Development in Hyde Park-Kenwood.
HPKCC Development, Preservation and Zoning policy Committee report and discussion homepage

Return to the Development and Development-Preservation-Zoning Navigator page. Newer material is in the 53rd St. Vision-News-Process page. See list of what development's in play in new Development Committee homepage.
To current navigator and home for History and Preservation pages.
To Neighborhood, our general topic and subject navigator. Obama Effect? Doctors Hospital. 53rd Mobil and Cornell (L3). Lake Village Center. 56th Cornell. Antheus/MAC.
Tell us what you think-hpkcc@aol.com. December 2007 Reporter reports. Final Dec. 8 '07 reports (complete in www.vision53.org.) Notes on May 3 53rd Vision Workshop II. Report on the November 15 planning block exercise.

Here:

[See the summary of the Cultural Uses Survey. Coming this fall: U C funded survey of retail needs.] Op Eds from Dec. 06, Aug. 07 Reporters.

Meetings, opportunities

 

July 13 , Monday, 7 pm. 53rd Street Tax Increment Advisory Council. Kenwood Academy, Little Theater, 5015 S. Blackstone, flagpole entry.

 

At the May TIF meeting, an update said Harper Ct. redevelopment is still considering 5 or so strong proposals. Antheus/Silliman described its request for zoning upgrade from B1-2 to B3-2 to allow a restaurant with alcohol and catering in the 1350 former WaMu space and that it expects to use the space for its offices only for a about a year. The zoning change was unanimously supported by the TIF. An adjustment was made to the CleanSlate budget, and Harper Court Arts Council reported that the realized from the sale of Harper Court ($6m minus taxes) and its giving so far (info is on its website, http://www.harpercourt.com.

At the March 9 2009 TIF meeting, Susan Campbell reported that 11 responded to the Harper RFQ, narrowed to 5 or 6 who will be preparing proposals. All had graduate student housing components and two had hotels.

11 responses were received to the RFQ by the deadline of January 26, 2009. They have since been winnowed to 5 or 6 who will be preparing proposals due in May. All are said to have a graduate student component and 2 to have hotels.

Needing clarification is whether "graduate housing"would satisfy a "20 percent affordable" component promised for any housing part of the project getting TIF subsidy-- and whether it should. Gary Ossewaarde

U of C, city name finalists for mixed-use project

(Crain’s) — The city of Chicago and the University of Chicago have cut the field of real estate firms competing for a proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the Harper Court shopping center to five developers. The finalists, picked from a field of 11 teams, will submit proposals to redevelop a nearly three-acre site at 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue in Hyde Park. A spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Community Development confirms that the five finalists are:

• Block 37 developer Chicago-based Joseph Freed & Associates LLC.

• A joint venture of Chicago-based developer McCaffery Interests Inc. and Skokie-based Taxman Corp.

• A joint venture of Chicago-based Mesa Development and Chicago construction giant Walsh Group.

• Chicago-based developer Metropolitan Properties of Chicago LLC, a firm better known for its residential condominium conversions of older downtown office buildings.

• Vermilion Development Inc., a small Danville firm that opened a Chicago office last year.

The winning bidder is expected to be selected this fall. The project would provide a developer “with a unique opportunity to creatively reshape this area into a cohesive, active neighborhood core,” according to a request for qualifications issued in December. In broad outlines, city and university officials are seeking a retail/residential development that would include a parking structure for 170 to 400 cars.

The site includes the shopping center, which would be demolished, and an adjacent city-owned parking lot. The project is expected to preserve an existing 14,300-square-foot building at 5201 S. Harper Court, which houses the Park 52 restaurant and the Checkerboard Lounge blues club. The project’s cost could be offset with a tax-increment financing subsidy, according to the request for qualifications.
The site has an appraised value of $7.55 million, but a developer’s “purchase price is an important but not primary consideration” for the city and the university, the RFQ says.

 

January 12, 2009 TIF Council meeting

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. More details in TIF Advisory Council Meetings.

From Hyde Park Herald, January 21, 2009. TIF council meeting talks Harper Court, 53rd St. By Kate Hawley

News 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. ...

 

2008 wrap up- By Gary Ossewaarde, reflecting the views of the author

Development planning, real estate volatility. Detail pages- see Development Pages Index, Harper Court home, Harper Theater RFP, 53rd Street, TIF News home, Zoning home.
While Hyde Park suffered only modestly from burst of the housing bubble and the economy; retail and mixed development was at least stalled-out by the same.

But this was the year the University took the lead role in pushing and planning such development as well as major campus expansion. Some wondered whether the University did or was capable of thoughtful planning, in partnership with the community, and asked why we do not do or do much more area-wide planning. The University's purchase of and takeover of the RFP process for Harper Court (RFP for the Court plus city lot went out in December) was the decisive move. 2009 will tell what will come of it, as well as the survival or replacement of the Harper Theater buildings. Some neighbors were distressed to see the plan to rehab the Theater buildings go down the drain and to clear buildings or land including Harper Court well before new plans could be ready. Surveys, planning charette's, and meetings/forums by a coalition of organizations including HPKCC, entities and Ald. Preckwinkle helped forge a set of principles for development of Harper Court and beyond. There was concern about public input into actual developer proposals, effective transparency, and a result that will serve the needs of broad and diverse sets of residents and business owners, including small locally-based and independent, and be a destination.

The University badly stumbled in efforts to convince neighbors at big and private meetings or modify the proposal for Doctors Hospital on Stony Island or ultimately in preventing neighbors from voting the precinct dry, killing development. The University also stirred up controversy by acquiring considerable property to the west of Washington Park in the path of the Olympics. Much of the controversy was over communications.

Antheus Capital continued to purchase and start rehab of many mostly rental buildings, some very large (with some ability of local affordability groups to negotiate concessions), advanced plans for the large, green Solstice on the Park at 56th and Cornell, and proposed a major mixed development to replace the current Village Center at Lake Park and Hyde Park Blvd. (Indeed, increasing attention to remaking the Lake Park corridor was a marker of 2008.) The other large mixed development proposal, changed from condo to rental, was that of L3 for 53rd and Cornell. L3's other site, 53rd Kenwood, remained dormant.

Increasing attention was placed to larger community planning, starting with 53rd Street. The keystone was a set of Vision exercises and walk through's with large participation. Meanwhile, the 53rd TIF increased its support actions by supporting these, continuing streetscape, funding CleanSlate and small business improvement projects and upgrades at Canter Middle School. New TIFs and Special Assessment districts got off the ground on Cottage Grove. Spot zoning and build-out pressures became worrysome. Top

At April 24 2009 UC Outreach Forum, businesswoman challenges UC to have rents affordable to local businesses in the new Harper Court

[Ann Marie Lipinski, VP for Civic Engagement] included the redevelopment of the Harper Court shopping center and the adjacent city-owned parking lot among the university's outreach efforts, saying that the retail and residential complex planned for the site will boost vitality along Hyde Park's 53rd Street corridor.

During a question and answer session, Sandra Bevans asked if Harper Court's rents will be at levels local business people can afford. "So they're not having to pay $2,500 to $3,000 to rent some space." Susan Campbell, associate vice president for civic engagement, said that while it's too early to say what rent levels at the new complex will be, the university is helping business owners currently in Harper Court to find new locations they can afford. Top



University buys Hollywood Video building, empties it. Says undecided on keeping, maybe re renting, bundling with city lot/Harper Court RFP. Herald, January 18 2009. By Kate Hawley.

Customers of the Hollywood Video at 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue hurried to return their movies late last week, as worker packed up the stock and loaded it onto trucks.

The store's closing comes weeks after the University of Chicago bought the building, 1530 E. 53rd St. A warranty deed filed with Cook County on Jan. 5 shows that Spiros and Mary Argiris of Hickory Hills conveyed the property to Lake Park Associates Inc., a subsidiary of the University of Chicago, on Dec. 31. University spokesman Steve Kloehn confirmed Friday that the university has purchased the property.

Public records don't reveal a price for the parcel. Spiros also owns Valois Cafeteria, the Hyde Park mainstay at 1518 E. 53rd St. [Added: Argiris is believed to have loan arrangements for the buildings with Hyde Park Bank.] The closing of the Hollywood Video store was arranged under the building's previous owner, according to Kloehn, who added, "The university's purchase did not spur the closing." The university has no immediate plans for the building, he said. The store is adjacent to property that the university and the city are planning to redevelop into a major mixed-use complex, a nearly three-acre site [that] includes a city-owned parking lot and the Harper Court shopping center on Harper Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets.

"We acquired this land after the arrangement with the city [to redevelop Harper court and the parking lot], so it will be interesting to see how this might contribute or add value," said Bob Rosenberg, associate vice president for public affairs at the university. "In the larger scope of things, it's an opportunity.

The Hollywood Video property might also be redeveloped separately, he said--depending on what works best in the economic downturn. "Look, realistically, we are in a tough time right now," he said. "there's very little money out there right now."...University officials have also held out the possibility that the [Harper Court Area] site might grow to include the Harper Theater and Herald building on the northwest corner of 53rd Street and Harper Avenue. Top

February 11 Herald carried an editorial calling on the University to share its plans for 53rd St.

Hyde Park Herald asks in Feb. 11 2009 editorial, When will the university's plans for 53rd Street come to light?

The original author of the memorable observation, "the smallest good deed is worth more than the greatest good intention" is lost to history. We are nevertheless reminded of its veracity when observing the massive good intention that lines the northwest corner of Lake Park Avenue and 53rd Street, running more than a full city block north and extending west into our old home at the Harper Theater building. The University of Chicago is buying up real estate and moving out retail businesses at a monumental rate, undoubtedly with the intention of creating some sort of enormous real estate program for the students and residents of Hyde Park and beyond.

Years have passed as they move toward this goal. The fragile network of commerce on 53rd Street has been dramatically undermined. If a better 53rd Street is the goal (which we assume is the case), then it may help to look back on an important moment in Hyde Park's history to gauge the efficacy of the university's current approach.

In the 1950s, alarmed by the grittiness and density and crime rate in Hyde Park, the community, led by the university, got together adn took advantage of a federal program called Urban Renewal. A neighborhood of 60,000 people was reduced by nearly half, many retail businesses were eliminated and the grittiness and density and crime in Hyde Park were dramatically reduced. Along with undesirable elements, positive aspects of the neighborhood - a lively music scene, a vibrant artistic community - were also eliminated. For better or for worse, the elimination of one set of problems gave birth to another.

Of necessity, Urban Renewal projects were top-down, in many ways. At the time, people groused about the unfairness of the remaking of neighborhoods, city centers and other places where those dollars often were used to displace poor people and the businesses that served them.

The University of Chicago -- a key stakeholder and driver of Urban Renewal -- has now purchased the Hollywood Video building, 1530 E. 53rd. According to Steve Kloehn, the university has "no immediate plans" for the building. The Herald was able to report this news because public records became available documenting the university's purchase of the building.

