007. To
July 2006 (Harper Ct.). To
receive e-mail notice of TIF meetings and agendas, go to www.hydeparkchicago.org.That
site (South East Chicago Commission) should also has the cached TIF minutes
from 2004 forward If you cannot access, call 773 324-6926 for appointment or
contact Irene Sherr at Community Council. The earliest minutes are likely in
paper file at SECC, 4th Ward Office, and Chicago Department of Planning at City
Hall.
See July 2006 meeting report
by Gary Ossewaarde, in its own page.
See
Report of the Nov. 15 block
exercise; pics from the Nov. 15 Block exercise: picasaweb.google.com/crcrumsey/53rdStreetVisionsBLOCKS
or http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DK_JZJ9p9XK0utKiVEvRug
Here:
Note: There
are still open positions on the Committees, whose meetings are open: Call the
4th Ward Office, 773 536-8103.
Next regular TIF meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 10, 2010.Kenwood Academy Little Theater (flagpole entry then walk all the way south), 5015 S. Blackstone. Agenda tba but will include decision on Cleanslate options and funds for Kenwood Academy.
_________________
Next Parking Committee meeting will be announced. The most recent was on June 25- see Parking District page. Chair Ilene Jo Reizner.
The Neighborhood Business and Environment Committee (Repair and Rehabilitation). Co chairs: Andre Brumfield and Jane Comiskey. Meeting date is MARCH 27, SATURDAY, 9 AM IN HOLLYWOOD VIDEO 1530 E. 53RD ST.
The Planning and Development Committee vets developer proposals and strategic initiatives. Chair Chuck Thurow. Next TBA.
News is as yet incomplete, including whether there was a Planning subcommittee report on Harper Court plans.
March 8, 2010, Antheus/Silliman Group presented an update at the TIF meeting. The most significant change was that parking will now be entirely under ground, with entry/egress to the retail parking on Lake Park and for residential from Harper. Trucks will enter on Harper and exit on Lake Park. It appears there will be a mix of rental and condo (the later being in the tower on the nw corner. These will include a proportion of affordable-- it's in a PUD and TIF and Ald. Preckwinkle has been requiring 15% in projects to get her approval. Also being clarified is whether any part of the site will be west of Harper. A question was raised about a passerole over Lake Park to the Metra station-- reply was that the city would not approve.
Herald report, March 10, 2010. By Sam Cholke.
The Silliman Group presented a slightly modified version of the development for the Village shopping center at the March 8 [TIF meeting]. The two-and-a-half acre development that encompasses much of the block south of East Hyde park Boulevard and South Lake Park Avenue will move all onsite parking below the building. About 400 parking spaces will be housed in a two-level underground garage after potential tenants requested improved accessibility, according to Peter Cassel, director of community development for the Silliman Group.
The project still includes a 10-story residential and retail building on Lake Park Avenue, and a lower strip of retail that stretches down East Hyde Park Boulevard, culminating in a residential tower on the corner of Hyde Park Boulevard and South Harper Avenue. Smaller retailers will be housed along the Harper Avenue side of the development, according to Cassel.
Unlike when first presented in Fall 2008, the project will now proceed as a single phase instead of two. "If part were not to be built... the narrower tower would not be built," Cassel said.
The Chicago Plan Commission will likely reviews the plans in late spring from final approval before Silliman begins seeking zoning changes and the city permits, according to Cassel. It will likely be longer than two years before any of the existing buildings at Village Center are demolished and roughly five years before the new development opens, he said.
Other business:
(Herald report continued:) Also at the meeting, teh Cleanslate program presented a proposal to continue street cleaning and snow removal in the district for next year. The program, which will hire 30 people next year, presented a proposed cost of $157,000 to the board, the same as last year's budget. Cleanslate offered to extend its trash removal services from five days to six, increaser snow removal and powerwash sidewalks for an additional $87,000 [including a machine, as per proposal last year]. The board will consider the three options [in committee?] at a March 27 committee meeting at 9 a.m. at the former Hollywood Video store, 1530 E. 53rd St.
The board will vote on spending property tax increment funds on Kenwood Academy at its April [sic- May?] meeting. Top.
During
the very brief update on Harper Court (said to be re designated "53rd-Lake
Park") Development at the January 11 TIF meeting, the University (Susan
Campbell) and city (James Wilson) appeared to toss the potato as to whether
and how much of the non-selected finalist proposals will be aired. some said
that would be important for deciding the full range of what's to be in the development
regardless of the developer, which seemed likely to be chosen on fiscally able
grounds since the proposals were said to be "similar."
OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IS THAT THE VETTING WILL BE DONE IN THE TWO TIF COMMITTEES.
While these (R&R and Planning) are "open," the TIF has an inherent
interest in the development having as much as possible so as to increase the
amount coming into the TIF, and since it is definite (according to release from
the Chicago Dept. of Community Development) that TIF funds will be used-- if
"more" of the latter brings "more" of the former, some wonder
whether there could be conflict on the part of the vetting party and with other
potential demands on TIF funds. Also, if we are to forget Harper Court, what
of all the public input for the project (based on its being an expanded replacement
for Harper Court) and any lessons including the Harper Court Foundation experiences?
The chair said to the parties, get it right and together.
The budget was announced--This TIF generates about $745,000 a year (recently). At the end of 2010, after disbursing about half of that, the TIF should hold about $2.4 million. About $13,000 goes to city administrative costs, $160,000 to cleanslate. The standard has been to spend about half of the increment each year. The Harper Development "will" demand funds; how much is not known, and there likely will be differences over this.
The remainder of the January 11 2010 TIF meeting was devoted to a very positive report on arts initiatives and creation of cultural destinations in Hyde Park and Bronzeville. Reports were by Irene Sherr and Monica Haslip for Hyde Park Alliance for Arts and Culture and by Paula Robinson of the Black Metropolis History Commission. Sherr said that HyPa wants to find pays for arts organizations to get into the schools, and brought in special performing artist o work with Kenwood students: Casandra Wilson and Jade Simmons, the latter in conjunction with the University of Chicago Dept. of Music. Hypa's latest project is Passport to Jazz-- when up, people going to listed events get perks from the venues and if they sign up for enough a free Jazz Festival vip pass. Robie House is an example of a venue new to performance, having a jazz program February 12. And ties extend as far as the Museum of Contemporary Art. The first-level objective is to have programs in Hyde Park people want to go to and to get people from all over to visit venues in Hyde Park-- make Hyde Park a cultural destination. About five places have jazz or related weekly and some occasionally, including pop-up art places and galleries such as DOVA Temporary, shopping centers and farmers' markets. They have a large e-blast list. The University of Chicago's support has been important, especially for insurance. An important exhibit on one of the HyPa partners, Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, opens at Regenstein in February. Their March production of the Mikado celebrates 50 years--and they had a tremendous turnout for auditions.
Paula Robinson of the Black Metropolis History Commission described progress of their petition and nomination to National Parks and National Trust, which would run from 18th St. to 71st and Dan Ryan to the Lake. The theme would be the Great Migration and the special community (Bronzeville) and cultural flowering in the dense area that was confined by restrictive covenants .Feasibility study is being sponsored by Rep. Rush. So one unifying focus is preservation including identification of assets-- they are doing or want to do GIS mapping. The Commission serves as umbrella for many business, cultural and tourism organizations.
November 9 2009. FINALISTS FOR HARPER COURT REDEVELOPMENT WERE PRESENTED IN CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW FORM, without ID. The proposals were similar: All open Harper Avenue and at least one creates a new "52nd Place" walkway that would have (low?) retail buildings on them, but maybe one higher also (one concept had one going somewhat off the grid and curved on the north side of the new 52nd place). Total retail is still 90-150 sf including the first building (quite high) at the corner of Lake Park and 53rd. Park-like spaces would likely be near where the present plaza would be and at the north end of the site by Lake Park. 150,000 sf of UC office is still included, as well as a hotel, some residential, maybe a theater, or more. The southeast part would be first. TIF money would almost certainly be involved, amount and uses are being "negotiated." To see views of Powerpoint, visit http://www.hpherald.com and click 2nd bar down. See also the Nov. 18 Herald. See more in the Harper Court homepage.
Separately: There are reportedly some kind of differences in objectives between the City and the University. Whether there is a consensus "winner" among the parties is not known to us. The meeting also had presentation on the new Michael's Market in the former Co-Op space. This market will compete with Treasure Island and Hyde Park Produce, maybe with a little lower pricing and have a restaurant.
In addition, Canter Middle School principal Colleen Conlan had invited the TIF to meet at the school to see what the TIF's funding ($150,000 matched by CPS) accomplished. She said an addition is still needed. Improvements included new furniture for an painting of the main office, window shades and new doors for each classroom (with safety locks), chemical washing and tuckpointing of all windows and the building. A new sign reads "Canter Middle School" (and covers the old engraved Kenwood sign). New exterior doors, lighting, limestone flowerbed and tables, seating in the north "playground", and repaving and relining of the parking lot complete the suite. More offices and corridors will be painted.
At the September
14 TIF meeting, an overview was given by the city, saying the finalist would
be selected and only that one would present, November 9-- which caused strong
objection as Ald. Preckwinkle promised the final 3 would present.
Plans are to build a structure comp. to Hyde Park Bank at nw. corner of 53rd
and Lake Park, with a up to 25 stories building at the north end along Lake
Park. These buildings are committed to 9,000 plus retail and the rest office
including heavy UC commitment and residential (which not yet clear to this site).
No details about what would be in Harper Court side or on parking, although
Harper Avenue will be pushed through fairly soon. For further details on the
meeting's Harper Court details, see the Harper
Court Sale page.
Official minutes.
Members Present: Antoinette McAllister, Howard Males, Rod Sawyer, Jane Comiskey, Chuck Thurow, Trushar Patel, Charles Newsome, Andre Brumfield, Mitchell Cohen, Anthony Wilkins, Laurel Stradford.
Meeting called to order at 7:02 p.m., with a quorum present.
Remarks by the Chair: Welcomed all in attendance and opened the meeting speaking on the accessibility of the Little Theater meeting room and the concerns brought up by Hyde Park's Older Women's League (OWL). Chairman Males will address accessibility with our meeting host and attempt to make arrangements to acquire and accessible room, or make meetings more user-friendly in the near future. He also presented tonight's meeting agenda, noting modification of removal of discussion of a future special meeting. Other Chair announcements include the launch of Hyde Park's Cultural Alliance (HyPa) website, the University of Chicago's new informational blog, 53rd St. Blog and introduce its editor, Community News Officer Kadesha Thomas, and a reminder to the audience that TIF news information is disseminated through the Hyde Park Herald, community members and now, trough the 53rd St. Blog. The chair also encouraged all to get flu shots.
Approval of Minutes: Minutes were read by the committee. C. Thurow made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, which was seconded by A. Wilkins, the motion passed unanimously.
TIF Council Committee: Chair. Males introduced the newest member of the TIF Council, Mitchell Cohen. Mitchell replaces departing member Steve Soble. Chair Males thanked Steve for his dedicated service.
Alderman's Report: Ald. Preckwinkle briefly remarked on the progress of Harper Court RFP process and that a finalist would be presented at a future meeting, as well as ideas that emerged from all developers. James Wilson, of the City of Chicago, named team members from the city and introduced those present, as did Susan Campbell of U of C, who introduced the members from U of C.