This purchase may complete the acquisitiveness of the university in this part of the neighborhood. There's not much left for them to buy. They have acquired Harper Court at 52nd Street and Harper Avenue, the Harper Theater building at 53rd Street and Harper Avenue, and now the former home of Hollywood Video. The strip of retail remaining on 53rd street, between harper Avenue and Hollywood Video, seems an unlikely purchase -- we hope that even the university's ever-acquisitive real estate arm would pause at the thought of displacing the popular businesses there like Mellow Yellow and Valois.

The community gained national attention during Urban Renewal as it debated what parcels were targeted for redevelopment and why -- and through community investment in some of the more innovative aspects of Urban Renewal here. That partnership included support of the development of Harper Court, a retail destination designed to buffer some of the negative consequences of eliminating valuable retail and creative space in the neighborhood by creating a place where businesses could relocate, particularly those of artists and artisans.

What does this have to do with the purchase of a modest one-story building on 53rd Street? Of course, taken alone, they are unrelated. But added to the acquisition of Harper Court, the Harper Theater and the bundling of the city-owned parking lot running a full block on Lake Park Avenue -- all part of a recent request for proposals for development of Harper Court -- the university has a mega-development parcel that it has acquired without explaining what the goal is.

With all the public meetings, and despite the broad planning language of the university's request for proposals for Harper court, we are still in the dark. This is obviously either a massive planning project or fuzzy-headed land banking of the sort feared by 3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell regarding the university's similarly unexplained purchases along Garfield Boulevard just west of Washington Park. We are complaining, as Dowell has, that the problem is that we don't know. The lesson of Urban Renewal is embedded in its failures as well as its successes. What worked in Hyde Park was the free flow of information about what was happening and why. What failed was overreach. Too much retail was imperiled and destroyed. The density of the neighborhood was reduced in a way that exacerbated later demographic trends away from local shopping.

Now the university has bought up a roughly 3-acre parcel on Hyde Park's retail thoroughfare. The retailers in these sites are being kicked out, and there is no plan made public. Is the university overreaching? Without their candor, we cannot know.

From our point of view, these moves do not reflect an understanding of the history of our community. They also seem to reflect a lack of understanding about retail development both of the kind required for big-box retail and the tiny needs of the Harper Court tenants.

As we pointed out earlier, one of the lessons of Urban Renewal was that public discussion of the needs of the community improved what took place. What direction does the university see for the development of its land acquisition? What is it they hope to achieve? These are legitimate questions to which the community ought to have answers, and the university may learn as it did during Urban Renewal that our of such discussions comes realistic improvement in those goals. Top

 

Herald editorial May 20 2009- University getting it wrong at Harper Court- becoming bad for business

Carol Andresen told the Herald last week that she will be sticking around until 2012 at her Calypso Cafe location in Harper Court -- that's how long the lease runs. Dixie Kitchen is to be closed, and the University of Chicago has stopped negotiating with her about relocation of either restaurant. Meanwhile, a city planner tells us that a developer may be selected by the end of the year and that we could see "activity" in the next couple of years.

If the university has found a way to thaw the frozen credit markets, they ought to let someone in Washington know. We expect that it is more likely that this language, much like that use when the old Herald building and Harper Theater's retail businesses were closed many years ago, is at best wishing and at worst empty rhetoric.

The university's rush to to things its way has cost us more businesses again. This time, one of the businesses is just the kind of attractive restaurant we need more of in Hyde Park. It seems unlikely that Calypso stands a chance come 2012 of relocating, so that's another restaurant gone. Regardless of the university's intent, its missteps are numerous enough at this point that we must face an awkward reality: In 2009, having the University of Chicago in Hyde Park is bad for business. It's certainly bad for Carol Andresen's business and for the other businesses struggling to relocate from Harper Court.

How is it possible that an institution that was instrumental in saving the neighborhood mid-century is now such an obstacle to progress? We believe the leadership at the university was once much more able and willing to integrate themselves into the fabric of the community, to see themselves a part of where they were living, than they are now. In years past, the university's top officials lived, ate and worked side by side with Hyde Parker. Are the current problems a symptom of an elitist attitude growing in the university's top ranks?

For those of you who are hoping to get in one last pulled pork sandwich before Dixie Kitchen closes forever, get there before June 7. Lobby Carol for that or whatever else you favor on the menu; she'll be adding a few items from dixie Kitchen onto the Calypso menu.

Meanwhile, we congratulate Artisans 21 for finding a new home on 53rd Street. Their dedication to keeping this local institution alive is inspiring. Hyde Parkers, support this integral part of our neighborhood's culture and community. Your creative neighbors deserve it, and they will be challenged to keep their new location a 1373 E. 53rd st. open with the much more expensive rent they are paying.

We have a suggestion to the university regarding efforts to improve the retail scene in Hyde Park: stop closing so many businesses. Top

Early February, President Zimmer told a lunch he remains committed to a hotel and retail expansion in Hyde Park according to the Feb. 10 Maroon. "We will be actively involved in getting a hotel and a better commercial environment in Hyde Park." He went on to describe plans for street-level stores in the New Hospital Pavilion on E 57th St. However, there is not much retail space close to campus, so South Campus needs a new look for retail. He also noted a problem of enough urban density and dynamism in the area. His team promised comprehensive planning considering also the community. [Note, word is that the U of C now wants the hotel in Harper Court.]

In an April 2009 brown-bag Zimmer reported to say, "We want a commercial environment that comfortably support the needs of he University" and pointed to bringing in Treasure Island as the first step. He also cited diversity, academic strength, and health and housing improvements as priorities, presumably for both the University and community.

 

On the solicitation of RFP announced after agreement between city and University November 18, 2008 and Susan Campbell's thoughts on uses of Harper Court and retail redevelopment in Hyde Park. RFP was put out in December, at least 12 responses were received.

To Announcement of and link to Harper Court Area RFQ/RFP, released by City of Chicago and University of Chicago December 12, 2008

University and city solicit Harper Court development partners. Chicago Maroon, November 21, 2008. By Ella Christoph

The University moved forward with plans to bring mixed-use development to Harper Court on Tuesday, beginning the process that will allow developers to submit proposals for the site. The University asked the city for a Request for Proposal (RFP), a city document that solicits responses from developers on how they would develop the site.

In May, the University purchased Harper Court, a shopping center on South Harper Avenue between East 53rd and East 52nd Streets that had largely fallen into disrepair. The purchase came as part of a larger University effort to revitalize Hyde Park. Fourth Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle has aided the effort to make the site more appealing to developers, adding a city-owned parking lot adjacent to the property last year.

The University and the city's development office issued the joint RFP for the three-acre site. The RFP request is the first step in redeveloping Harper Court and the adjacent lot. The U of C has been working closely with the community for the stated purpose of ensuring that residents' needs are identified and incorporated into the project. The University collaborated with Preckwinkle and the city's Department of Planning and Development to request the RFP, and plans to continue working with the community in planning the development.

According to Associate Vice President of Civic Engagement Susan Campbell, the Hyde Park community, as well as faculty and staff, have asked the University to take a more active role in making Hyde Park a safe and lively neighborhood. "[The site] could be redeveloped and serve as a catalyst, if you will, for redevelopment of the entire corridor," Campbell said.

the University hopes to create a destination retail center that might include restaurants, retail, a movie theater, and a boutique hotel. According to Campbell, students have also expressed a strong desire to have a late-night diner. There are also prospective plans to create housing on the site. Increased density on 53rd Street, Campbell said, would help support better quality uses of the space.

"I think we're looking or both [chains and local businesses] because I think both are necessary for a successful mix that can be sustainable," Campbell said. "What the chains provide is a sense -- they anchor an area and provide a sense of community."

However, local businesses would differentiate Harper Court from other retail opportunities, according to Campbell. "Since Hyde Park is so diverse, we have great interest in strong representations by local businesses," she said. Highlighting the unique diversity of Hyde Park through distinctive local businesses might also attract shoppers from outside the neighborhood.

In the past, Hyde Park has faced difficulties attracting businesses because of a lack of clear statistical data about Hyde Park's population and demographics. "I think what our challenge is, is to basically provide data and information to retailers about the spending patterns of such a diverse population," Campbell said. "For example, students and their spending patterns don't end up in those standard means because they don't always list Hyde Park as their residence."

A large working daytime population commutes to Hyde Park but does not live here, and its spending in Hyde Park has not been quantified. Additionally, Campbell said, spending patterns by the black community have been significantly underrepresented for years. Currently a lot of spending by Hyde Park residents occurs outside of the neighborhood. "People leave the area with their dollars and spend it, for example, down on Roosevelt Road," Campbell said.

"From our own personal perspective, having a quality environment in which you work and live is a strong recruitment and retention tool," Campbell said. The University's increased interest in the neighborhood follows a growing trend of university engagement with residents and commercial development. Other universities, such as Yale, MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania, have attracted residents and commercial activity through mixed-use projects in recent years.

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November 15, Vision53 blockbuilding exercise with developers and planners, looking at City Lot at Harper Court, 53rd Dorchester, Mobil former McDonalds. Co-sponsored with several organizations.
Had a large attendance, came up with many ideas of various heights that are economically and socially viable. Will be discussed at a panel at the January 12 TIF meeting (7 pm Kenwood Academy). Pictures: picasaweb.google.com/crcrumsey/53rdStreetVisionsBLOCKS or http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DK_JZJ9p9XK0utKiVEvRug

In the exercise, participants literally play with two sets of blocks that represent retail space or residential space and have spatial and economic significance. Participants use these blocks to build concepts of buildings and get immediate feed back from developers and number crunchers on the economic feasibility of the development. The exercise allows residents to gain a more realistic understanding of commercial development in their community and its relationship to the current market and residential density. The data collected from the exercise is made available to potential developers so that they plan developments with an understanding of what the community wants to see.

We are looking at sites that need to be developed along 53rd Street, a commercial corridor that is utilized by the entire Hyde Park community. U of C students are an important part of the population in Hyde Park and should have an active part in the commercial and residential development process.

Please find a press release announcing the event at the following website. We ask that you forward it so that students as well as residents and business people know about this opportunity. You can find more information about the process and benefits of the exercise at www.vision53.org.

Herald Oct. 29 2008 by Kate Hawley:

A community workshop on the future of the 53rd Street commercial corridor will give participants an opportunity they likely haven't had since grade school -- to re-envision their neighborhood by playing with blocks.

The block exercise, developed by the Corridor Housing Initiative in Minneapolis, gives community residents a hand-on experience of what it takes to create successful development, considering factors such as density, height and project costs.

The 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council, which oversees tax dollars spent along the strip, got wind of the idea through the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Both agencies sent representatives to Minneapolis to train in the building block technique.

They'll present a workshop for Hyde Parkers from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Kenwood Academy, 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. It will focus on three sites within the 53rd street TIF district, according to Irene Sherr, a planning consultant.... [The sites may still be in flux.]

The city and the University of Chicago, which owns a major chunk of property along 53rd Street, including the Harper Court shopping center and the Herald building, are angling to make 53rd Street a more popular commercial destination for the neighborhood and the larger South Side. The university's properties are at least one of the locations to be examined, given their size and prominence on the street.

The block exercise is designed to show local residents how some of those changes would work. Participants will split ito teams, using blocks, aerial maps and lists of basic project guidelines to simulate the kind of development they'd like to see for the sites. A planning expert wil then run the numbers, calculating factors such as cost of land, rental rates, construction costs and current market conditions.

"Through that process we think people will get a better understanding of the variables involved in a project," Sherr said. "Ultimately, when there's a proposal for Harper Court or any site, people will be able to evaluate it from the same base of knowledge."

Sherr has played a main role in developing a series of "Vision Workshops" focusing on 53rd Street. The two earlier workshops used instant electronic surveys and cameras to get locals thinking about plans for the retail corridor.

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On the board's January 8 2009 meeting with Ann Marie Lipinski, UC Vice President for Civic Engagement

Hyde park Herald report January 14 by Sam Cholke. Our own will appear soon.
Ann Marie Lipinski, vice president of civic engagement at the University of Chicago, paid her first visit to the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HP-KCC) Jan. 14 [sic] to answer questions about Harper Court and other recent university developments.

"We're having to really handhold," Lipinski said of the recently released request for proposals for Harper Court. Lipinski noted the difficult real estate market the university was facing, but remained optimistic. "We are going to get bids on this," she said.

James Withrow, chair of the HPKCC transportation committee, questioned Lipinski on the university's future intentions to be a major actor in retail development in Hyde Park. "We're not a retail expert," Lipinski said. She characterized the university as a "catalyzer" for development in the community. "The university can bring in the people who are experts. Hopefully, that's a successful model," she said.

Several members of the board, including President George Rumsey, expressed their concern that the university was shying away from soliciting community opinions on decisions that affect the neighborhood as a whole. "There's this sense that the decisions have already been made and it doesn't matter what you say or think," Rumsey said.

Consensus can be a tricky word, Lipinski said. She assured the board that community opinions on Harper Court were being heard and considered by the Office of Civic Engagement and reinforced her staff's commitment to including the neighborhood's interests in university decisions. "We'll work to get back in your good graces," she said.

Lipinski's stop at the HPKCC monthly meeting was one in a series of planned visits to solicit community groups' concerns. Lipinski took her post at the university Oct. 1 and became chair of the board of the University of Chicago Charter School this month. Top

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53rd St. Vision Workshop Part II –Upload[ed] photos are available from http://picasaweb.google.com/Community.Counsel.
Read Harper Court RFP guideline drafts at http://www.vision53.org/index/html.

May 3, 2008, Saturday 53rd St. TIF, Ald. Preckwinkle and community organizers with the City of Chicago Dept. Plg. and Development and CMAP presented Part II 53rd St. Vision Workshop. Presenters included Andre Brumfeld (EDAW firm),G. Benjamin Branny (Terra Firma mixed use projects), Barry Chain (Next Realty incl. movie theater), Dept. of Planning, Dept. of Transportation.) Kenwood Academy, 5015 S. Blackstone. Updates, December 8 report in vision53.org. In this site May 3 Notes page.
Next: November 15, Saturday.
Note, the University of Chicago may accept, but has not given a date for, an invitation from community organizations to meet with the community about its views and plans on development in Hyde Park.

On plans for May 3 2008 53rd Vision Workshop II May 3 2008 (Next Nov. 15). Presenters gave key realities; breakout sessions preceded and followed led-team walk through with cameras, then plenary summarized.

Hyde Park Herald, April 16, 2008. by Kate Hawley

Participants in a May 3 workshop on the future of the 53rd Street commercial corridor will take to Hyde Park's streets, cameras in hand to document its built environment. "It might help creates kind of a portrait of53rd Street," said Irene She rr, a local planning consultant who is one of the event's organizers. "Hopefully, it'll give people a chance to see things differently."

The evolution of the street's shopping strip is the focus of the 53rd Street Vision Workshop, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Kenwood Academy, 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

It is the second in a series of three workshops meant to determining what kind of development the community likes, so that developers interested in building along 53rd Street can proposes projects that are likely to get local approval. "It facilitates progress, in a way," She rr said. "It also gives city and elected officials a better way to respond, because these issues have been looked at broadly."

The workshop will begin with brief presentations from four to five experts in architecture or urban development, Sherr said. The speakers haven't yet been finalized. Breakout sessions will follow that will allow smaller groups to discuss specific issues in more depth. These groups will then take cameras out into the neighborhood, to gather visual evidence of some o the topics they've discussed.

The images, along with responses from attendees, will eventually appear online, according to Sherr. Those who have digital cameras are encouraged to brig them, and those who don't will get disposable cameras to use during the workshop, she said.

The event is the second of its kind organized by Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) in conjunction with a broad array of community groups, including the South East Chicago Commission, the 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council, the University of Chicago, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, or CMAP, and Community Counsel, Sherr's consulting firm.

At the first Vision Workshop, held Dec. 8 a Canter Middle School, 4959 S. Blackstone ave., almost 200 people used handheld devices distributed by CMAP to share their responses to a series of questions about how 53rd Street should be redeveloped.

Sherr said that certain issues surfaced again and again in people's responses: diversity, density, urban design and aesthetics-- and the accessibility of the neighborhood by car, train or on foot. "People just want more," Sherr said. "People just want an active community with lots of choices."

The purpose of the May 3 workshop is "to clarify and define the themes that emerged from Dec. 8," Sherr said.

It's also meant to lay the groundwork for a third workshop in the fall, which will use techniques developed at the Corridor Housing Initiative in Minneapolis, she said. These community workshops allowed participants to model developments with their own hands using blocks and aerial maps. Computers instantly tabulated the financial viability of their ideas.

Next TIF Advisory Council meeting is Monday, May 11, 2009, 7 pm, Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood.

Between 150 and 200 attended a 53rd Vision Workshop December 8 at Canter School. The spirit was amicable as tables heard talks, voted, did exercises, and gave their preferences and design standards. Many clearly were unfamiliar with or opposed the arguments for increasing (mainly residential) density to support retail. Next Workshop May 3 at Kenwood Academy. See 53rd Visioning and News page. Or our December 8 2007 report page.

February 26 HPKCC Development Committee, other community groups, the TIF, and Ald. Preckwinkle had James Wilson of the city present the process for a TIF for Harper Court and answer the many questions.

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Latest briefs

Alderman Pat Dowell will head a Garfield Blvd. planning effort following UC land purchases west of Washington Park.

Hyde Park Herald March 18, 2009. By Kate Hawley

Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) announced Friday that she is taking the lead in a community planning process for a stretch of Garfield Boulevard that runs from Washington Prk to the Dan Ryan Expressway. The University of Chicago began buying up land along the corridor last year, a move that angered Dowell. In August, she alerted the Hyde Park Herald of the university's intent to acquire 15 parcels. She accused the university of "land banking" -- holding onto property for future use with no clear plan. Officials responded by saying that a robust community process would help determine how the university will use the properties.

Dowell said Friday that she will take the reins of that effort. "I wanted to get ahead of the university," she said."I wanted the community to really have an important role in the development of this corridor." The university should have a voice in the planning too, Dowell said. "I recognize that they add value to the neighborhood.

"We're happy to play a role," said Bob Rosenberg, associate vice president for public affairs for the university. "We think that in a challenging environment and in a neighborhood that desperately merits help, we're encouraged that things are moving ahead." Dowell said she is spending $190,000 for the services of two consulting firms, O-H Community Partners and the HOK Planning Group. They will oversee a six-month planning effort to begin in April.

Together they'll produce a report about how to create new buildings, jobs, business development and improved parks and transit, said Todd Meyer, a location director for the HOK Planning Group, which is part of the global architecture firm HOK. "One size does not fit all as we develop a corridor like this," he said. "We want to make sure we have an integrated approach." O-H Community Partners has experience with South Side communities, having recently worked on plans for the Cottage Grove Avenue commercial corridor in Bronzeville, said Chinwe Onyeagoro, managing partner for the company.

The first six weeks of the planning process will be devoted to studying the area, Garfield Boulevard from Washington Park to Western Avenue. O-H will reach out to property owners, residents, developers and other, and HOK will do a physical assessment of the buildings along the strip. In addition, LISC MetroEdge will conduct a market study aimed at figuring out how best to support business development.

Based on these early investigations, Dowell and the consulting team will put together a steering committee made up of key local stakeholders. Community meetings will take place throughout the planning process. The consultants, in partnership with the community, will spend 10 weeks identifying development opportunities, Onyeagoro said. The last eight weeks of the planning process will go toward final recommendations and putting together the report.

"We want this to be an open, inclusive, reasoned and real process," Dowell said. Since August, when the news broke about the university's acquisitions along Garfield, Dowell has had "several meetings" with Robert Zimmer, university president, and Ann Marie Lipinski, its vice president for civic engagement. She met with them "to get an understanding of what their long-term interest is and to seek their assistance in working with the community around all land issues on 55th Street [also called Garfield Boulevard]" she said.

Dowell said the university had taken her suggestion to hire local or minority-owned contractors for the demolition of some of the buildings along Garfield, which are slated to come down in the next few weeks. Spirit Wrecking & Excavation Inc. will do demolition work and Eason Environmental Service In. will do asbestos removal, she said. "They've been responsive," said Dowell, of university officials.

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November 19 2008 HPKCC Development Committee report

Report of the HPKCC Development Committee Mtg. November 19, 2008

The HPKCC Development, Preservation and Zoning Committee was convened by Gary Ossewaarde October 19, 6 pm in the Hyde Park bldg. 4th floor Conference Room.
Jane Comiskey reviewed a TIF subcommittee walk of 53rd Street with recommendations. We were also pleased at the Nov. 15 block exercise which showed that a range of options could be viable (and will be reviewed by experts at the January 12 TIF meeting).
A wide-ranging discussion of development issues led to the following conclusions:
1. We endorse saving and reusing at least the shell of the Harper Theater and Herald building. This will be included in a letter to be drafted to Ann Marie Lipinski, VP for Civic Engagement UC.

In addition, we will join Hyde Park Historical Society in recommending landmark status for the buildings to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (Dec. 4, 10 am 33 N. LaSalle Ste. 1600). A letter prepared by George Rumsey was reviewed and sent to the Commission cc HPHS Preservation Committee.