Harper Court Presentation: Messrs. Timothy S. Brangle and Kimball T. Goluska, both of The Chicago Consultants Studio, presented a PowerPoint presentation of the selection process for redevelopment of Harper Court. Initially, 11 proposals had been submitted, with five selected. There are currently three finalists: McCaffrey/Taxman Corporate Partners, Mesa/Walsh and Vermillion/JPS Development Partners. Due Diligence and assessments are still ongoing. All proposals will include the Hollywood Video building on the corner of 53rd St. and Old Lake Park. The proposals from this stage of finalists include 90k to 150k sq ft of retail/entertainment/restaurant space, and uses to make the location a travel destination. 150k sq ft of office space is also proposed, in which the University has committed to be a major tenant. In a later phase, up to 200 residential units have been proposed, as well as well as a 150-room boutique hotel. Onsite parking is proposed and building heights range from 3 stories to 25 stories. Other amenities include open spaces/parks and a green-top roof.
The next steps will be to finalize and evaluate proposals for identification of a single preferred proposal, then at a future TIF meeting present a summary of proposals, and provide a detailed presentation, soliciting community input and comments. After the preferred proposal is presented, teh matter wil be referred to our Planning and Development committee for detailed public discussion.
A question and answer period was conducted after the presentation (see attached).
Announcement: Chuck Thurow announced that a local business, What The Traveler Saw, owned by TIF member Laurel Stradford, had been nominated for the program Amex/NBC "Shine a Light". The next step would be a review that chooses three finalists from over 200 entries. George Rumsey [announced that] Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HPKCC) will have its annual book sale on Columbus day weekend.
The meeting ended at 8:25 p.m.
Submitted Respectfully,
Rod Sawyer
Attachment: Q/A on Harper Court. Committee- (TIF Committee members initials are in brackets)
Q. Effect on Theater building process? (AM)
A. Slowed because of duplicate uses with Harper Court.Q. Effect on Park 52 building? (CT)
A. Included in development, but P52 has a long-term lease that will be honored.
Q. What happened to proposals that did not make the cut? (JC)
A. Some were non-responsive; others were close but had minor shortcomings. Note: Andre Brumfield has reminded the audience and council of a direct relationship with Mesa/Walsh and will recuse himself from all Council decisions regarding Harper Court.Q. What are the phases? Can the developers begin immediately? (CT)
A. Residential will be in a later phase to be worked out in the proposals. Retail is ready because of the hotel and office components.Q. What is your best guess on when the project will be complete or near complete? (AW)
A. Perhaps 2011, 2012, but cannot abe concrete.Q/A- Audience (TIF Committee members initials are in brackets)
Q1. Will development be 100% ADA accessible?, Q2. Need for movie theater. Q3. Keep Olympics in mind.
A1. City mandates accessibility. (CT adds that visioning process goal was to exceed mandated accessibility.)
A2. Some of the proposals contain a theater, but cannot mandate it.
A3. Statement taken as commentary.Q. Respond to criticism from Hyde Park Herald on demolition.
a. UC tried to move remaining tenants out by June, 2009, stated that demolition would begin two weeks after above mentioned move out date.Q. Why was Hollywood Video building added to development but not Theater building?
A. UC came before the TIF council with the news of the Hollywood Video building purchased, and asked the current bidders if expanded space would fit [within the current proposals].Q. It was thought that three presentations would be made to the community by the finalists. Why is there only the one selected developer who will present?
a. Alderman made commitment will revisit (Ald). Bring in best one, and send it back if we do not like it (AW). What was best [proposal], U of c or the community? (JC)Q1. Will there be an effort to maintain parking during construction? Q2. Expressed surprise at the 25-story height. Q3. TIF was set up to generate funds for schools and parking, where's the parking? Q4. Can it [development] be phased in so that successful restaurants can stay beyond their leases?
A1. Depends on the phases, but the importance of keeping maintaining parking is realized.
A2. This was discussed at the visioning meetings. The understanding is to keep it set back from the Bank side (53rd street) and Lake Park Ave.
A3. The [final] developer will replace the 150 parking spaces in addition to the parking requirements new development will bring.
A4. The same plans involve keeping and/or incorporating them.Q. How much of the [office space] will U of C occupy? How large is the [office] space?
A1. The current building that houses Village Foods (51st and Lake Park) is 42K sq ft. Proposals for the HC redevelopment state as much as three times that size (50K sq ft.)-Peter Cassel, MAC Properties.
A2. The proposed development won't be larger than the Hyde Park Bank building - James Wilson, City of Chicago.
A3. The RFP did not proscribe 150K sq ft. Developers presented square footage through the parameters developed in the workshops. - Susan Campbell, UC.Q. Does the commercial square footage include the hotel?
A. No.Q. Developers usually perform their own demolitions, but UC started - (question interrupted)
A. Did not give dates. Harper Ave. will be cemented from 52nd to 53rd STreet. Demolition is part of site preparation.Q. Discuss further staging (like BSBCIL) building, [built in stages to increase number of floors][[?]])
A. would like to clarify and use the word "phases" to better explain office, hotel, and residential development. The finalist will present the project in entirety.
Official minutes.
Members Present: Andre Brumfield, Jane Comiskey, Howard Males, Antoinette McAllister, Charles Newsome, Trushar Patel, Roderick Sawyer, Chuck Thurow, Ginny Vaske.
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 with a quorum present.
Approval of Minutes: Moved, seconded, passed unanimously, to approve the minutes of May 11, 2009 as submitted.
Chair Remarks: Howard Males explained that TIF members initially serve a three-year term, followed by two-year terms after that. The Alderman then decides whether to reappoint those members whose terms are expiring. Current members whose two-year terms are expiring, have been reappointed to the TIF Council by Alderman Preckwinkle. Those members are: Jane Comiskey, Howard Males, Toni McAllister, Charles Newsome, Trushar Patel, Jo Reizner, Chuck Thurow, Ginny Vaske.
Leaving the Council is Steve Soble, who for personal reasons has asked to step down. He is thanked for his nearly seven years of service to the TIF Council.
Steve Soble's resignation leaves a vacancy on the TIF Council beginning September 2009. Interested Fourth Ward residents should submit a letter of interest and a brief bio to mae.wilson@cityofchicago.org. The new Council member (or members should other vacancies occur) will be announced at the September TIF Council meeting.
Howard also encouraged audience members to participate on one or more of the TIF Committees, where most of the Council work is carried out.
In response to a news article about the need to advertise a free lunch program, Howard explained that the free lunch program is available over the summer to all children whether or not they are enrolled in a summer school program. Any child ages 1 to 18 can go to one of the 756 school sites or 350 non-school sites throughout the state of Illinois. Presently only 16% of eligible children are taking advantage of this statewide program. For more information call 800-359-2163, the Illinois Hunger Association.
Proposed Zoning Change for 1363-67 E. 53rd Street: The Council has been asked to approve a proposal to change the zoning from B1-3, Neighborhood Shopping District, to B3-3, Community Shopping District. Danielle Meltzer Cassel of Vedder Price PC presented the proposal, explaining that the change would allow a veterinary office to rent the vacant space previously occupied by Subway. While there is no guarantee that the property owner and the owner of the Hyde Park Animal Clinic will reach an agreement (building lease negotiations are separate and apart from the zoning change), the possibility of the animal clinic leasing the storefront cannot be considered without the zoning change. Regardless of who the tenant will be, Ms. Meltzer Cassel stated that the change in zoning does open up the possibility of more diversity of businesses in this section of Hyde Park.
Ms. Meltzer Cassel explained some of the use differences between the two zoning designations and also explained the need for additional hearings should a B3-3 "special use" facility be considered (e.g. tattoo parlor, shelter or boarding kennel, fortune teller, hotel/motel).
Jack Spicer reminded members that the new zoning ordinance allows broad zoning changes to occur on 53rd Street, if the Alderman and community so desire. This would negate having to make recommendations on a case-by-case basis. However, it was pointed out that doing this would lessen control over which businesses come into the neighborhood.
Moved, seconded, passed unanimously to approve the request for a zoning change for said property from B1-3 to B3-3.
Harper Court Update: James Wilson, City of Chicago representative, and Essie Banks, also from his office, gave an update on proposals submitted. Susan Campbell and Jim Hennessey from the University of Chicago were also present. (This development site is jointly owned by these two entities.) Of the 5 original finalists, 4 remain. Their proposals will be presented on July 16 and 17 at the University of Chicago. By the end of summer (hopefully by the Sept. 13th TIF Council meeting) the best of these proposals will be vetted to the community. If not, a special TIF meeting will be called for in October. (Note: TIF Council members Jo Reizner and Andre Brumfield have excluded themselves from any discussion/voting on this site development because of possible conflict of interest.)
Questions from TIF Council members and the audience concerned the privately owned parking spaces (the Alderman has assured that this will be handled properly); whether Hollywood Video site is part of the project (it is); and elements of the RFP (retail, entertainment, residential, parking, hotel, office).
On the whole, those in attendance seemed pleased that progress is being made and that plans will be shared with the community.
Other Issues: A question was raised about whether or not development of the U. of C. owned property at 53rd and Harper (the former movie theater site) will included demolition or rehab. According to Susan Campbell, both possibilities remain.
The Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce has moved to 5501 S. Everett and is hosting a reception on Wed., July 15, 4:00 to 7:00 to introduce its new home.
There seems to be no movement on the development of the project at 53rd and Cornell by L3.
Adjournment: Chairman Males wished all in attendance a safe and happy summer. Moved, seconded, passes unanimously adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 13, 7:00 p.m. at Kenwood Academy.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginny Vaske Secretary.
At the July meeting, Dr. Wake, UC and Vedder Ltd. presented a request to change zoning for 1365 E. 53rd St. (Freehling bldg.) from B1-3 to B3-3 to accommodate a part of Hyde Park Animal Clinic. The council approved. James Wilson of the city encouraged all to come to the Sept. meeting for presentations by the Harper Court finalists.
Harper Court: The University has included for the finalists the option of including the former Hollywood Video building.
According to the U of C. News blog on Harper Court by Kadesha Thomas, at the July 2009 TIF meeting, James Wilson of the city reported the number of developers has been winnowed to 4 (Since 3). They only want "doable" projects. The presentation meeting may be postponed to October.
Here is the complete:
And then there were four
15 July 2009
Posted by kadeshathomas
?
The City and the University have narrowed the field of candidates to four in their search for the right development team for Harper Court, James Wilson of the Department of Community Development told the 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council, a community group, on Monday.
Five finalists had submitted proposals earlier this month, and four of those met the terms of the request for proposals Wilson said all four had creative ideas and all included plans for hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and parking spaces.
City and University representatives will interview the remaining teams this week and next, and examine their plans to make sure the proposals are viable.
Those proposals that make the next cut will be presented to the TIF Council this fall, possibly as early as the regularly scheduled September 14 meeting.
“We don’t want to bring anything to you that’s not doable,” Wilson told the TIF Council Monday. “We need to go through this process and make sure the ones we bring you are truly good ones.”
That could be all four, or it could be just one or two, Wilson said.