2. Harper Court and Harper Theater. Letters (different) will be sent to Ms. Lipinski and Alderman Preckwinkle again expressing 1) our opposition to creation and perpetuation of deteriorating vacant buildings or vacant lots that may long stay that way, 2) our preference that Harper Court allow businesses with longstanding leases or that can continue to be viable be allowed to stay until redevelopment is ripe and that efforts be redoubled to find replacement sites in Hyde Park for those who will be leaving.
These letters should also reiterate our principles for RFP for Harper Court redevelopment.

3. We will watch the proposed up-zoning on E. 50th St. and ask a representative of the Kenwood Open House Committee to come to the next board meeting. Members are needed to attend the public meeting on the question called by Ald. Preckwinkle December 2, 7 pm, St. Paul and Redeemer Church.

4. We should be alert to continued queries and conversations with Antheus Capital/MAC Properties including evolving plans for the Shoreland, other large buildings, and new developments.

A date for a broader planning meeting date will be sought at the December 4 board meeting. (Potential dates: December 9 (Tu), 10 (Wed), 15 (Mon, after 6), 16 (Wed). Agenda items are welcome.

FYI: The Harper RFQ/RFP will be published December 8. The auction for St. Stephens Church was postponed to December 18.
Cordially, Gary M. Ossewaarde

OWL's (Older Women's League) survey of senior's visits, wants and needs. October 2008

Asked what business and types of businesses or services they had visited in the neighborhood in the past months, the variety was amazing.

Suggestions for parks: a greenhouse, arts and crafts

For transportation: more buses especially on and to 53rd St., shuttles and trolleys, share-a rides, bus information availability

Parking- 53rd St. was stressed including lighting to read the new meters

Bicycle visibility and keeping off sidewalks were seen as priorities

So were sidewalk and intersection improvements

Desired: retail- clothing, staples, housewares, sidewalk cafes, lower price grocery store, thrift store(s) and or Target were mentioned.
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Residential buildout: Herald report, December 10, 2008. Kenwood Developer defends proposed plans, Up-zoning stirs ire of neighbors. By Kate Hawley

A Kenwood developer seeking to build two houses on a historic Kenwood block aired his plans last Tuesday evening before a sometimes testy group of his neighbors, many of whom objected to a higher zoning designation required for the project.

Daniel Aucunas, A Kenwood resident since 1997 who has several award-winning restorations of historic properties in the area to his credit, wants to build a pair of three-story brick-and-limestone houses at 1301 and 1305 E. 50th St.

Roughly 70 people gathered at St. Paul and the Redeemer Church, 4945 S. Dorchester Ave., to see the development team's proposal and give their feedback. Aucunas, his wife Stephanie and his partner in the project Harlan Karp said they were surprised by the deluge of emails they had already received from local residents concerned that the houses are too big for the lots they occupy.

Neighbors repeated these sentiments Tuesday, and several people said they feared that even the slight up-zoning Aucunas proposes would set a precedent that could send Kenwood the way of Lake View or Lincoln Park, where so-called "spot zoning" -- when zoning is changed within a larger district -- has allowed the construction of jumbo-sized houses amid more modestly sized homes and apartment buildings.

"That can mean terrible things in Kenwood," said ruth Horwich, a local resident. "I am furious about it."

Aucunas and his team pointed out that the zoning change would apply only to the two lots in question and argued that their proposed houses would fit in with the surrounding homes in both scale and design. Karp said the Commission on Chicago Landmarks has already reviewed the designs to ensure that they comply with restrictions for the Kenwood landmark district, notable for its historic homes built primarily between 1860 and 1920. The district runs from 47th to 51st streets and from Blackstone Avenue to Drexel Boulevard.

With a few exceptions, most who spoke up at Tuesday's meeting opposed the zoning change Aucunas needs in order to build slightly wider structures with more square footage. The current zoning, RS-1, would allow for the construction of a 15-foot-wide, 1,875-square-foot house on each of the two city lots, which are 25 feet wide and 150 feet long. Aucunas is seeking an RS-3 designation for houses that are 3,300 square feet and 20 feet wide.

Some at the meeting said they feared an RS-3 designation would allow for the construction of a two-flat. While that is technically a provision of the zoning code, the lots at 1301 and 1305 E. 50th St. are not large enough to allow for any structure besides a single-family house, said Chris Leach, an attorney for the project. Aucunas argued that the bigger houses will garner a higher price, allowing the development team to uses higher-quality materials -- for example, vintage brick and real limestone instead of the manmade "Renaissance stone" ubiquitous in new-construction projects across the city. "If we can get the R3 designation... we can sell the houses for upwards of $1.7 to $1.8 million, which would positively impact property values in the neighborhood," Aucunas said.

Many of the neighbors said they would prefers Aucunas to build just one house on the two lots, or barring that, a pair of conjoined rowhouses that would leave more room on either side, but only if up-zoning were not required.

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), who ran the meeting and who would ultimately have to approve a zoning change, suggested that when the developers next meet with the neighbors in January, they should bring in samples of the materials they plan to use. She also asked them to follow up on one neighbor's question about whether it would be possible to build the houses by getting zoning variances to the RS-1 designation and not up-zoning to RS-3. Top

The crumbling, graffiti-tagged St. Stephens church building is in foreclosure and will go on sale at public auction tomorrow Over the last decade, developer Gus Antoniou has tried to convert the long-vacant property at 5640 S. Blackstone Ave. into condominiums. He told the Herald in May that he developed four sets of competed plans over that period, struggling to overcome the objections of the church's neighbors-several of whom crafted a legal agreement that required their approval before he could proceed.

In June 2007, Western Springs National Bank and Trust, a lender for the project, filed a foreclosure lawsuit. Cook County Judge Lisa Curcio entered a judgment of foreclosure on Oct. 8., and the property will go on sale at a public auction to be held at noon tomorrow, Nov. 20, in the hallway outside room 701of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St.

St. Stephens' neighbors are hoping a new owner will take better care of the property, which they contend has become increasingly hazardous. "It's a disgrace to this neighborhood," said Noel Brusman, who lives in the immediate area. "I don't understand why this has been allowed to decay in this manner." "Kids are always up there spray painting on the roof - and part of it has fallen in," said Jim Poueymirou, a Hyde Park mortgage broker who also lives nearby. "What happens when the rest of it falls in. Someone could be hurt or killed. "The city should tear down the church and clear space for townhouses or single family homes, he said.

Neighbors will discuss ways to secure the building at a community-policing meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 26 at Hyde Park Union Church, 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), whose ward includes the St. Stephens building, said she was familiar with the condition of the building and had sent Antoniou a copy of the new abandoned buildings ordinance, which requires property owners to use metal panels instead of wood to cover broken windows an imposes stiffer fines for letting buildings deteriorate. Top

 

September 2008 we confirmed that Antheus has purchased the Shoreland, 54th and South Shore Drive and will carry out plans for conversion but now as RENTAL.

From the September 8 TIF meeting

The Advisory Council met September 8 in its new location, Kenwood Academy Little Theater, 5015 S. Blackstone.
Vacancies were filled.
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. No new news on Harper Court Area.
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.
Susan Campbell of U of C reported on the Theater properties. No decision has been made, but she and Jo Reizner said bundling with Harper Court is being considered and that there aren't viable alternatives to demolition. See TIF Meetings page.
The Business and Environment Sub-committee 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 in tested contact Jane Comiskey at 773 324-0750.
Next Council meeting: November 10, Monday, 7 pm, Kenwood Academy.

 

From the July 14 TIF meeting

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.

The biggest question is what UC President Zimmer meant by saying he wants to be a "catalyst for change" in Hyde Park?

And what role will Ann Marie Lipinski play and what authority will she have as VP for "Civic Engagement"?

And now Washington Park/south Bronzeville? Does it bode anything for Hyde Park? To new plan

Herald announcement of Nov. 8 forum. October 29, 2008. By Kate Hawley
The University of Chicago's plans to expand westward into the Washington Park neighborhood will be the subject of a public forum on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon. The 2016 Washington Park Coalition, a community group, will hold the meeting at the Washington Park Refectory, 5531 S. Russell drive. Sonya Malunda, assistant vice president and director of community [engagement] for the university, will be present. Rev. Dr. Leon Finney Jr., the prominent pastor and activist in Woodlawn, will moderate the discussion.

This is the third community meeting university officials have held in Washington Park, according toe Robert Rosenberg, associate vice president for public affairs at the University. Ald. Willie Cochrane (20th) and the Washington Park Chamber of Commerce have also hosted discussions, he said.

[Ald.] Dowell contended the university had begun negotiations to acquire the parcels behind her back, leaving the local community out of the loop. She also accused the university of "land-banking" -- holding property for its future development needs. Malunda has disputed that claim, saying, "It is our hope that we can work with the city, the community and the local aldermen to craft a redevelopment vision."

Maroon report, November 11. By Ella Christoph

At a Washington Park community meeting on Saturday, moderator Leon Finney evoked local residents' enthusiasm about Barack Obama's victory to introduce local challenges that face the neighborhood. "This is the time for us to stand together with people of like mind in order to get something done," said Finney, the chairman of The Woodlawn Organization.

At the meeting, University fo Chicago Vice President of Civic Engagement Sonya Malunda attempted to alleviate neighborhood concerns about the University's expansion west of South Cottage Grove avenue into the Washington Park area, where the U of C has purchased 10 parcels of land this year and is in the midst of negotiating the purchase of five more parcels, totaling slightly less than four acres along West Garfield Boulevard between South King Drive adn south Prairie Avenue. Until recently, the University had not developed west into Washington Park, expanding both north and south instead.

The University has yet to create plans for the use of these properties but hopes to provide economic growth and jobs in the neighborhood. Development possibilities include outreach and career initiatives, increased involvement in local schools, after-school programs, and youth development. "We don't have a plan. We felt that if we came in with a plan, the community wouldn't be happy with that," Malunda said.

Malunda underscored the University's hopes to facilitate a process that is engaged, transparent, and participatory to determine the best uses for the land.. We realize we cannot simply invest on the community, acquire property in the community, without offering community benefits," she said.

Community members' concerns harkened back to the University's history of urban renewal in the 1950s and '60s, when it earned criticism as insular and racist, particularly for the way it pushed out many of the poor black residents of Woodlawn. Malunda attempted to assuage fears that University development would make the neighborhood less affordable and force poor residents out of the area.

"It is not our intent to push anyone out of their homes," she said. "It is not our intent to purchase the entire Washington Park area," She added that the University does not have eminent domain status, which meant it does not share the powers of the government to take private property for public use.

However, some property owners welcomed University involvement, expressing hopes that development of vacant and dilapidated building would raise property values. Others said they hoped that the University would keep its promises and provide more resources to the community. "This is our opportunity to work with you, to seek your help in prioritizing, in seeing how you would like to be involved," Malunda said, adding that the University plans to work with 20th-Ward Alderman Willie Cochran and Third-Ward Alderman Pat Dowell.

The possibility of Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics, which will in part take place in Washington Park if Chicago wins the bid, has influenced plans for the future of the neighborhood, which currently has about 1,000 abandoned properties and has lost over three-quarters of its population in the last 50 years. The increased development and economic success in Hyde Park and Woodlawn has not spread to the Washington Park area, Malunda said. "The Olympics can be and impetus. It can be a catalyst for the community to come together," Malunda said, adding that regardless of the impact of the Olympics, the focus will be on resources for the community.

"Really, the question is, 'What will the community be in 2017?'" she said. Malunda publicized some of the University's recent community development efforts, which have aimed to create safe, mixed-use communities, attract high quality retail, expand mixed-income housing opportunities, and create permanent jobs.

Some people attended the meeting to express a hope that the new development would provide construction jobs for residents of the area. They said that high crime rates in Washington Park were mainly due to a lack of job opportunities. "The only reason criminals are doing what they did is because they're not employed,: Washington Park resident Juan Montgomery said.

Malunda advertised the recently launched Career Pathways Initiative, which aims to help residents of Woodlawn, Washington Park, and the mid-South neighborhoods find quality employment at the University, the Medical Center, and with other employers. So far, the program has assisted 100 residents in finding positions.

Herald Nov. 19. By Crystal Fencke

On Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Washington Park Refectory, 5531 S. Russell Drive, a large number of residents and community activists gathered to hear about the University of Chicago's (U. of C.) plans to invest in properties in Washington Park. The Washington Park Community Coalition called this meeting after Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), through the Lakefront Outlook, announced in August that the university had begun acquiring land along Garfield Boulevard in the Washington Park area. At that point, it was also public knowledge that Dowell, whose ward contains most of the land the university has designs on, had "concerns" about the university expanding into the Third Ward without notifying her.

Rev. Dr. Leon Finney, chairman of The Woodlawn Organization, served as moderator, saying it was his role to ensure that Sonya Malunda, Associate Vice President for Civic Engagement with the university, would have time to speak with little interruption. Finney warmed up the group of about 60 people by asking each of tem to respond to a topic other than the properties. He invited them each to give their impressions of the election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States, and when latecomers entered he offered the question to them as well.

As a community organizer influenced by the late activist Saul Alinsky, Finney presented an exercise. He elicited audience questions and concerns about the university's plans. He listed on a blackboard about 15 items, ranging from affordable housing, jobs and access to U. of C. programs. Another major concern was short- and long-term neighborhood impact and outcomes.

The land is along Garfield Boulevard between King Drive and Prairie Avenue. According to an FAQ sheet Malunda passed out, by Nov. 8 the university had purchased eight parcels of land totaling three acres. That number is double the four parcels it had announced purchasing in a full-page ad in the Herald published Sept. 3. It has executed binding agreements to purchase two additional parcels in the same area. "It is in negotiation to purchase five of the remaining parcels in that footprint," said Malunda.

As shown by some reactions throughout the crowd, many residents are worried about what the university's expansion could mean. Many at the meeting were impacted either directly or indirectly by the university's involvement in Urban Renewal. Between th late 1950s and the late 1970s many low-income residents of the Woodlawn neighborhood were forced to move from their homes, and a CTA elevated station at 63rd Street was removed, a the result of university expansion [ the el removal, later, involved University influence, not Urban Renewal.] [What's the connection--did the people displaced by these and the insurance-arson related real depopulation in Woodlawn move to Washington Park?--were these people at the meeting or just "hear about it?]

Washington Park resident Lance Williams said he was very concerned about any possible displacement of at-risk residents. He looked back to his youth in the 1960s, when "masses of people got wiped out," and worried that it could happen again.

Malunda fielded some questions from community members, trying her best to assuage the unease of many there. Attempting to assure people that this action is very different from Urban Renewal, when federal money was funneled into cities to acquire adn demolish tenement housing and "undesirable" retail properties, she told the group that the university is working with the city, the CTA and local aldermen so that "development addresses the needs of the community."

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Intro:

Negotiations for heavy purchases immediately around the Garfield (55th) Green Line station, likely to figure largely both in redevelopment (and gentrification?) of Washington Park neighborhood and the Olympics, has sparked a feud with recently-elected 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell over University vision, plans, and especially attitude, which may or may not have relevance for the apparently changing but not much communicated same of the University re Hyde Park development and neighborhood direction.

This is apparently about the University feeling it should be free to pursue its own interests with regard to "gateways to its campus" (making them appealing in various ways), investing to have a role and making a profit in future corridors of redevelopment, and positioning itself re the Olympics and transportation and reasonably priced housing and retail access, and certainly claim to a role in directing the park including possibly use of the residual post-Olympic stadium.

Alderman Dowell says the University has left the community out of the loop about its plans, moving swiftly from being able to strictly speaking saying they "are not" doing this or that, to fait accompli and meetings with to city to which the alderman was not privy. Dowell said she feared "land banking" that, with so many vacant lots presently, would put a hold on hopes for present development, especially if the University pays top dollar.

University spokespersons say this set of purchases is small and unlikely to "drive" changes and development in Washington park and furthermore, according to Sonya Malunda in the Community Affairs Office (as quoted in the Herald), "The University's planned acquisitions are just one piece of a larger puzzle [upon which she did not elaborate]... The University would not initiate that conversation.... It is our hope that we can work with the city, the community and local aldermen to craft a redevelopment plan.... [University goal is to] help facilitate economic development west of the park, in partnership with others. We look forward to providing community benefits.

Dowell, who in the recent election had to parry accusations of being a front for the University because of her position at the School of Social Service Administration, seems genuinely irked at the University, citing its "track record" in dealing with communities as it expands: in a letter to President Zimmer (published in August 13 2008 Herald), she wrote "Considering the history of the university's development initiatives, it is not difficult to understand why the African American community in Chicago's South Side would have a negative perception of them." Malunda told the Herald that the University has shifted its approach and works hard at partnerships and programs to benefit the South Side.

The letter contains the following, "Given the tone and nature of or our recent meetings and the history the university has had with its surrounding areas, I do not feel confident that the interests of my community are being adequately considered. ...[the purchases were pursued] without regard to my expressed reservations about the university purchasing land in the Third Ward at this time. ...This is a sign of the university's willingness to disenfranchise the people who will be affected by your proposed expansion. [She quotes university spokespersons as saying] 'We will deal with our self-interests' [and that the purchases were 'ironclad.' [After describing history of conflicts and hope to turn to a better footing, she concludes,] I am hopeful that you will begin understanding the ned for community involvement, an improved relationship with local politicians, and the tremendous long-term impact your proposal will have on the people who call the Third ward home.

Subsequently, Aldermen Cochran (20th) and Preckwinkle (4th), and Hairston (5th) not as specifically, joined in the criticism of the University for not working with communities and elected officials and need for a quality partner of whom one does not have to be suspicious. They feared the new administration is less willing to work with local officials. Sandra Malunda of the University said she looked forward to meeting with the aldermen in September.

The Herald interviewed business owners and operators, such as the Citgo station at 368 E. Garfield, who was not happy at being bought out, and doubts the owner of his 25-year lease would sell. His worst fear is that the university would landbank for a long time, or its interest halt everyone else. There are a lot of vacant parcels, a history of low land values, and underutilized or low volume businesses.

September 3 the University published in the Herald a statement of its policy in Washington Park and denying secrecy while describing its aims in generalized terms.

Is the University purchasing Land in Washington Park? [modest number- 4 parcels, 2 acres, agreement on 6 more parcels and contacted 5 others, Garfield, King to Prairie]

Why is the University interested in this neighborhood? The University is purchasing land in Washington Park to foster near-term economic growth and jobs in this neighborhood and to ensure that it has sufficient land for potential uses many decades into the future. We believe we have the ability to jump-start economic development and engage with the community in a participatory development process that directly benefits the community.

Why does the University want to encourage economic growth in Washington Park? Today, Washington Park has more than 1,000 abandoned properties; almost one-third of the properties in Washington Park are City-owned. Unlike other parts of the South Side, economic development has eluded Washington Park. The neighborhood has lost two-thirds of its population -- from more than 50,000 in 1950 to fewer than 12,000 in 2005. The University would like to partner with the community to reverse these trends and to support the vision of a vibrant, mixed-income neighborhood.

how much land has the University purchased? The University has purchased eight parcels of land, totaling approximately three acres.

What types of parcels is the University pursuing? The University has executed binding agreements to purchase two additional parcels, and has contacted sellers regarding the acquisition of five other parcels, all of which are along Garfield Boulevard between King Drive and Prairie Avenue. All total no more that four acres.

How is the purchase price determined? As always, purchase price is the product of a negotiation with the seller, and is based upon the value of the property as determined by the market, and owner's willingness to sell the property.

What does the University plan to do with the land? The University would like to work with the community to define uses that benefit both the University and Washington Park residents. As a part of a participatory development process, we can bring many resources , including expanded outreach and career initiatives, as well as increased involvement in local schools, after-school programs, and youth development.

What is the University's basic approach to community development? We believe this process can only be successful if the community is fully engaged at every stage of development. As a partner in neighborhood development, the University seeks to create vibrant, safe, mixed-use communities; attract high-quality retail; expand mixed-income housing opportunities; improve educational opportunities; and create permanent jobs.

What kind of communication has the University had with elected official about Washington Park? We have been--and continue to be--in discussions with both 20th Ward Alderman Cochran and 3rd Ward Alderman Dowell, as well as City of Chicago officials, about our activities and our common goals. We are interested in joining with them to forge a partnership with the City and the community to improve the Washington Park neighborhood.

Will the University partner with other entities in order to develop the land? We believe that successful development will result from a participatory development process that includes the community, the City and the University. The University can play a significant role, but only as a partner in a larger process that will allow us to identify and engage local and national developers and retailers alike.

How much input will Washington Park residents have over how the land is used? Community involvement at every stage will be critical to the success's of a Washington Park development. The University would like to engage in a participatory process to determine the best uses for the land.

Is it possible that development encouraged by the University might have a negative impact on Washington Park residents? We are interested in working with the Aldermen and the City to devine a process that includes active community input at every stage.

How will a process be developed that fully engages the community? The university is interested in working with the Aldermen and the City to define a process that includes active community input at every stage.

What community benefits might the University be able to bring into Washington Par? Over the last 10 years, the University has committed more than $80 million to community projects and collaborations, including education, housing, employment and job training, and safety and security. In coming years, the University plans to increase substantially investments in, and collaborations with, neighborhoods north, south and west of campus. We believe we will be able to bring the type of community benefits and development to Washington Park that have been successful in neighboring communities.

How can the University attract developers to Washington Park? University investment can be a catalyst, attracting high-quality developers to this area. We see the University's purchase of land in Washington Park as key to a community-based, participatory development process.