Members of the Council and the public said they are anxious for the project to move forward, and glad to see signs of progress. TIF Council Chair Howard Males underscored the urge to move forward, promising to schedule a special meeting in October if the presentation was not ready for the September meeting.
Also, THERE IS AN OPENING ON THE TIF COUNCIL-apply to 4th Ward Office 773 536-8103. Noted also by the chair- the percentage of parents who have signed up for the school lunch program is very low--school's money depends on turning those forms it- and the kids should be getting lunch!
Official Minutes as revised
Members Present: Jane comiskey, Howard males, Antoinette McAllister, Charles Newsome, Trushar Patel, Roderick Sawyer, Chuck Thurow, Ginny Vaske
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. with a quorum present.
Approval of Minutes: Moved, seconded, passed to approve the minutes of March 9, 2009 as submitted. Thanks to Rod Sawyer for assuming secretary duties in March.
Chair Remarks: Howard went over the evening's agenda, noting that Alderman Preckwinkle would be unable to attend the meeting and welcoming Mae Wilson and Pam Cummings from the Alderman's office.
CleanSlate 2009 Budget Revision: Because of a change in the services provided by CleanSlate that will not include power washing, there is a need to amend the amount of money allocated by the TIF Council. Moved by Rod Sawyer, seconded by Charles Newsome, approved unanimously, to budget $150,000 for CleanSlate, a reduction of $7,000 from the previous amount budgeted. (Note: Logan Quan from the Cara Program/CleanSlate noted that power washing was not a viable option given the current economy and that no new projects were being considered for Hyde Park at this time.) Chairman Males will send a letter to Alderman Preckwinkle authorizing the $150,000 and recommending that the Alderman's office sent a letter to teh appropriate parties in the City to release these funds to CleanSlate.
Harper Court Arts Council Update: In response to a question at the last TIF meeting regarding the Arts Council, Mary Anton, a HCAC member, updated those present on grant allocations. She stated that the Arts Council is a not-for-profit 501C3 entity, targeting economic development and arts programs serving the Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhoods.
In the first grant period that included all of 2008, a total of $320,000 was awarded to about 20 arts organizations. There will be four grant cycles in 2009 averaging between $10,000 and $50,000. To qualify for a grant5, organizations must be a not-for-profit, be in business for at least three years, have on paid staff member, and serve the Hyde Park/Kenwood Community.
In response to questions, Ms. Anton stated that the Harper court sale total was $6,500,000 with the money now invested with Northern Trust. She estimates that between $150,000 and $300,000 will be awarded each year. Economic development grants have gone to entities such as the Jazz Festival, Experimental Station, and the Quad Communities Development Corporation.
Additional information can be found on the web site, www.HarperCourt.com.
Development Updates: James Wilson, representing the City of Chicago, gave attendees an update on the RFQ process for the Harper Court property. Over the past five months, he has been working with developers interested in the RFP who are financially viable and have strong plans for developing the property. June 30th is the due date for RFPs; hopefully finalists will present their proposals to the TIF Council in September.
Council members and audience members expressed concerns about what the development's use will be [dropped: strong voices against graduate housing,] how quickly work will begin, and site prep during what may be a three to five year development phase. The Chair stated that there are difficult questions out there for both the buyer and the seller.
Request for Zoning Change: Peter Cassel, representing Silliman Group LLC, agent for Kenwood Court LLC, owner of the former Washington Mutual building at 1350 E. 53rd Street, requested support for a zoning change rom B1-2, Neighborhood Shopping district, to B3-2, Community Shopping. Mr. Cassel stated that this would, in part, allow future commercial tenants at the property to apply for city licenses that would, if approved, permit them to function as "general restaurants" which allows restaurant and catering services as well as a separate bar. In an effort to solicit neighborhood approval, Silliman has met with residents on April 27th and, now, with the TIF Council members and neighbors.
Moved, seconded, passed to support the zoning change request note above.
Other business: Cynthia Liberty, Kenwood Academy LSC Chair, inquired about requesting TIF funds for the school. Howard Males encouraged her to meet with him to discuss funding requirements and teh process of requesting TIF funds. Kenwood is in the TIF district and falls within the education/parks/parking and development mission of the Hyde Park TIF.
Adjournment: Moved, seconded, passed to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m.
Next meeting will be on July 13, 7:00 p.m. at Kenwood Academy.
Respectfully submitted, Ginny Vaske, Secretary
Hyde Park Herald, May 20, 2009, 2009, Harper Court Update offered at [May 11] TIF meeting. By Kate Hawley.
The city and The University of Chicago are making progress in identifying the development team for the project to replace Harper Court, a city official said recently. At the May 11 meeting of the 53rd Street Tax Increment Finance District Council, James Wilson of the city's Department of Community Development gave a progress report on the redevelopment of the Harper Court shopping center, owned by the university.
The city is currently narrowing down the field of prospective developers who submitted to a request of for proposals, Wilson said. Five development teams made the first cut. Those still in the running in September will give presentations to the community the TIF council meeting then, Wilson said. The selection process will wrap up by the end of the year. "We expect to see some development within the next couple of years," he said. [Note-several council members expressed skepticism about redevelopment in the next few years.]
Several local residents said they objected to the university's plan to clear out the shopping center this summer, since the new development is at least three years away. "I just think it's irresponsible to clear the land without a developer with leases in hand," said Robyn Kaufman. Irene Sherr, a consultant who has worked with the TIF council and Ald. Preckwinkle (4th), said keeping businesses operating in Harper Court will only prolong the redevelopment.
Harper Court was sold to the university last May by the nonprofit Harper Court Arts Council, whose secretary, Mary Anton came to teh TIF meeting to give an overview of the organization's grant-making activities. Last December, in its inaugural round of grants, the arts Council gave away $300,000. This year the Arts Council has four grant cycles. Applications for the first cycle were due feb. 25, according to the Arts Councils' Web site... Anton declined to say exactly how much the Arts Council netted from the sale after taxes and other expenses.
TIF council OKs up-zone, Cleanslate budget also discussed.
Plans to up-zone a Hyde Park building to accommodate a restaurant topped the agenda [May 11, 2009] ...The council voted unanimously to approve a plan by Silliman Group LLC to change the zoning for Kenwood court, 1350 E. 53th St., until recently home to a Washington Mutual Bank branch. Silliman is affiliated with real estate firm Antheus Capital LLC, which owns more than 70 buildings in Hyde Park and is behind some of the neighborhood's biggest development projects.
Kenwood Court, now zoned B1-2, a neighborhood shopping district, would be rezoned to B3-2, a community shopping district, according to Peter Cassel, director of community development for MAC Property Management, another Antheus affiliate. Silliman is seeking the higher zoning designation to move forward on a plan to lease space in the building to a full-service restaurant with a separate bar area and catering facilities, Cassel said.
Several in the crowd of roughly 30 that attended the meeting asked whether the up-zoning might open the door to other kinds of businesses the neighborhood might find objectionable. Cassel noted that liquor stores, tattoo parlors, cremation facilities and a range of other businesses must undergo community review before approval under the B3-02 zoning classification. Council member Jane [Comiskey] asked if the building's resident and immediate neighbors had expressed any concerns about the zoning change and restaurant plan. "The ones we spoke to were all for it," Cassel said.
In other business, the council revised its earlier budget for Cleanslate, which provides neighborhood cleanup services. The program also helps people with troubled employment histories transition to permanent, stable jobs. Teh $157,000 allocated at the council's March meeting was scaled back to $150,000 since Cara, the organization that sponsors Cleanslate, chose not to include power washing in its menu of services for the neighborhood.
11 initial responses to the Harper RFQ were announced as narrowed to 5, who will prepare proposals due in May and would present to the council in the summer. The preliminary bids were explained, all including mixed development and a graduate housing component and 2 to include a hotel. Arnold Randall reported on Olympics (not to have new transit). CleanSlate was renewed and repair progress at Canter described.
Minutes
Members Present: Steve Soble, Laurel Stradford, Antoinette McAllister, Jo Reizner, Howard Males, Rod Sawyer, Jane Comiskey, Chuck Thurow, Trushar Patel, Charles Newsome, Tony Wilkins, Andre brumfield.
Meeting called to order at 6:06 p.m., with a quorum present.
remarks by the chair: Welcomed all in attendance and orally presented tonight's meeting agenda. Chairman Males explained the purpose of the TIF Council and described its committees and open membership processes. TIF Council members introduced themselves and the areas of the Council subcommittees they individually served.
Approval of Minutes. Minutes were read by the committee. J. Reizner made a motion to approve the finalized minutes, which was seconded by L. Stradford. The motion passed unanimously.
R & R Committee Report: Co-chair J. Comiskey reported that the Cleanslate proposal for the 2009-2010 budget had been reviewed, and recommended approval in the form of a motion for the requested amount of $157,000. J. Reizner seconded the motion, and was brought to the floor for discussion. a representative from Cleanslate was present to describe the program to the audience. Chairman Males motioned that a vote be taken for approval by the entire council, seconded by T. McAlister. The motion passed unanimously.
2006 Olympics: Arnold Randall, Director of Neighborhood Legacy, Chicago 2016, presented a slide show regarding Chicago's 2016 and its purpose, Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid. Mr. Rand[all] presented an overview of CHICAGO 2016 and its purpose, Chicago's competition in the bidding, Chicago's strengths, benefits to the city if awarded the Olympics, and chronology of events and next steps. A handout summarizing the above was given, and Mr. Rand[all] gave the audience an opportunity to ask questions.
Harper Court Redevelopment: Susan Campbell, Associate Vice President of Civic Engagement, University of Chicago (UC), presented an update on the developer selection process by announcing five finalists. She described each bid, and introduced represent from those bidders who were present in the audience. Summaries of the finalists' bids and the UC press release announcing the finalists were out. Ms. Campbell expressed her intentions to be in attendance at the council's next scheduled meeting.
Andre Brumfield, TIF Council member and Co-Chair of the R &R subcommittee noted that he was engaged with Mesa Development/Walsh in developing their bid for Harper Court, and other non-related projects. To resolve conflicts of interest, he will recuse himself from untrue issues regarding Harper Court Redevelopment.
Issues from the audience: Two issues were brought forth from the audience regarding entities within the TIF district.
(Q). Harper Court Foundation received $6.4 million in the sale of the Harper Court properties. What is being done or has happened to the proceeds?
(A.). C. Thurow - Issues are being finalized, and must clear IDRS requirements. Mr. Thurow will look into this issue and my have something to report on at the next TIF Council meeting.
(Q). Comment on Hollywood Video Building (HWB) purchase - is it part of 53rd St./Harper Court revitalization?
(A). S. Campbell - Indicated that options regarding HWB were still being evaluated.
Canter Middle School: Ald. Preckwinkle remarked that Canter Middle School had selected a vendor from tree finalists to effect maintenance and modifications to the building from requested TIF Funds, which were matched by Chicago Public Schools. Funds were provide for tuck pointing, a building chemical wash and front glass doors.
Alderman's Report. Ald. Preckwinkle remarked that the press release (see Harper Court Redevelopment) handed out by the University of Chicago stated that a decision on winning bid would be made by the end of summer. She stated that the community had expected finalists [to] present their plans before the selection process was final, and asked that the University take the opportunity to have the finalists present their plans either at the July 09 or September 09 TIF Council meetings.
Motion to adjourn was made by the Ch ir, and seconded. The meeting as adjourned at approximately 8:35 pm.
Submitted Respectfully,
Rod Sawyer
Susan
Campbell of U of C gives an update on tenant evacuation of Harper Court and
the RFP process.
Panel of developer experts from the Nov. 15 exercise evaluates the Nov. 15 block
exercise findings.
Alderman Preckwinkle reviews 2008. 50 + attended.
Minutes
Members Present: Jane Comiskey, Howard Males, Antoinette McAllister, Charles Newsome, Trushar Patel, Joe Reizner, Roderick Sawyer, Laurel Stradford, Ginny Vaske.
Call to Order: Howard Males, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. with a quorum present. He assured those present that the TIF has money available and will continue with its focus and mission. He re-stated the open and public nature of t he 53rd Street TIF processes and encouraged neighbors to sign up for a TIF committee. Howard thanked Irene Sherr, the U. of C., South East Chicago commission, Council members, adn neighbors who braved the evening's snowy weather to attend this meeting.
Approval of Minutes: Moved, seconded, and passed to approve the minutes of Nov. 10, 2008 with one typo corrected.
TIF Business: Council members introduced themselves. Howard Males then stated that the Clean Slate budget proposal would be looked at in March after the TIF R & R Committee vets the bid and makes its recommendation to the full Council for a vote. Howard Males further added that he has asked the Clean Slate/Cara group to include the purchase of a power washer. The power washing service could be added to current Clean Slate responsibilities.
University of Chicago Harper Court Development Update: Susan Campbell, Assistant VP at the University of Chicago, gave an update on the Harper Court project. In response to questions about whether or not tenants needed to leave by the end of January, the University will give a 6 month extension to tenants still occupying the site. Jan. 26th is the RFQ deadline; both Susan an James Wilson, City of Chicago Dept. of Community and Development, stated that several "strong" developers have expressed interest in the project.
53rd Street Vision, Block Building Workshop Report: Irene Sherr summarized work done at a series of three community workshops in which participants, with the help of real estate and financial advisors, experimented with development ideas for three sites along 53rd street: Dorchester Commons, McMobile site, Harper Court adn city Parking Lot. (See 53rd Street Vision power point. [visit our 53rd Vision page.]) Several professionals who worked on the site scenarios answered audience questions, most of them concerned with the financial viability for developers and the chances these sites will be developed in th near future. In response to a question about TIF funding, it was stated that this would depend on the percentage of affordable housing available.
Alderman's Report: Alderman Preckwinkle summarized the financial status of the TIF: $3,000,000 has been generated. Support has been given to Clean Slate, aid given to small businesses on 53rd Street; beautification funds to Carter Middle School (matched by CPS)' and viaduct work on 53rd and 55th. The art panels have been delayed and will be installed in spring.
Regarding the Harper Court project, the Alderman reiterated the two-step process of RFQ (due in Jan.) and the RFP which w3ill be completed by those deemed "qualified" based on the RFQ process. The Alderman responded to a question regarding presentation of the final RFPs at a TIF meeting. While not all financial information can be shared, it seems possible that the broader concepts can be presented. The process will be clarified at the March TIF meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginny Vaske
Secretary
From Hyde Park Herald, January 21, 2009. TIF council meeting talks Harper Court, 53rd St. By Kate HawleyNews that leased will be extended at the Harper Court Shopping Center and a recap of a community workshop about development on 53rd Street topped the agenda at the Jan. 12 meeting of the 53rd street Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Advisory Council. About 50 people braved a snowstorm to attend the meeting at Kenwood Academy High School, 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. Among them were a handful of architects and developers who worked with community residents att he Nov. 15 workshop which focused on creating a vision for developing the 53rd Street commercial corridor.
"The goal was to have everybody understand what it takes to come up with a viable development," said Irene Sherr, a local development consultant who coordinated the event. "I think most of the groups found it was not as easy as they thought." [The report distributed can be found at http://www.vision53.org or our 53rd Vision Report page.]
Participants used building blocks to design development concepts for three sites: Dorchester Commons, 1322 E. 53rd St; the Mobil-McDonald's site at 1410 E. 53rd St.; and the Harper Court shopping center and adjacent city parking lot. A major mixed-use development is planned for the roughly three-acre Harper Court site. No development is currently on tap for the other two parcels.
Experts who attended the workshop then crunched the numbers to see if the hypothetical proposals were sound investments. Four of the eight scenarios in the report Sherr presented at the meeting broke even, and four others showed returns between 1.1 and 7.8 percent. Sherr assembled five architects and eight developers for the workshop. According to the report, the developers included Peter Holstein of Holstein Development, Collin McKenna of Related Midwest and Dennis Harder of Joseph Freed & Associates, the company behind the redevelopment of Block 37 in the Loop.
"We like urban infill projects [like Harper Court]," said Kevin Augustyn, senior vice president of retail development for HSA Commercial Real Estate, who attended both the workshop and the TIF meeting. "That's where long-term value is."
A few of the developers who attended the TIF meeting stressed that increased density would probably be required in order to make the hypothetical 53d Street projects more profitable. Introducing the benefits of density was one reason for the workshop and two that preceded it, according to Sherr. "There is this allergic reaction to density," she said.
The workshops, sponsored by the TIF council, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) an a range of other city and community groups, showed people in the community like the vibrant, busy streetscapes the denser buildings can help create, she said.
University of Chicago officials also came to the meeting to upgrade the community on progress at Harper Court. Leases will be extended to June 30, five months after the Jan. 31 deadline initially set by the university to clear the complex, according to Susan Campbell, associate vice president and director of the university's Office of [Civic Engagement]. "Our rationale for vacating the property is primarily to prepare it for development," she said.
The process of finding a developer is moving forward, Campbell said. The city and the university issued a request for proposals, or RFP, on Dec. 8 and held a pre-proposal meeting and site tour for developers on Dec. 17. "We've been hearing from some very strong development companies," Campbell said. The RFP for harper Court has two parts. The first part is a request for qualifications, or RFQ, in which developers submit their credentials. Campbell said the RFQ deadline has been extended from Jan. 19 to Jan. 26. The second part asks developers who made the cut to submit their proposals for review. That deadline is May 11, according to the city's Web site. To see the harper Court RFP and the timeline for the project, visit the city's Web site at cityofchicago.org. Click, on City Departments, then Planning and Development, then Land Sale Information. Harper Court is among several projects listed on the page. [For direct full link, visit our 53rd Vision Report page.]
There was some dispute at the meeting about whether the community will see proposals from the top three developers who submitted to the RFP, or only the top one. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) said the community has always heard from the three front-runners, while Campbell and James Wilson of the city's Department of Planning and Development said only the top candidate will present.
In other business, Howard Males, council chair, aimed to reassure the audience about the state of eh DTIF given the downturn in the economy. "We have money," he said. "The business of handling the people's money will continue." About $3.2 million are in the coffers according to an annual report for 2007.
The council will vote at its March meeting on whether to continue funding for CleanSlate, the neighborhood beautification program that helps people with troubled employment histories transition into permanent jobs, he said. ...
The following were discussed at the meeting.
Harper Court - hardly anything except that RFP discussion meeting will be held with the city November 18 with hope for issuance December 8. (We are awaiting clarification that revisions proposed by the Planning Committee are incorporated and whether Harper Theater will be included. The University gave no commitment on delay of teardown because of economy.)
Jane Comiskey reported on the walk through by the Streetscape/Business Envir. and Revitalization Committee. Problems, good signs and opportunities were seen.
Nichols Park entry and desire of some for more openness to 53rd was discussed. It is likely that some pruning back will be done and evaluated. The park council chair said that crimes in the park are not in that sector.
Work on the Canter Middle School (half financed by the TIF) continues.
The University's Brian Shaw discussed University bus routes and inability to extend the non-CTA routes to non ID'd riders.Official minutes
Members present: Jane Comiskey, Howard Males, Charles Newsome, Trushar Patel, Joe Reizner, Rod Sawyer, Ginny Vaske, Tony Wilkins.
Call to Order: Chairman Males called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. with a quorum present. He assured those present that there would be a designated "TIF entrance door" for future meetings, thanked Principal Kirby for her hospitality, and reviewed the agenda.
Approval of the Minutes: Moved, seconded, passed to approve the minutes of Sept. 8, 2008.
Report from Rehab and Repair Committee: Chair Jane Comiskey reiterated the committee's mission of enhancing 53rd street in any way possible to assist residents and retail establishments. A group of reps from numerous Hyde Park organizations walked 53rd Street and took note of many "good news" items: new businesses, signage, awnings, trees, Friday night music at Chant and Mellow Yellow, and only one vacant site, Baskin Robbins. The group did not take into account large vacant sites as these are more complicated issues.
Suggestions included trimming lilac bushes along the perimeter of Nichols Park on 53rd Street (safety concerns), what to do with the empty space at the Metra station, and possibly a new newsstand at 53rd and Lake Park. The committee will visit other neighborhoods for ideas.
Irene Sherr suggested the committee consider the U. of C. student task force recommendations and investigate the "Place Making" initiative for process ideas. Marcie Schlessinger suggested that some of the lilacs in Nichols Park be removed entirely to provide a sight line into the park. The R & R Committee is working with the Nichols Park Advisory Council and looking at the original plans for the park.
Alderman's Report: Alderman Preckwinkle invited all present to attend the Nov. 15th "53rd st. Block Building Workshop" at Kenwood Academy.
Update on Harper Court" Susan Campbell, U. of C. reported that the University, in partnership with the City of Chicago, represented by James Wilson, continues to explore options for redevelopment. On Nov. 18th the Community Development Commission, meeting at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2nd floor, wil meet and hopefully approve the release of an RFQ and RFP, thus moving the project forward.
Update on the Canter Middle School Project: Tony Wilkins, Canter LSC member, reported that the beautification project is definitely moving forward with a certificate of inspection being issued by Tishman Co., project managers. The project will include glass doors at the main entrance, chemical cleaning of the exterior, and replacement of all inside doors and hardware. Tony also mentioned Canter's admirable ISAT scores of 84.1 in Reading and 77.7 in Math, its Spanish program, Algebra for 8th graders, and partnerships with Kenwood Academy and Shoesmith Elementary. The school's mantra is "Think big: think college." On behalf of the principal, Dr. Colleen Conlan, Tony thanked Alderman Preckwinkle and the TIF Council for its effort on behalf of Canter students.
U. of C. Parking Demand Management Program and U. of C./CTA Hyde Park routes:
Brian Shaw, Director of Transportation Services at U. of C., explained the partnership of the University with CTA to provided free transportation to U. of C. students adn faculty and, in some cases, availability to non-university people at a fee.Route 171 serves the Shoreland and Broadview residences during a.m. and p.m. rush hours along 55th St. to Ellis. The 172 serves Regent's Park, 53rd and East Hyde Park Blvd. during morning rush hours. A Shoreland/Stony Island route shuttles students from Shoreland Hall to campus.
Routes that non-university riders can use include CTA Route 173, a 3:30-6:30 express to downtown and north to Belmont: Route 174, a rush hour service M-F and weekend evening and late night service from Garfield Stations; CTA Route linking Metra's Union and Ogilvie stations during weekday rush hours.