How long will it take before we start to see something happening with the land purchased by the University? Market conditions will play a role, but we would hope to engage the community and the City in discussions as soon as possible. Earlier this year, Alderman Cochran invited the University to join community residents, faith-based institution,s and community leaders in a quality-of-life planning initiative in Washington Park administered by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). We look forward to working with Alderman Dowell on how best to seek input from her constituents.

Is the University's purchase of property in Washington Park affecting the availability of land for other uses? No. The University wants to engage in a community process to develop theses properties in ways that benefit both the University and the community. We recognize the need for participatory development, in which the University, by purchasing land, can play the role of catalyst.

How does the University's interest in Washington Park relate to the possibility of Chicago hosting the Olympics in 2016? Although the University's interest in fostering economic development is not connected to the 2016 Olympic bid, we believe that the Olympics may create the impetus for all sides to come together to talk and, ideally, partner for the benefit of the community.

How does the University's interest in Washington Park connect to its development activities in other South Side communities? The University is an active partner with the City and the community in projects that improve the quality of life on the South Side. Our interest in Washington Park is a part of that ongoing commitment.

These partnerships have led to a wide range of community benefits including:

  • The opening of the University's fourth charter school campus this fall...
  • As part of campus planning and development, we continue to work in partnership with local elected officials and community leaders to expand business diversity programs that ensure that contracting opportunities, jobs, and training programs that benefit the South Side and our local economy.
  • Thousands of students and faculty participate in volunteer and outreach activities...
  • The University works with the City of Chicago, the South East Chicago Commission, LISC, and many other community-based organizations to improve housing, retail, parks, and public facilities for the benefit of all. And the University of Chicago Police Department serves the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from 39th to 64th Streets and Cottage Grove Avenue to Lake Shore Drive.

How can community members ask questions or provide input about the planning process? Questions and ideas are welcome. Write to: communityaffairs@listhost.uchicago.edu or Office of Community and Civic Affairs, The University of Chicago, 5801 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637.
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Sept. 24 2008 Herald calls for UC to make "neighborly gesture," calls for signal of openness on Garfield Blvd., Doctors Hospital, Herald/Theater buildings, Harper Court; blames UC stonewalling for efforts to vote Drs Hospital precinct dry.

The climate created by the University of Chicago's (u.of C.) recent flurry of real estate activity and its stonewalling of those affected by their acquisitive tendenceies has sparked an unfortunate development, with opponents poised to vote the precinct that include Doctors Hospital "dry." This is a device that allows voters in a pr4idcint to ban the sale of alcohol there.

The Doctors Hospital controversy surrounds a deal between th university and White Lodging to build a pair of hotel buildings on the site. White Lodging representatives have recently returned tot he neighborhood to say they're willing to negotiate with the community about the hotels they will build -- but rejected pleas to preserve the orange-rated Doctors Hospital. The orange rating on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey means the property is considered historically significant. White Lodging needs to revisit this issue one more time. Other problems with the project include White Lodging's patchy history with service employees unions.

Nobody benefits if the property at Doctors Hospital is rendered virtually unusable. These unfortunate possibilities are signs of desperation by opponents of the plan and should alarm trustees and others at the university who understand the need for community cooperation.

Plans for Doctors Hospital, 5800 S. Stony Island Ave., represent just one of many purchases. Recent real estate moves by the university include the ouster of their developers of the Herald Building and Harper Theater, purchase of Harper Court and an ongoing series of purchases along Garfield Boulevard just west of Washington Park. What these purchases have in common is a lock of community input. Property is being bought in large quantity and the point of the purchases is either unknown or un discussed with any community up to this point.

Ignoring the community has not benefited the university, and now there is a risk that the Doctors Hospital property, once dry, will be unusable by any hotel developer, one of the few viable uses for the property in this economy. This, obviously, will not benefit the community.

Nobody is winning this war of disrespect. The recent purchases by the university in the area west of Washington Park where it has had no previous interest, and the lack of significant community inclusion thus far in its plans, will likely earn the continued animosity from Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), who outed the university's behavior there in the Herald. Dowell made public a letter to Robert Zimmer saying essentially that she would block the university's plans if the treatment she received from it continued. She clearly doesn't think its presence is benefiting her constituents. Forced to speculate, she suspects the university might be "land banking" -- purchasing the land with no intention of development in the near future. Nobody wins on Garfield Boulevard if the university ends up in a quarrel over its plans because of their roughshod approach.

What is required, clearly, is a strong signal to the communities that the University of Chicago will be open about its plans for Doctors Hospital, the Herald Building, Harper Theater, Harper Court and Garfield Boulevard and be open to input from the community.

The precinct including Doctors Hospital should not be voted dry. Dowell should not freeze development on Garfield Boulevard. The university, however, has to own up to what it's doing. Show without doubt that you are a good neighbor. Let us return to a more productive course.

October 8 Sonya Malunda, Assoc. VP for Civic Engagement, wrote in the Herald the U. of C. will remain a good neighbor.

The Sept. 24 editorial in the Hyde Park Herald ("U. of C. must make neighborly gesture") makes an important point about the University of Chicago being "open to input from the community."

The fact is, we are.

The University of Chicago continues to emphasize communication -- talking and listening -- with city and community leaders to address common concerns, including education, housing, employment, the lack of retail and entertainment choices and enhanced safety and security.

We participate regularly in neighborhood TIF meetings, as well as all aspects of the city-mandated community process for real estate development, including Harper Court/Harper Theater and Doctors Hospital. We do not believe such projects can be successful without active community engagement.

I write as a university employee, as one who has lived and worked on the South Side for more than 20 years. My husband and I chose to raise our family here because we share with neighbors the vision of a more vibrant and safe community.

University representatives -- including myself -- are always available to meet with members of the community. We are fully committed to developing projects in Hyde Park and neighboring communities that are shaped by public input and that create long-lasting benefits for our neighbors.

Washington Park, a neighborhood that has not enjoyed the same type of development as other areas of the South Side, stands to benefit greatly from a partnership that includes the university, the city, the alderman, community leaders and private developers. It is our hope that our investments will be a catalyst for positive change and economic development.

Finally, we applaud your stance on the 39th precinct petition drive. this type of regressive action would do long-term harm, sending a destructive message to anyone who might invest in Hyde Park or surrounding communities.

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A new plan for Washington Park: Garfield Blvd. tapped for transit-oriented development.

About Washington Park Consortium:

Ex. Dir. Brandon Johnson. Find under 6357 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Chicago, IL 60637. Phone: (773) 324-7592 or www.newcommunities.org/communities/washington/leadAgency.asp.
www.wpconsortium.org/directory.aspx. (LISC can also be found at 4659 S. Cottage Grove, 2nd Floor 60653.)
A coalition of many organizations and stakeholders brought together by LISC/New Communities to develop and advance a Quality of Life Plan for the Washington Park neighborhood and promote a host of initiatives by its members. "Everybody at the Table."
See plan: 749679839971580710-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/.

Herald, June 24, 2009. By Kate Hawley

Residents and stakeholders of Washington Park, Hyde Parks' neighbor to the west, have produced a road map for how they want their community to develop -- an increasingly charged topic given how powerfully a Chicago Olympics could reshape the area and the University of Chicago's recent historic investments into the neighborhood.

Beginning in March last year, more than 200 people representing a broad swath of local institutions met over a nine-month period with ald. Willie cochran (20th) to draft a quality-of-life pan for the neighborhood. Titled "Historic, Vibrant, Proud and Healthy," it was developed as part of the Local Initiatives support Corporation of Chicago, or LISC/Chicago, which is behind similar plans in 16 city neighborhoods.

The plan envisions Washington Park's vacant lost filled in with new housing affordable for a range of income levels, its historic buildings rehabbed, its youth engaged in constructive activities and its adults able to find decent jobs. Health care and support for senior citizens are also among the plan's 10 strategy points.

These are ambitious goals for Washington Park, which has struggled due to disinvestment over the last half-century. for example, the U.S. Census projected it 2005 population at 13,000, down from 57,000 in 1950.

But seismic changes are on the horizon for the neighborhood if Chicago wins its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, not least because track, field and swimming would take place inits eponymous 372-acre park. Some say the ground has already begun to shift with a series of land purchases along Garfield Boulevard by the University of Chicago.

"Neighborhood stakeholders consider the Olympic bid and the University of Chicago land purchases as both opportunities and threats," the plan's authors wrote. "While they may bring new investment and trigger implementation of projects in this plan, they could also repeat urban-renewal mistakes of the past that displaced residents or reshaped communities without the input of local residents." The authors continue, "We intend to be full participants in decisions about our neighborhood's future, and will use this plan to guide development."

Charts and drawings included in teh 35-page planning document show the stretch of Garfield Boulevard from teh Green Line station to the park -- where the university began negotiations to acquire 15 parcels last year -- targeted for "transit-oriented development." This type of development is generally mixed-use, dense and focused on generating foot traffic.

Sonya Malunda, associate vice president in the university's Office of Civic Engagement, participated in the quality-of-life planning from the onset at Cochran's invitation. The university will follow the community's lead when it comes to development in Washington Park, much as it did during recent planning efforts in Woodlawn and the Quad Communities area, she said. "Our role has been that of a junior partner."

A thriving Washington Park would benefit Hyde Park's retail environment and give university students and other Hyde Park residents better access to Washington Park's Green Line stations and the Dan Ryan Expressway, she added.

Developing Garfield Boulevard, though critical to Washington Parks' retail environment, is just a small part of the overall plan, which includes 59 separate recommendations. To put them into practice, the steering company of local stakeholders created a nonprofit called the Washington Park Consortium. Backed by a seed grant of about $200,000 from LISC/Chicago, the consortium began operations in May, according to its executive director Brandon Johnson. Collaborations with other local groups have produce a series of initiatives.

According to the report, the South Side Federal Credit Union has begun offering checking accounts and has expanded its foreclosure counseling, The Life Center Church of God in Christ has launched new youth programs at its K.L.E.O. Family Life Center and th Washington Park Advisory Council has installed new furniture adn equipment in its computer technology center and offered a sports day camp.

Johnson said he hopes to gain the community's trust by kicking these smaller programs into gear right away. "There's a lot of skepticism in communities across Chicago, and Washington Park is not an exception, about plans actually being fulfilled," he said.

He expressed confidence that the consortium is on the right path. "We've got everybody at the table", he said. Top

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Real estate publications, study have recently (mid 2008) spotlighted HP retail development prospects, including for a national anchor. Does this point to a possible "other road" the University may be pursuing along side the public process? Neighborhood's diversity cited as a key asset and its dollar leakage as inviting development. (See Antheus page article on Village Center for discussion of another key element--enough space to draw in a set of different retail venues.)