Evening bus routes provide U. of C. ID holders with transportation to train stations; academic evening routes to large housing spots and around Hyde Park.
SafeRide provides point-to-point service in areas covered by the U. of C. Police Dept., available 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Sun.-Wed. and 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thurs.-Sat. Call 773 702-2022 for this service, which is available to everyone concerned about safety during those times.
Mr. Shaw emphasized the challenges he faces given the increasing ridership on some routes. He also explained that the U. of C. has opted to cover its students and faculty, not the general public, because of liability issues and costs. However, everyone can use university parking free of charge after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. Monthly parking permits for a fee are also available. A campus transportation study will begin this winter to evaluate all aspects of the University's transit system given the impact of new housing opening up at 61st and Ellis. An interface with 53rd Street is possible. Web links are at Bus.uchicago.edu; Transportation.uchicago.edu; Parking.uchicago.edu; bus@uchicago.edu; parking@uchicago.edu.
Let's Play with Blocks!: Irene Sherr announced the model block workshop on Nov. 15th, 8:30 til noon at Kenwood. Participants will "develop" three sites, the Mobil/McDonald's site; Dorchester Commons; and Harper Court/City Parking lot. Architects, realtors, adn planners will facilitate table groups to help groups see what is possible at the site, get a sense of what it takes to develop a site, and how to manipulate variable.
Howard Males thanked Irene for the series of workshops that help educate the community as well as ensure their input and involvement.
Adjournment: Moved, seconded, and passed, to adjourn at 8:35 p.m. The next TIF Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at Kenwood Academy.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginny Vaske.
Herald report, November 26, 2008. TIF council hears variety of updates. By Sam CholkeRepresentatives from the University of Chicago said they are still working with Harper Court businesses to help them relocate before leases expire at the end of the year. Except for the Park 52 restaurant and the Hyde Park Animal Clinic, most leases at the Shopping center will have ended in early January, said Susan Campbell, associate vice president adn director of the office of community affairs at the University of Chicago.
"We're still working with tenants of Harper Court trying to find them places to relocate," Campbell said. Campbell shared these plans during a sparsely attended Nov. 14 meeting of the 53rd Street Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Council. It will be close to a year before a developer is picked, said James Wilson, 4th Ward coordinating planner for the Department of Planning and Development.
Campbell told the audience that they wanted to help businesses from Harper Court get set up in a new location as quickly as possible, though the university was still flexible if a suitable location could not be found before leases expires.
Canter Middle School, 4959 S. Blackstone Ave., is ready to utilize TIF money allocated more than a year ago to replace doors adn clean the exterior of the building, said Tony Wilkins, a member of the TIF board and the Canter local school council. The school received matching funds from Chicago Public Schools and will be replacing all glass exterior doors and all interior doors and begin cleaning soon, he said. Cost estimates took a "ridiculously long time," Wilkins said to explain the delay in beginning work.
Brian Shaw from the university's Transportation and Parking Services said the bus routes around Hyde Park may be rethought in conjunction with CTA as the student population becomes more condensed on campus when the new dormitories on 61st Street and Ellis Avenue open. " We're doing a transit study this winter," Shaw said. He also said the university is working with students to come up with another bus line that would run from Hyde Park to the South Loop area.
Shaw reminded people that though some CTA buses in Hyde Park are subsidized by the university, the buses operate to residents the same as any other bus in Chicago. Smaller buses that are clearly marked as University of Chicago vehicles do transport students and faculty around the neighborhood late a night, he said. These late-night services remain available only to university students and faculty for liability reasons. Umbrella service, a program where university police will escort any resident when they do not feel safe traveling through the polices' coverage area, remains available to everyone in Hyde Park Shaw said. The police will escort you, but cannot provide rides, he said. "They have to arrest you to be comfortable putting you in their car," Shaw said. "They're not being rude, they literally can't let you."
The TIF council announced at the meeting that the Blackstone Avenue entrance at the north end of the Kenwood Academy building would be the only accessible entrance to future council meetings at the 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. school.
The Advisory Council met September 8 in its new location, Kenwood Academy Little Theater, 5015 S. Blackstone.
Vacancies were filled with existing members, officers, committee chairs.
The council approved a resolution to change the name and focus of the Parking Committee to Access and Transportation.
The Business and Environment Sub-committee ("Revitalization and) is undertaking short and longer range planning and action for improvements and filling of vacancies/relocations for businesses to be displaced by development, and general brightening up. Any interested can contact Jane Comiskey at 773 324-0750.
Planning and Dev. Chair Chuck Thurow reported favorably on review of the Lake Village proposal. Village Foods objected to the proposal, saying there has been no progress in negotiations 1 1/2 years. The proposal was endorsed by the Council.
The University of Chicago announced a new Vice President for Community Engagement, Ann Marie Lipinski, recent exec. editor of the Chicago Tribune, effective October 1. The University is still deciding the future of Harper 53rd (Theater and Herald) Property, though its state of deterioration was noted, consistent with an earlier consultant's assessment. No new news on Harper Court Area.
Next Council meeting: November 10, Monday, 7 pm, Kenwood Academy.Minutes
Members present: Andre Brumfield, Jane Comiskey, Howard Males, Antoinette McAlister, Charles Newsome, Trushar Patel, Joe Reizner, Roderick Sawyer, Steve Soble, Laurel Stradford, Chuck Thurow, Ginny Vaske.
Call to Order: Chair Males called the meeting to order at 7:03 with a quorum present at our new location, Kenwood Academy Little Theatre.
Approval of Minutes: Move, seconded, passed to approve the minutes of July 14, 2008. Thank you Rod!
TIF Council Elections and Business. Chair Males noted that Council members Brumfield, Comiskey, Males, McAllister, Newsome, Stradford, Reizner, Thurow, Patel and Vaske terms were expiring. He asked the Secretary to report results of member responses to expiring terms on the Council and for officers and committee chairs. Members unanimously elected to retain all members and current officers/committee chairs for another two year term
Chair Males then entered a motion to rename the Parking Committee:
Whereas the Parking Committee has been underutilized because of its limited charge (to review automobile parking solutions for the district) and whereas times and mobility needs have changed since the Council's inception, I am asking that the Council approve re-tasking the Parking Committee and rename it "Access and Transportation" in order to reflect a broader mission to review all proposals having to do with pedestrian, bicycle, public and private transit, as well as issues having to do with accessibility and mobility -- with gas prices rising and person choices expanding, we need to make sure we can tackle both green and gray matters. If the Council agrees, we will rewrite the By-Laws to reflect this change. The current Chair of the Parking Committee has previously consented to this motion and agrees fully with its new direction.
Moved, seconded and passed unanimously. Committee Chair Comiskey moved to have her committee work include working with existing and empty stores to improve retail. Moved, seconded, passed.
51st and Lake Park Planned Development. Chair Males noted two letters submitted to the TIF Council by Don Notaro, Vice President of Village Foods, expressing opposition to the Antheus Capital proposed development at the Village Center. He contends that its construction, even in phases, would put Village Foods out of business. Letters entered into official minutes.
Chuck Thurow reported on the August 18, 2008 meeting of his committee at which the Antheus proposal was reviewed. He noted proposal strengths:
- A strong interface with Kenwood Academy, metra tracks, and possible future developments on 53rd;
- Parking, traffic, and pedestrian movement were dealt with well. (Facing street, extra wide sidewalks, internal parking, loading on south end, and minimal curb cuts, etc.)
- Strong design materials (Masonry quality on pedestrian levels, glass on 34d level, "eyes on the street" design). The project architect reviewed the project, noting the green roof, movable sun shades, and maximum use of green materials. The project is 170 units, 15% affordable (based on city standard) and will include small retail along Harper. (Village Foods voiced its opposition.) The committee recommended approval of this project to move forward with the public processes, noting that no TIF funds are involved at this point.Moved, seconded, passed unanimously to approve moving forward with this project by Antheus Capital.
Alderman Preckwinkle Report: The Alderman shared the city report of the 4th ward TIF, giving and overview and summary to all in attendance and a full report to Council members. A balance of $3,196,344 is in the TIF. In response to questions about the Canter project, it was noted that the Chicago Public Schools, who matched the TIF $150,000, is identifying its priorities for Canter which does include exterior doors. Chair Males noted that TIF funds will most likely continue to be used for SBIF proposals.
53rd and Harper U. of C. Property Update: Susan Campbell, U. of C., reported that the University is still waiting to find a developer for the property, given that its previous developer was terminated in June for its failure to meet contract specs. The property is in disrepair. According to Jo Reizner, VP of Real Estate for the University, the property is deteriorating and may have to be razed. it is possible that this property may become part of the Harper Court development. All public comments were incorporated into the RFQ for the Harper Court development.
Ms. Campbell announced that U. of C. President Zimmer had appointed Hyde Parker Ann Marie Lipinski as head of he newly named Office of Civic Engagement, replacing Hank Webber and the Office of Community Affairs. Bob Rosenberg, U. of C. Office of Communication, noted the expanding role of the university into safety, transportation, job training, charter schools, etc. and the need for an office that reflects this broader view. Ms. Campbell noted the U. of C. retail study and its strong support for Hyde Park as a destination locale and, therefore, the University's desire to assist with retail development.
Community events:
Members noted the coming mum and [bulb] sale Sept. 20th, Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept [2]7th, the 57th Street Children's Book Fair on Sept. 28, and building block exercise on Nov. 15th.Moved, seconded, passed to adjourn the meeting at 8:10 p.m.
The next TIF Council meeting is on Monday, November 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m., Kenwood Academy.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginny Vaske
July 14
2008 TIF
meeting saw much-
1. Roll out of Village Center proposal to enthusiasm(see Antheus
page-open Committee to review August 18);
2. Reports on Harper Court Area updates:
| At the July 14 TIF meeting, TIF Plg. and Dev. Chair Chuck Thurow expanded upon and pushed his committee's strengthening revisions (after a May meeting) to the draft guidelines for Harper Court Area RFQ/RFP. There was general approval from the audience. Tim Brangle of Chicago Consultants Studio echoed these high standards and Hyde Park-consistent principles-- as did also presentation from the UC Student Committee on Retail. Timetable indicated below continues on track. |
3. Reports on other
developments/upgrades (Giordano's to keep historic facade on Blackstone s. of
53rd while remodeling and going up a floor-looked attractive; new cafe planned
for old HP Produce)
No report on 53rd Theater/Herald (Susan Campbell of UC had a death in the family)
4. UC Student Retail Committee reported on needs and structural, other barriers
to drawing students to business districts, esp. 53rd.
Hyde Park Herald report, September 17, 2008. By Kate Hawley.
A single developer may end up owning the Harper Court shopping center and a vacant building at the norwest corner of Harper Avenue and 53dr Street - a structure that houses both the defunct Harper Theater and a chunk of commercial space widely known in the neighborhood as the Herald Building.
The University of Chicago, which owns Harper Court and the Harper Theater building, might bundle them together in a package deal, according to Susan Campbell, associate vice president for community affairs. Officials are currently considering the future of the theater building, perhaps to "include it or hold it out as another element for Harper Court," she said Monday, Sept. 8, at a meeting of the 53rd Street Tax Increment Finance (TIF) advisory council at Kenwood Academy, 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. "It's a consideration, not a decision," she added. "It hasn't been fully vetted."
The theater building has been in limbo since May, when the university fired Baum Realty and Brinshore Development. The developers planned to rehab the structure for retail space, but had trouble meeting financial commitments and contractual deadlines, university officials have said. Also in May, the university announced its purchase of Harper Court, the shopping center located among Harper avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets, and its plan to acquire the adjacent city-owned parking lot. The university will seek a developer for the Harper Court parcels through a Request for Proposals, or RFP, a competitive bidding process approve by the city. Campbell had no word yet on whether the RFP, which will likely be issued in the fall, will include the Harper Theater building.
And it's unclear at this stage what bundling the properties would mean for efforts to preserve the 1913 Harper Theater building, designed by noted Chicago architect Horatio Wilson. Its orange rating in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey means a 90-day hold on demolition. The building is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Campbell and Ilene "Jo" Reizner, director of real estate operations for the university and a member of the council, said the building may not be worth saving. Three years ago, before selecting Baum and Brinshore as developers, the university commissioned a study on the property from Bauer Latoza Studio, a Chicago firm specializing in architecture and historic preservation, Reizner told the roughly 50 people who attended the meeting. The study concluded that razing the site was the most feasible solution and that "the building was not something that anyone should put a significant amount of money into," she said.
Moreover, the complex is in bad shape, she added, saying, "It's barely able to withstand another winter, I'd say." Baum and Brinshore took on the project, "hoping to gain a foothold in the community. It wa not an economically viable project," she said.
In an email message, David Baum, principal of Baum Development and Baum Realty Group, reacted to Reizner's comments by saying, "Given the current economic conditions, we couldn't get the project to pencil." "Preserving a building is important from both an historical and environmental perspective," he continued. The job "would have required extensive renovation, particularly the theater [portion of the] building, and it would have proven to be an expensive endeavor." He held out the possibility that his firm would seek other projects in the neighborhood, saying, "I continue to believe very strongly in the fundamentals of Hyde Park. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when."
Reached by phone, Brinshore president and CEO Rich Sciortino declined to comment on Reizner's assessment of the projects' financial viability or the condition of the building.
Jack Spicer, a local preservation advocate, asked at the meeting how much effort the university plans to put into maintaining the building, "so we don't end up with demolition by neglect?" Measures will be taken to ensure that the structure remains sound, Campbell said, adding, "It's not in our interest or the community's interest to have the building fall apart."
In other business, the council approved Antheus Capital's proposal to redevelop the Village Center shopping mall at the southwest corner of Hyde Park Boulevard and Lake Park Avenue, paving the way for the company to seek approval from the Chicago City Council.
Also at the meeting, council Chair Howard Males announced the results of the biennial TIF council elections. The 13 members voted unanimously to reelect Males and Reizner, the vice chair.
And he announced that Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), who appoints the council, had reappointed eight members to new two-year terns: Tone McAllister, Trushar Patel, Chuck Thurow, Laurel Stradford, Tony Wilkins, Jane Comiskey and Ginny Vaske, who serves as council secretary.
Three additional members, Andre Brumfeld, Rod Sawyer and steve Soble, are up for reappointment when their terms expire in September 2009.
Members Present: Steve Soble, Antoinette McAllister, Jo Reizner, Howard Males, Rod Sawyer, Jane Comiskey, Chuck Thurow, Trushar Patel, Charles Newsome, Ginny Vaske
Meeting called to order at 7:02 p.m. with a quorum present
Remarks by the Chair: Welcomed all in attendance and orally presented revised meeting agenda.
Approval of Minutes: Minutes were read by the committee. C. Thurow made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, which was seconded by J. Comiskey. the motion passed unanimously.
TIF Council Nominations: Chair Males noted that some council members terms were set to expire soon, and that the nomination process for members is now open. Interested parties can either have someone nominate them or can nominate themselves by presenting a letter stating their desire and experience to the Alderman's office. Officers' (Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary) terms are also set to expire, and nominations for all expiring terms of sitting members of the TIF Council need to be turned to Secy. Ginny Vaske by 8/1/08.
TIF Council Meeting Change Notice: Beginning with the next meeting in September, The TIF Council will conduct meetings at Kenwood High School in the Little Theater. Chair Males thanked the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club for its hospitality and accommodations over the number of years the TIF Council met at the Neighborhood. Club.
Alderman's Report: Ald. Preckwinkle was out of town and not in attendance. Pam Cummings and Mae Wilson from the Alderman's office were in attendance. Mae Wilson announced the Health and Housing Fair sponsored by the Alderman's office, to be held August 16, 2008 at King High School, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Giordano's Pizza Renovation: Angelo Stamotoukos, architect, presented plans for the renovation of Giordano's Pizza and an overview of changes for the restaurant.
Village Shopping Center, 52st and Lake Park: Eli Ungar, Antheus Capital, presented an overview and initial rendering of the redevelopment of the Village Shopping Center. Graham Grady, Attorney, Bell Boyd and Lloyd, discussed zoning processes and an overview of community needs. The plan represents a mixed used commercial development, which requires a zoning change and must go through the planning process. The development plan will house two buildings with office, retail and residential space, totaling 453,000 sq. ft. Of that total, approximately 337,000 sq. ft. will be residential. There will be tentatively 170 residential condominium units - sixty 1 bdrm, ninety 2-bdrm and twenty 3-bdrm. 15% will be set aside for affordable housing. One building is planned at twenty-four stories. There will tentatively be 519 parking spaces underground. Negotiations for retail are currently underway, with the Original Pancake House planning to move into one of the developed retail spaces. Ungar stated that negotiations with other tenants, as well a new ones, were ongoing.
Margaret Cavenagh, architect with Studio Gang Architect, presented renderings of the buildings and a overview of their design. She also reviewed the design concept and functional features of the proposed buildings and their amenities, and objectives to sustainability. There is as desire to develop all parcels together, but consideration was made to allow development in two phases.
Chair Males asked that a motion be made to refer further review to committee. G. Vaske made the motion, seconded by A. McAllister. The motion passed unanimously. C. Thurow, head of the Planning and Development Sub-committee announced the meeting to be held and August 18, 2008 at the Hyde Park Art Center, 6:30 pm.
Planning and Development Sub-committee report. Chair C. Thurow went went over details of a meeting concerning the Harper Court RFP/RFQ process. Public input into the process concluded on 6/30/08. There were over 35 persons in attendance, and the main topics of discussion were development and program criteria. TIF member T. McAlister was present at the meeting, and noted a expressed emphasis on the arts. Tim Brangle, of Chicago Consultant studio, noted that feedback was in line with the presentation he took part in in the last TIF Council meeting, and was overwhelmingly positive. The next step is to work with the City of Chicago and the University of Chicago in revising guidelines. The current phase was stated to bed on target. A copy of the proposal can still be downloaded at the SECC website.
UC Student Study/Student Perspective on Neighborhood Life: Bill Michael, Asst. VP of Student Life at the University of Chicago, along with students Susanne Sellers, Ashley Alger, Halley Trotter, along with Wallace Goode, performed a study of the neighborhood from a student's perspective. They discussed the retail, entertainment and late night options within Hyde Park, the architectural diversity within the retail mix, transportation and access to retail and the need of better marketing to UC students on what is available. They also gave recommendations based off of their study.
Other business: Salvatore Pappalito announced the soon to be opening Sit Down Cafe and Sushi Bar at the old Hyde Park Produce location on 53rd St.
Motion to adjourn was made and seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:42 p.m.
Submitted Respectfully,
Rod Sawyer
Village Center (E. HP Blvd./Lake Park) plans were rolled-out at the July 14 TIF meeting.Antheus Properties' Eli Ungar and team including Studio Gang Architects and Graham Grady of Bell, Boyd and Lloyd presented a large redevelopment plan for the shopping center, consisting of a mid rise of mixed retail (national and local) and residential on Lake Park, extending along Hyde Park 4 stories including a glass, open-view (including to view from Metra) passage to a 24 story tower at the northwest corner, and a hidden 519 story lower and third level garage and a line of smaller shops along Harper. Whether the project is done at once depends on willingness of Village Foods to vacate its lease; also on rate and pace of leasing. Ungar expected good luck at enticing several retailer to come to this larger, 2.5 acre site--indeed, retail publications are speculating on growing likelihood of retail redevelopment in Hyde Park. Ungar also addressed to general satisfaction of the meeting the growing community consensus on standards, desires and expectations in a development.
Next: August 18 consideration of the plan by the TIF Planning and Development Subcommittee, 6:30 pm at Hyde Park Art Center, then approval by the full TIF in September and submission to the Chicago Plan Commission et al.
July 16 Herald Report, Antheus reveals plans for Village Center site- Studio Gang design calls for four levels of shops, 170 condos. By Kate Hawley
Developer Eli Ungar, head of Antheus Capital, unveiled plans Monday to redevelop the aging Village Center mall into a glassy modern complex that will house commercial space, condominiums and parking.
Creating vibrant street space after dark is one of the project's main goals, Ungar told a crowd of about 100 at a meeting of the 53d Street TIF Advisory Council, held at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave. "If everything that happens at this development closes after 5 o'clock, we will have failed," he said.
Margaret Cavanagh, an architect with Studio Gang Architects, laid out the details of the proposed building, a steel-and-glass structure with masonry accents that rises to 24 stories at its tallest point. The four-story base will contain about 116,000 square-feet of commercial space, including a glass-walled storefront that will be visible from the Metra tracks across Lake Park Avenue.
Unlike the existing Village Center mall, 1525 E. Hyde Park Blvd., which is fronted by a surface parking lot, the new building will line Harper Avenue, Hyde Park Boulevard and Lake Park Avenue with shops. Parking in the new building will be masked, with 519 parking spaces tucked out of sight in one underground parking level and on the third and fourth floors. Condos will occupy a 24-story tower that soars upward from the northwestern corner of the building and a 10-story section--which Cavanagh called "the bar"--running along Lake Park Avenue. The 170 condos will have one to four bedrooms.
Sustainable elements include a green roof and plans to seek LEED certification. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a national environmental rating system set by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington-based nonprofit.
Reaction from the TIF council members and the assembled crowd was generally positive, although questions arose about the viability of such a large development in the midst of a slump in the housing market. Ungar expressed confidence that "the numbers work" for the project, in part because the 2.5-acre parcel, which Antheus bought a little more than two years ago, is a large enough space to attract multiple retailers. Businesses hesitant to foray into Hyde Park on their own are more willing to come s part of a group, he said.
He declined to give specifics about what kind of tenants the company is seeking, but he did say that the popular Original Pancake House, 1517 E Hyde Park Blvd., will be part of the new development, and it will stay open later to bolster the project's nightlife.
The council will ultimately vote on whether or not to approve the project, but first community members will be allowed to comment on the redevelopment through its Planning and Development Committee, to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. The council will reconvene in September, said its president, Howard Males.
With local support secured, the developers will seek approval to rezone the land as a Planned Development, said Graham Grady, the zoning attorney for the project. Demolition of the existing buildings would begin at the earliest in December 2009, with groundbreaking tentatively planned for that spring, according to Peter cassel, director of community development for MAC Property Management, which oversees Antheus's more than 70 Hyde Park buildings.