Herald, July 16, 2008

Two recently published reports suggest Hyde Park is poised to experience a spate of retail development and consider the conditions the neighborhood requires to fuel that possibility. Pointing to the University of Chicago's recent real estate acquisitions along 53rd Street, the Illinois Real Estate Journal suggests that one key component to a resurgence of the retail strip--a national retail anchor--is much more likely to emerge.

Meanwhile, an unrelated study by De Paul University's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development reveals that the neighborhood's diversity is an important element for drawing businesses here.

The Illinois Real Estate Journal quotes Barry Schain, principal of Next Realty, as seeing a large anchor tenant in the neighborhood "within reach" given the university's ownership of the Harper Theater and Herald Building on the northwest corner of 53rd Street and Harper Avenue and its recent purchases of Harper Court on the nearby parcel between 52nd and 53rd streets on Harper Avenue.

The article also points to significant "leakage," meaning residents shopping outside of the neighborhood, as a sure sign of potential new retail development. The article identified $37.32 million in home improvement leakage, and $17.13 and $.16 million in apparel and grocery leakage, respectfully.

The Chaddick Institute study, after describing diversity as "an important business development tool," identified Hyde Park as the third most diverse neighborhood in Chicago and the most diverse in terms of diversity of income.

While exploring the possibilities for Hyde Park's retail future, the Illinois Real Estate Journal cautioned those looking to the possible 2016 Olympic bid as a retail draw. "What people should be considering is, is this the potential home for the Barack Obama Presidential Library in four years? " David Baum, principal of Baum Realty Group LLC, told the journal. "Real estate is something that has to be used 365 days a year - you don't sign a 20-year leases [for the period when the Olympics will be in town]."

Until recently, Baum was the developer for the university's property on the northwest corner of 53rd Street. Baum told the journal that their unsuccessful efforts to land the kind of tenants the university is after reflect shaky retail economy. "It's certainly indicative of the market on some level," Baum said. "There are a lot of people not ready to pull the trigger. We're getting deals done, but [tenants] are more guarded right now."

Baum also said the university had contracted with him to have a certain percentage of the tenants sighed within a time frame and opted out when that goal was not met.

....all eyes appear to be on the neighborhood, ready for signs of a retail resurgence.

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University of Chicago bought Harper Court as announced May 12 2008. Administrators have said they brought not only leading presence by likelihood they will be guaranteed lessee for student housing, office space. The University is eyeing expansion of the footprint and other 53rd purchases. The University, City and Ald. Preckwinkle are going forward with public RFP process, with a Guidelines document for RFP preparation on line through June 12- access and comment links in Harper Court page.

The University has also bought Chicago Theological Seminary (58th Univ. to Woodlawn) to house a Milton Friedman Institution in Economics and Policy. The University will build new buildings for CTS (to be leased at $1 a year) in the 6000 block of Dorchester-- the community garden near the Steam Plant and for Meadville School south of the formerly forbidden line of 61st Street at Ellis. (Seminary Co-op Bookstores will stay for at least two years.) We were told that present plans for McGiffert Hall on Woodlawn are to tear it down and build Graduate School of Business student housing. Articles are currently in the University Projects Updates page.

The Osco site, the anchor at the east end of Dorchester Commons in the 1400 block of E. 53rd St., will have a Fifth Third Bank branch. The realty firm is global firm CB Richard Ellis, the construction company is Detroit-based minority owned Jenkins Construction. It has support of Ald. Preckwinkle and the Chicago Urban League, which will help direct workers to the project from its Entrepreneurship Center training and jobs program run jointly with the Kellogg School of Management.

Hansel Whitehurst, Jenkins business says the project (or at least the minority ownership and training part) is supporting "the Hyde Park community vision of the Urban League and Ald. Preckwinkle" according to the Herald. Whether this will be widely viewed as "vision" for 53rd retail redevelopment remains to be seen.

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53rd Cornell planned development to go higher, rental- discussion at May 12 TIF mtg. Leal 53rd plans page.

University says still no decision on IC Hospital site or location for hotel/conference center- see Doctors Hospital page.

Alderman Hairston and the city seek resident view on downzoning all of East Hyde Park from 53rd to 56th, Metra to the Lake to RM5 (no more than 5 stories) for new construction.

Herald/Harper Theater complex may become complete facade historic restoration project- or deal may have been set aside or on hold?

John Kretchmar pushes plan for c30 story high rise on Indian Village parking lot despite lot space owner and neighbor opposition, aldermanic distancing. Note- no one knows if such a large project would sell in today's market.

30 more stories for East Hyde Park? Indian Village parking lot owners object to high-rise proposal. Hyde Park Herald, May 7, 2008, by Kate Hawley

Neighbors have balked at a developer's plan to build a high-rise on the site of the Indian Village parking lot at 4941 S. East End Ave. John Kretchmar, the developer of the lot, hopes to sell the land to another developer, who wants to build a high-rise, according to Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th).

The proposed tower would be at least 30 stories and contain 110 condominium residences and 260 parking spaces, according to documents furnished to the Herald by several people who own parking spaces in the lot. Preckwinkle declined to name the purchasing the site. According to the documents, the developer is Indian Village Development Corp., headed by Bill Seene.

Kretchmar developed the parking lot, manages it and owns some of the spaces. For his plan to proceed, he needs to secure air rights over the other spaces from the owners. They would get deeded garage spaces in the new building, the documents show.

At this stage, the alderman is withholding her support for the proposed high-rise. "I've made it clear to the prospective developer that he needs to prove that he has the financing in place, and that he has permission from the owners," Preckwinkle said. "I haven't seen either of those things."

Kretchmar held an informational meeting for the owners of the parking spaces-- which are owned as condominiums-- on April 23 a the Ramada Lake Shore Chicago, 4900 S. Lake Shore Drive, the documents show.

According to Preckwinkle, the owners deposed him as president of the condominium association and stated their opposition to the high-rise plan. A letter signed by six of the owners, distributed to the others in advance of the April 23 meeting, contends that the high-rise would obstruct views at The Powhatan, 4950 S. Chicago Beach Drive; The Narragansett, 1640 E. 50th St.; and The Barclay, 4940 S. East End Ave. That would bring property values down, the letter states.

The letter also argues that construction would inconvenience the parking space owners and that overall traffic congestion would get worse. "I think the community is intensely interested in this," said Alfred Baker, who signed the letter along with Dorothy Clark Baker, Marian Jacobson, Fruman Jacobson, Linda Tuggle and Olive Whitley.

At the meeting, Kretchmar showed renderings and a scale model of the proposed high-rise, Baker said. Renderings provided to the Herald show a glassy modern tower designed by Lucien Lagrange Architects, a high-profile Chicago firm know for both contemporary and neoclassical buildings. Kretchmar declined to make any comment.

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St. Stephens developer back? ((5600 bl. Blackstone). Herald, May 7, 2008. By Kate Hawley

A long-dormant proposal to redevelop the vacant, increasingly rundown St. Stephens church building is showing signs of progress, according to a spokeswoman for Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th).

Developer Gus Antoniou bought the property, located in the 5600 block of South Blackstone Avenue, about a decade ago. He has tried numerous times to redevelop it since then, but hit roadblocks when neighbors objected. "We are on our fourth set of complete plans," Antoniou said. He as lately formed the development group Tekna Group LLC to revive the project after a five-year hiatus. He said an aldermanic hold is being released on his demolition and building permits.

The last plan floated by Antoniou called for preserving the church's facade and building condos behind it. He still intends to preserve the facade, but some other elements of the plan have shifted. Antoniou said he now plans to build a seven-story structure with parking located on the ground level. An earlier plan called for an additional level of underground parking, he said. And the condos will now be larger and more expensive. Instead of the 20 units called for in the previous plan, the new building will have 12 homes with the kind of luxury amenities not uncommon in downtown high-rises.

Each unit will have its own private elevator entrance, and the parking level will include an indoor car wash for residents, for example. The 3,600-square-foot spaces will be completely customized except for the plumbing, Antoniou said. Prices start at $1.7 million, according to the 5th Ward office. "That's what the market demands," Antoniou said, adding that high-end homes are the safest bet for developers in the midst of a housing slump. "The people who buy these units don't have the financial restrictions others do."

Securing enough pre-sales to begin construction is his biggest obstacle to going forward with the project, according to Antoniou. No zoning changes are required, he said. Three units have sold so far through word of mouth, he said. Pamela Holt of AtProperties will be marketing the condos.

Antoniou has been in communication with the neighbors immediately surrounding the church about the latest iteration of the plans, and larger public meetings will be scheduled in the coming months, the 5th Ward spokeswoman said. Linda Neal, a resident of the 5600 block of South Blackstone Avenue who has long been involved with the St. Stephens plans, said she and a good number of her neighbors generally approve of Antoniou's latest proposal. "I happen to think it's a very, very good one," she said, adding "It's premature to say too much."

"They've been demanding," Antoniou said of the building's neighbors. During his last attempt to build on the site, they even put together legal agreement that required him to get approval from two parties before making any changes, he said. "I've never seen this before, that a community controlled what a developer is going to build," he said. "They've created their own product for me to sell to them." Top

 

Hank Webber leaves UC. Spark of redevelopment

From: Robert J. Zimmer [mailto:president@uchicago.edu]
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 10:28 AM
To: Faculty and Staff
Subject: Announcement

To: Faculty and Staff
From: Robert J. Zimmer, President
Re: Hank Webber Announcement
I am writing to inform you that Hank Webber, our Vice President for Community and Government Affairs, has accepted a position as Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration at Washington University in St. Louis, effective March 1, 2008. Hank has given extraordinary service to the University of Chicago during his 21 years as an administrator and instructor, and we will be sorry to lose him. But his new position at Washington University is a wonderful opportunity, and we wish him well in this new phase of his career.

The University of Chicago has a deep and longstanding connection to the City of Chicago and to our surrounding communities on the South Side. We embrace our role as citizens of the South Side community and our role in contributing to its development. A key feature of this citizenship is a rich engagement as partners with City and South Side community leaders and organizations. These partnerships have increased significantly in number and level of engagement over the past decade, and Hank’s leadership has provided an essential component of these efforts.

Hank will remain in his position at the University until mid-February, giving us time to implement a smooth transition and to launch a search for his replacement. Filling this position is a very high priority for the University. We plan to conduct that process thoroughly and expeditiously and hope to name a successor by the time he departs.

Hank joined the University in 1986 as the deputy director of financial planning and budget and as a lecturer in the School of Social Services Administration. He has held a number of administrative positions, most recently being appointed vice president for community affairs in 1997 and adding government affairs to his responsibilities in 2001. During that time, he has represented the University with great dedication in every facet of our interactions with the community and has overseen a wide array of functions including University Police, Real Estate Operations, Court Theatre, International House, and Government Relations.