With the exception of village Foods, 1521 E. Hyde Park Blvd., all of the retailers at Village Center have agreed to break their leases in order to make way for the redevelopment, according to Cassel. If Village Foods decides to stay for the duration of its lease, construction will take place in two phases. Otherwise the building will be reconstructed in one phase.
Presented here are very informal notes and conclusions by Gary Ossewaarde, some press coverage, and a list of distributed documents and where to find them online. A one-page summary of top choices in the Harper Court Survey is included.
Agenda:
Location of meetings- approved to move to Kenwood Academy starting in September
L3 Cornell-53rd project
53rd Street Visioning Workshop II
Local retailer accomplishments, changes
Harper Court Priorities Survey Report
Alderman Preckwinkle et al- the now City of Chicago-University of Chicago Harper
Court Area Redevelopment Project, including presentation of guidelines for RFP
open for public comment through June 30. Q and A.
Official minutes.
Members Present: Jane Comiskey, Howard Males, Charles Newsome, Jo Reizner, Rod Sawyer, Laurel Stradford, Chuck Thurow, Ginny Vaske, Tony Wilkins
Meeting called to order at 7:12 with a quorum present.
Approval of Minutes: Moved, seconded, passed unanimously to approve the minutes of March 10, 2008
Agenda: The Chair reviewed the agenda and announce the likelihood that, beginning in September 2008, the TIF Council would hold its meeting at Kenwood Academy 5015 S. Blackstone. A motion was made and seconded to do so. Motion passed with one "no" vote from Jane Comiskey based on geographical preferences.
53d and Cornell Property Report: John [Roberson], of L3 developers, presented a modified proposal for the building design of this property. It is 2.5 stories higher and is a rental rather than a condominium building with 15% affordable units on site. The architect discussed details such as 206 units (40% 2 BR, 30% 1 BR) of approx. 1000 square feet average with a rooftop garden above the parking lot, 7500 feet of retail, 13 units per floor , 246 parking spots (1.19 ratio), 208 fet high, ADA compliant. Mr. [Roberson] explained the change in type as a result of market forces that made the condominium design financially impossible. Questions about finances led to assurances by Mr. [Roberson] that L3 intends to be responsible to shareholders in building a quality project they will maintain and not sell to another developer. Clark Morris, an owner from the townhomes just north of the site expressed concerns about the parking lot height of 50 feet negatively impacting the west view (originally design had the height at 30 ft.) and about the amount of space between his building and his unit. Mr. Males suggested that Mr. [Roberson] and Mr. Morris get together after the meeting to discuss these concerns in greater detail.
Moved, seconded, and passed to approve the new design.
53rd Street Visioning Report: Irene Sherr shared the process and results of the May 3rd Visioning Workshop in which participants further explored Dec. 8th workshop emergent themes with "experts" from around the city. Participants self-selected workshops led by a commercial real estate expert, urban planner, Dept. of Planning rep, pedestrian program coordinator, a movie/cinema group, etc. After the workshops, members walked the area, took photos, and returned to discuss their observations: 1) need for continuity/current lack of continuity; 2) transportation and the need to respect all modes; 3) need for quality merchants, 4) need for more facade work; 5) need to establish well done parking; 6) desire to create 53rd as a visual, aesthetic center of Hyde Park; 7) need to increase "friendliness" of amenities such as Nichols Park; 8) caution to avoid mistakes of the past. Next steps include uploading 35 photo disks taken by participants and plan for the November 15, 2008 workshop which will feature a "model block" exercise. Check the website at vision53.org.
Alderman's Report: Alderman Preckwinkle introduced Jonathan Swain, the new owner of Kimbark Liquors. She praised Giordano's decision to preserve the facade of their building as they make renovations. Welcome to the retail community were Tim Schau who will open a neighborhood market at 1126 E. 47th at the end of June.
Hyde Park/Kenwood Community Conference: George Rumsey offered a summary report and overview of survey results regarding recommendations for the Harper court Development. (Official copy submitted to the TIF secretary). The survey queried respondents on the relative importance of specific "themes" such as level and type of activity, environmental friendliness, easy access, and need for community review.
Harper Court Property: Alderman Preckwinkle introduced Tim Goluska of Chicago Consultants, Tim Brangle of Chicago Consultants, and Susan Campbell of the University of Chicago to discuss the redevelopment process for Harper Court and the city of Chicago parking lot. Alderman Preckwinkle announce that the University of Chicago has purchased Harper Court and will work with the city of Chicago to develop an RFQ/P for the Harper Court property and the city of Chicago parking lot.
Tim Brangle then reviewed a RFP/Q process that would involve the community. Outlined redevelopment objectives include: 1) the combined parcel of both the Harper Court building and the city parking lot--a vibrant, mixed use development that would leverage the historic character of the area in a commercial/residential site with high quality architecture and convenient parking; 2) urban design components--a gateway to 53rd that would enhance a town center space possibly by reopening Harper Ave.; 3) program criteria--retail, entertainment, residential, commercial, specialty, open space and high quality urban design; 4) community input--using the 53rd St. visioning workshop and survey results in the plans as well as providing opportunities for continued community input; 5 precedents--look at similar developments i St. Louis, Philadelphia, an Oak-Park-River Forest. The RFQ process has already begun with RFPs to be announced in fall of 2008 and due in early winter of 2009. Community review will be part of the process with an anticipated developer selection in spring of 2009. The public is invited to comment on the proposed objectives and process until June 30, 2008.
After numerous questions from the audience, Howard Males thanked the presenters and encouraged everyone to attend the TIF Planning and Development Committee meeting on May 27th, 6:30 p.m. at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club.
Adjournment: Moved, seconded, and passed to adjourn the meeting at 9:02 p.m.
The next meeting of the TIF Council will be on Monday, July 14, 7:00 p.m. at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginny Vaske, Secretary
By Gary Ossewaarde:
L3 Cornell and 53rd proposal
A shortened presentation based on that at a public meeting April 23 was made by the development team (including Antunovich Architects) and Q and A taken. Highlights include increased height to accommodate 15% affordable units now onsite, switch to rental from condo proposal, some building modifications. Objectives include continuation and contribution to the 53rd Street retail district. It will take at least 12 months to develop plans and permits and assess the market. The building will have a level of LEEDS certification, be ADA compliant and have 20% of units capable of conversion to fully handicapped accessible. In answer to skepticism, they said the numbers now look better, they are committed to include quality retail that serves both its residents and the community/53rd Street and are committed to local businesses and to returning restaurants. The team was instructed by the TIF chair to work with the next door resident who would be deprived of light by changes to the parking and roof garden. (For details of the proposal see the L3 53rd Street sites page.)
Irene Sherr distributed a summary document on the December Workshop II (available in http://www.vision53.org and our December 2008 page) and gave what happened at the May 3 Workshop (see our May 3 page for details) and chief preliminary conclusions by panelists and the four topic breakout groups including as they presented to the whole. These will be on line at http://www.vision53.org and the pictures of 53rd, and environs taken by participants of the four groups are be up in http://picasaweb.google.com/crcrumsey/53rdStreetVisionWorkshop.
Major themes explored: mainstreet, density/land use, walkability and access, design and character. Stressed were need to restore continuity; that it isn't easy to get businesses to come- they don't pioneer, they look for unique experiences and a large, complete package that will draw customers. Groups said the low, newer buildings weren't bearing their weight, mixed uses are needed as well as friendliness for bikes and improvements to and more consistency in signage and facades. The next step will be a November 15 block-building exercise with planners and developers crunching numbers and advising what is doable.
Kimbark Liquors is being transferred to the owner's sister, which is why the license is up for review. Giordano's will have its facade preserved and the main floor remodeled with a second story. The owners of the new specialty market on 47th street will open the store within a few weeks.
George Rumsey summarized and distributed print reports on the survey conducted by the TIF Business and Environment Committee and HPKCC's Development Committee. Print copies of the full report (with all the comments) were given to appropriate parties, and all are on line in http://www.hydepark.org/survey. The various kinds of rankings and breakouts were described, including by age, race, and gender. Some differences include that African-Americans see a need for more office space while people in their 20s see that the least; older people are much more concerned about parking; women really do seem more caring, including for current tenants and start-up businesses. Keyword search on the comments show support for restaurants and for Dr. Wake the veterinarian, farmer's market, and chess benches. Community input including presentation and review of proposals was strongly supported.
Alderman Preckwinkle announced that Harper Court was bought by the University and all the parties would work together, with Chicago Consultants Studio, which did the Harper Theater RFP, to develop Harper Court and the city parking lot as a town center through the already announced RFP process with community input, starting with proposed guidelines that went up for comment now through June 12. She thanked the many organizations that compiled materials and sought out community ideas, including through surveys and workshops. She said she regretted someone higher in the UC administration did not come, but introduced Susan Campbell, Assoc. VP for Community Affairs, and Ilene Jo Reizner, Assoc. VP Real Estate.
The presentation is in http://www.vision53.org/12.html and the bullet points summarized in our Harper Court Sale homepage. Timetable goals included issuance of full RFP after the November 15 Vision Workshop III and presentation of winnowed developers' proposals spring 2009. Comments on the initial guidelines for RFP can be made to ccs@ccstudio.com. Or at the May 27 meeting of the TIF Planning and Development subcommittee, 6:30 pm at Hyde Park Art Center. (University of Chicago releases and coverage are in the Harper Court Sale page.)
Public comments: It was said that sale of Harper Court was of questionable legality for a number of reasons. Sale amount was given as $6.5 million. Plea was made to help the current tenants relocated (assured) and to provide startup space. A community center that included meeting space was asked for. Presenters said in response to extend the time for Guidelines comments, time is critical because the clock starts running on property values and costs as soon as the appraisal (due soon) comes in for the parking lot part. The agreement between the city and U of C also has to be prepared quickly and work started on RFQ/RFP working and Planned Development amendment..
Questions were asked about intervening/adjoining spaces, at which point Susan Campbell revealed that there is a stop on Harper Theater/Herald building redevelopers due to inability of the developer to meet agreed upon deadlines including getting leases (She said the University was disappointed.)
Adjournment
One month comment period for Guidelines for Harper Court-city lot went online May 12-June 12 at . http://www.vision53.org/12.html. 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.)
Noted after or since the meeting: Some are uncomfortable with the models for redevelopment held up for redevelopment of Harper Court and 53rd Street: Delmar at Washington University in St. Louis, redevelopment at the University of Pennsylvania, and Lake Street at the Oak Park/River Forest Illinois transit interchange (some saying the redevelopment to the east of the latter is more in line and scale.)
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.
Full Summary Report of the Harper Court Priorities Survey 2008 (includes all comments submitted)
Neighborhood and Business Environment Committee of the 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council and The Planning, Zoning, and Development Committee of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference.
To Alderman Preckwinkle, the TIF Chair Howard Males and to the Department of Planning and Development/Chicago Consultants Studio teams. And online and printable at http://www.hydepark.org/survey.Summary Report and overview (6 pages) Online in pdf and printable at http://www.hydepark.org/survey.
Follow-up to December 53rd Street Vision Workshop Irene Sherr of Community Counsel. Below and in http://www.hydepark.org/survey. Note that these essentially correspond to list of key conclusions from the December 8 Vision Workshop voting prepared by Irene Sherr of Community Counsel.
[Guidelines for Harper Court Area RFQ/RFP] Heart of Hyde Park. TIF Advisory Council. Harper Court Area Redevelopment Briefing, City of Chicago-University of Chicago. Prepared by the Chicago Consultants Studio, Inc. May 12, 2008. Summarized below; online in pdf at http://www.hydeparkchicago.org and http://www.vision53.org.
Follow-up to December 53rd Street Vision Workshop: numbers = top ten vote-getters in the Harper Court Priorities Survey. Can be viewed and printed from http://www.hydepark.org/survey.
Busy and active, with lots of shopping, dining, entertainment choices
1. Well-lit night-time ambiance
2. Restaurants
Attractive and inviting
4. Welcoming landscaping
5. Destination, appeal to diversity
Green
10. Environmentally friendly
Convenient and easy to get around
3. Stronger pedestrian character
9. Day and night access
Community input
6. Public presentations by developers
7. Community review and feedback
Official minutes
Members Present: Steve Soble, Laurel Stradford, Jo Reizner, Howard Males, Rod Sawyer, Jane Comiskey, Chuck Thurow, Andre Brumfield, Charles Newsome.
Meeting called to order at 7:04 p.m., with a quorum present.
Remarks by the Chair: Welcomed all in attendance and orally presented tonight's meeting agenda. He also described makeup of the TIF committee, and its standing committees. Some in the audience noted that the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club (HPNC) did not have all the information when meetings were to take place. Chairman Males stated that all meetings would be given ample and appropriate notice, and that all TDIF meeting notices are done in the spirit of transparency. Chairman Males noted that the committee is looking to bring in presenters to future meetings to speak on topics concerning the 53rd Street Visioning process and its progress.
Approval of Minutes: Minutes were read by the committee. J. Reizner made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, which was seconded by J. Comiskey. The motion was passed unanimously.
Alderman's Report: Alderman Preckwinkle encouraged attendees to be involved with the TIF/Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HPLCC survey process concerning Harper Court, and to participate in the follow-up on the 53rd Street Visioning Process, tentatively scheduled for May 3rd. She also commented on tonight's presentation on Transportation.
55th Street Shopping Center Update: Joe Reizner, U of C Real Estate Operations: Thanked the audience and community for its patience and endurance, and announced that Treasure Island Grocery Store opens officially on March 12th @ 7 a.m. The parking lot will be re-striped. Treasure Island interviewed approximately 85-90 former Co-Op employees, and hired over 60 across their multiple store locations. They also hired 12 Kenwood High School students, and Hyde Park Produce hired approximately 6 former Co-Op employees.
Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference: George Rumsey, President of HPKCC, presented preliminary results of the Harper Court/parking lot survey. He thanked the core group (P. Mo[rse], G. Ossewaarde, C. Newsome, and J. Comiskey). He stated that as of Feb. 20, 1474 responses had been recorded. The survey will run until Mar. 20. He discussed various outreach efforts to increase participation, such as creating a page on the social networking website Facebook, and discussed highlights of preliminary survey results.
53rd Street Vision Workshop: Irene Sherr passed around 53rd street Vision workshop summary of the December, 2008 meeting. She identified several themes that came from the results of the workshop, to be developed further at the next workshop to be held May 3rd, 2008 at a location to be announced. Chairman Males thanked partners and sponsors of the December, 2008 workshop.
Center for Neighborhood Technology, Linda Young: Linda Young discussed Transit Oriented Design (TOD), its definition and its benefits and trends. More information can be found on its website, www.cnt.org.
Motion to adjourn was made by R. Sawyer, and seconded by J. Comiskey. The meeting ended at 8:33 p.m.
Submitted Respectfully,
Rod Sawyer
Hyde Park Herald, March 19, 2008. By Sam Cholke
53rd ST. dominates 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.
The final presentation of the evening was from Linda Young of the Center for Neighborhood Technology who spoke on "transit oriented design" principles used to guide neighborhood development. Young emphasized that the concept focuses on development that utilizes public transportation methods into and out of the neighborhood. "It's not just for commuters," she said. "It's a destination --- people are coming here to experience your neighborhood."
Young said Hyde Park residents could leverage the possibility of the Olympics coming to Chicago in 2016 to advocate for better transportation in the neighborhood. A streetcar could work well in Hyde Park," she said. The infrastructure is not expensive and has a permanence that makes investors looking at the neighborhood more comfortable. More information is available online at cnt.org.
By Gary Ossewaarde
Agenda: TIFormation (hard copy distributed along with TIF Annual Report), Alderman's report, Cleanslate, Canter, 53rd Vision, reports of committees, old business.
Present: all except J. Reizner and T. Wilkins.
Chair Howard Males announced (later reinforced by Ald. Preckwinkle) that the TIF Business and Environment Committee and Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference will work together on a on open community planning process for Harper Court RFP. She would not state any preclusions on the type of development or degree of change.
The minutes of the November meeting were approved with a minor correction.
Chair Howard Males thanked the council members and committees for their work, including on the December workshop, noting that the committees, which do much of the work, are open to all residents. He also thanked Irene Sherr and the Alderman for their work including on the workshop, and the residents who turned out in December.
Alderman's Report: Toni Preckwinkle. She thanked the council members. She read highlights from TIFormation, stressing the vision workshop- and those who collaborated to produce it- and said there will be at least one more broad-focus meeting: "only a beginning."
She summarized funds available at the start of 2007: $2.54 million with an additional $200,000 left expected at the end of 2007. Expenditures to Small Business Improvement Fund were $300,000 (Kimbark Laundry and Chant Restaurant), $150,000 for Cleanslate, and $150,000 for Canter School improvements (matched by CPS). She thanked the committees for their support. Those who received funds- SBIF, Canter Principal, and Cleanslate- in turn thanked the Alderman and the TIF council and said that the help was critical to their success. The Alderman said a key objective of the TIF was an addition to Canter; Chair Males suggested the school prepare a school physical improvement plan for the council.
Lake Park Corridor. Work will resume on 53rd and 55th in spring- lighting, frames, art. Planning is underway for 51st and 57th. In response to a question she said that some of the murals would be restored, including that on the north side of 55th. Money is being raised for the restorations, with Chicago Public Art Group.
Harper Court. HPKCC and the TIF Committee will work on an open process. At the March meeting the Dept. of Planning will present on Harper RFP. She anticipated that after a request is vetted for review, then sent to developers, it will take up to 90 days to receive resumes, and more time to review and winnow in committee, and be about a year before an award is made.
The Alderman called for one or two additional general and broad workshops on 53rd then site focus.
Cleanslate representatives briefly described success with their program, noting that Hyde Park was the most welcoming community in the program and that several interns had already moved on to regular employment. Audience members gave testimonials in support of Cleanslate. Motion was made to appropriate $157,000 to Cleanslate for the year starting May. Approved unanimously.
Report on the 53rd Visioning Workshop December 8. The next phase would explore themes such density and achieving cohesive planning as opposed to piecemeal or reactive planning. A full report will be issued once all the comments and votes from the table were studied--Irene Sherr said many important ideas came out of these that were suppressed in favor of big themes in the room-wide voting.
Hubert Morgan of Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) discussed the major findings and distributed a set of pie charts. He said the overall agency goal for Hyde Park in the years up to 2040 is that Hyde Park be a "destination of choice." Morgan praised the residents for coming out in force, clearly people here feel strongly. The methods included both small table interaction with facilitators and room-wide voting on options derived from the tables.
Their first task in such exercises is to learn "who is in the room," Morgan said. The audience didn't wholly reflect demographics, but most demographics were there. Disproportionately represented were older (25% aged 5-59, 20% 60-69), whites (54%), and females (59%). In housing types the audience was very diverse. Most walked to the workshop (on a cold day) (53%, 31% in personal car- 6% were from outside Hyde Park). What type of housing? (35% single-family home, 27% high rise apartment, 24% multi-family home, 11% two- or three-flat). How long did they live here? (43% over 20 years, another 18% 11-20 years, and the rest closely divided among 6-10, 2-5, and under 2).
The sense of what the street should look like was gauged: Given first place in value were mixed use buildings (24%), variety of retail (23%), Green with trees and landscaped (16%), visually attractive (13%). Receiving single-digit priority were Sidewalk cafes, Off-street parking in the rear, stores close to the curb, upper floors residential, buildings in good repair, and green all year.
What should go in the buildings? 52% selected mixed use retail and residential. 18% 24-hour activities and late night options, 5% Trader Joe's, and lesser numbers small-scale entertainment, clothing stores, higher density retail, mixed income housing, restaurants, and mix of national chains--most really specifications within the first two categories.
What should the buildings look like? 45 percent said a mixture of historical and well designed modern buildings, echoed by those who specified continued use of traditional buildings (7%) and mixed use (17%). Others called for height limitations (8%) or 3-4 story tall buildings (6%- together 14%) or specified patios and balconies, rooftop gardens, underground and off street parking (7%), or no visible security gates.
What activities will people engage in? 39% opted ford shopping, the next highest was night life including bars, dancing, movies (12%). Lesser numbers chose interactive entertainment, recreational entertainment which reinforced the second option. Others selected personal use such as walking or sitting or churches (7%) or interacting (5%- together 12%), youth programs and activities (6%) or residential living.
Noting that the energy level was high at the workshop, Morgan said that attendees valued for the street diversity-- proud of it and valued it, followed by physical good look, pedestrian friendliness, environmentally sensitive, and providing options. An audience member commented on the small number of usage responses for such obvious uses as office, or what might be overabundant now. Irene Sherr said such were in the table answers below top rank and would be given use weight when these are counted up. Services such as doctors, for example, were highly rated as an activity on 53rd Street. Parking concern was another. She suggested that such be explored more in the follow up workshop on what would it actually look like (a comment she had heard from many). She stressed the strongest expressions were for shopping, variety, outdoor activities.
Questions/comments. One said community groups should have been asked to co-design the questions and study them in advance. Sherr said the choices were not prepared in advance but from what was tops in the table sheets. Another said another big question could have been where you eat or buy food and what role should 53rd have in those activities. Sherr said the table responses did reflect this, especially in giving food (as well as entertainment) as top things people have to leave Hyde Park to get.
Another person said the presenters "pushed" diversity but didn't explain or distinguish well within the concept and noted concern with the last question on a mid rise somewhere. Assurances were given that the last question will not be used to legitimize a particular design. Males said the TIF and its committees only pass on specific proposals, with general guidelines in mind, and do not ask a developer to come with this or that design.
In response to another question, Males said the purpose of this exercise is not to engage in social science research, pay for market surveys, or hold a "referendum."
Other business, announcements .Thomas Kidwell gave a testimonial to SBIF funding. Susan Campbell announced that a lease was signed for the Co-Op space. Shut in shopping help was coming and other grocers are stocking up. A jazz funeral was planned at the Co-Op on its closing day. The Coalition for Equitable Development would soon call its organizational meeting. The Older women's League meets 1st Saturdays at 1 pm at First Unitarian--next month it will have a round two discussion of a senior-friendly community.
Adjournment