Hank and his colleagues in Community and Government Affairs have built new and stronger relationships between the University and community, religious, and civic organizations and political leaders on the South Side of Chicago, contributing to community revitalization in North Kenwood, Oakland, and Woodlawn and a new spirit of partnership between the University and our surrounding communities.

Most notably, he was instrumental in the creation of what has grown into the Urban Education Initiative. He is the founding and current chair of the Governing Board of the University of Chicago Charter Schools Corporations and chairs the Administrative Oversight Board of the Consortium on Chicago School Research. In addition, he played an essential role in the development of the Collegiate Scholars Program.

He also led the steering committee and a joint effort by the University, community, and Chicago Park District to revitalize the Midway, including the development of a permanent skating rink, new gardens, and new playing fields. He was a key part of the University team that worked to secure the current contracts to manage Argonne and Fermi national laboratories.
Hank has made these and many other administrative contributions while teaching regularly in SSA and maintaining a research program.

In his new role at Washington University, Hank will be the university’s chief administrative officer and will oversee facilities, campus planning, capital projects, campus security, and off-campus real estate acquisition and development. Please join me in wishing him well in his new endeavors.

Herald: Hank Webber bids university farewell. November 7, 2007. By Sam Cholke

March 1 will mark the end of a 21-year engagement between Hank Webber and the University of Chicago. Webber has accepted a position as executive vice chancellor for administration at Washington University in St. Louis and will leave his post as vice president for community and government affairs at the University of Chicago (U. of C.)

"It's extraordinarily difficult to leave," Webber said. "This has our home, this has been where we raised our children, this has been our set of networks--a set of extraordinarily confident, thoughtful, dedicated people who I've come to have great respect for. It's very hard."

Webber was a key player in Community and Development Affairs and worked with his colleagues and the community to build stronger relationships between the university and community, religious and civic organizations on the South Side of Chicago. "I think Hyde Park, South Kenwood and the mid-South Side is in the midst of one of the great stories of revitalization in the United States," Webber said. "I'm proud that I've played a role in making that happen, and I'm also very confident that it will continue."

Webber said he looks forward to new challenges at Washington University. In his new position, Webber will be the chief administrative officer overseeing facilities, campus planning, capital projects, campus security and of-campus real estate acquisition and development. "I think the challenges of helping contribute to making Washington University--which is a first rate institution--an even stronger institution and help it work with the city of St. Louis and the St. Louis region --to make that an even stronger place to live are the challenges that I hope I can contribute to," Webber said.

The senior leadership at Washington University is excited to have Webber tackle these challenges. "Hank has been an impressive leader for more than two decades at the University of Chicago, one of America's premier research institutions," said Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton in a prepared statement. "He brings a wealth of knowledge to our community--knowledge about how great universities an have a positive impact in their local communities."

Webber said the opportunity to continue teaching was an important factor in is decision and said he would have been reluctant to consider a position that would not allow him to continue his research projects. "It is the opportunity for me to be both a practitioner but also to reflect on what I'm doing as a practitioner in a broader context," Webber said. "It's something I've found enormously appealing and want to continue."

The prospect of new challenges on the horizon has lured Webber to St. Louis, but he hopes to carry the lesson instilled in him while serving the U. of C. and the South Side. "What I'm going to miss most about the University of Chicago is the relentless commitment to thinking hard about important issues--the commitment to reflection, but not reflection for reflection's sake," Webber said. "It's the extraordinary commitment to the notion that ideas matter and by thinking hard, by making the right initiatives, you can make a difference. It's not ideas just for ideas sake. It's ideas to change t he world."

Webber said he hopes to find a sense of civic responsibility similar to what he found in Hyde Park. "What I'll miss most about Hyde Park, South Kenwood is really two things: One is the extraordinary diversity of the community," Webber said, "and the second part of this... is the engagement, the level of civic engagement, about the future of this neighborhood that people have." Webber said that he hopes his work has left his neighborhood a better place. "I hope what I leave is a community that is stronger " Webber said. "And if I've left it even a very little bit stronger, I feel good about what I've done."


Maroon November 6 2007, Webber to leave U of C; VP built town-gown relations. By Rhema Hokama

In the past two decades he has spent living and working in Hyde Park, Hank webber has witnessed the transformation of the University from an isolated, inward looking institution into an active player in the development of surrounding neighborhoods. Last Thursday, Webber, vice president for community and government affairs at the University, announced his departure for Washington University in St. Louis...

Two overarching factors influenced Webber's decision during the long months of negotiation and soul-searching. "I have to say first that it's an extraordinarily attractive position in a very exciting city that's redeveloping. It's a chance to have a broader impact on [Washington] University an its community than at the institution I'm currently at. It's simply a terrific job as a job," he said..

Webber said that less concrete factors also influenced his decision to leave the University. "It did seem to me time. I've been here [at Chicago] for 21 years and I've had this [current] job for just about 11 years," he said. "I do believe that change can be really invigorating and it's not just good for the individual but also for the institution. I don't think it would be food for Chicago if I stayed with my job for another 15 years until I retired," he added.

"I feel like I've been enormously blessed to have been able to do this wok for the last 11 years. There were many times I said to myself, 'I can't believe they actually pay me to do this.' I love my job so much. If I've contributed, I've contributed, but I've probably taken so much more."

Webber added that the recent change in University administrations with the inauguration of President Robert Zimmer last summer was not a contributing factor to his departure for Washington University. "I think that over the past 10 years and under the last three presidents of the University...ther's been a strong commitment by the University to redevelopment of the South Side of Chicago and the health of he city," he said. "If anything, I think Bob [Zimmer] is committed to increasing the depth of our involvement,"

Developments in improving public education on the South Side have been one of the University's central community concerns through the last three administrations, Webber said. Under President Hugo Sonnenschein, the University launched the Urban Education Initiative, which oversees Chicago-area charter school campuses. The program expanded to include the Urban Teachers Education masters program during President Don Michael Randel's administration and added its third charter school under President Zimmer.

"I definitely think there is continuity in terms of commitment to these issues," Webber said. Webber also identified community redevelopment and integration as other areas of focus during his time in Hyde Park. "In the 11 years I've had this job I think the challenge has been to support the redevelopment of the neighborhoods north and south of Hyde Park. When I first moved here 21 years ago, Hyde Park was very much an island. Very few faculty members went of 47th or south of 64th[Streets]," he said.

Webber added that as community-relations issues develop over time, he projects that affordable housing and gentrification will become key issues for the South Side, particularly in the Washington Park neighborhoods west of the University. Further development of public education, improvement in public safety, expanding commercial and retail options for consumers, and "finding out ways to make the University a bigger employer of South Side residents" are all issues that will continue to take center stage in Hyde Park town-gown negotiations, he said.

And although Webber envisions the University as an integral player in future campus-community dialogues, he also believes that the University must continue its open exchange with surrounding neighborhoods and residents. "I think one of my main responsibilities has been helping the University play a role in that redevelopment and helping the University recognize that we are a player and that we cannot nor should be a senior partner in [community] issues," he said. "We're one of the most important institutions in the city and it is my belief that institutions are most effective when they combine a sense of the right thing to do with their own interest." "I can't tell you that every bit of controversy is a good thing when you're the largest institution," he said.

Yet the good news, he added, is that Hyde Park is distinguished by its community and civic involvement. "People care about these issues. This is not a place of apathy. Chicago has a strong mayor, a strong non-profit sector, a set of great community leaders and political leaders. I think the challenge is to continue finding ways to work with these people productively and I have every confidence that the University will continue to do this," he said. "I have every confidence that he University will continue this work under President Zimmer, under the Provost...so I'm not leaving with worry. Top

Transit Oriented development featured at March 10, 2008 TIF meeting

53rd Street meeting to feature transit talk- Herald March 5, by Kate Hawley

An expert on transit-oriented development will speak in Hyde Park next week, as part of ongoing public discussions about how to redevelop Hyde Park's 53rd Street commercial corridor. Linda Young, a researcher with the Center for Neighborhood Technology, will give the talk at the March 10 meeting of the 53rd street TIF Council. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave.

The goal of transit-oriented development (TOD) is to cut down on the ill effects of sprawl by reducing dependence on cars. Its best-known precept is to locate new development near mass-transit hubs. But, as Young explained, it also aims to reduce auto traffic and congestion in other ways, by calling for compact, mixed-use developments that are friendly to pedestrians and bicycles. Residents in these mixed-use buildings support the businesses in them, thereby creating vibrant street life, Young said. And residents rarely need their cars to go shopping.

TOD often requires less parking, she added, which bucks the conventional wisdom that denser development inevitably leaves traffic hassles in its wake. "Density is a term some people are afraid of because of a lot of misconceptions," Young said. She noted that density can mean high-rises surrounded by seas of parking lots; it can also mean mid-rise buildings with shops on the ground floor and residences above, surrounded by inviting sidewalks.

Hyde Park residents would do well to consider these ideas, said Irene Sherr, a local planning consultant who invited Young to speak. She pointed out that 53rd and 51st street intersect with a Metra station and a handful of bus routes.

Sherr emphasized that several sites proposed for redevelopment sit near this transit hub, including Harper Court, the larger 53rd Street commercial corridor and Village Center, the shopping center on the southwest corner of Hyde Park Boulevard and Lake Park Avenue. "All of these development opportunities that are there could be viewed through the lens of TOD," said Sherr. "It's something all of us should think about."

The Center for Neighborhood Technology is a Chicago nonprofit that has worked on a national level to build sustainable communities, including research and advocacy for TOD.

Should zoning remap be part of the visioning mix?

Jack Spicer to Feb. 13, 2008 Herald:

The aldermanic zoning abuses revealed in the recent and ongoing Tribune series are shocking and discouraging. Fortunately neither of our aldermen have been implicated. But this scandal may be the perfect opportunity for our alderman to lead the community through a comprehensive remapping process for Hyde Park under the new and genuinely improved Chicago Zoning Ordinance.

MAC acquires big property block, potentially affecting neighborhood housing, quality directions. (for update visit the Antheus/MAC page)

MAC Properties (assoc. Antheus Capital of N.J.) added 43 K& G and 4 other buildings in area, tripling its holdings and becoming one of the largest owners in Hyde Park. It's known for rehabbing housing into quality rental; but there questions about affordable components of the neighborhood--K & G was a major renter to students, though upkeep, service were at times questioned. Down the line some buildings could be sold or go condo.

In spring 2007, Antheus Capital took out a $123 million 10-year loan to complete its purchase of 43 buildings (5 on Drexel/ 5600 block since sold to U of C) including rehab. A resident asserted that rehab of all the remaining buildings would drive up rents threatening affordability.

The Hyde Park Herald and the Chicago Maroon reported during the week of April 1 2007 on the March 29 closure of sale of the 43 K & G residential buildings, and 4 other residential buildings, in Hyde Park-Kenwood. Counting its 23 or so buildings already bought in the previous five years (since 2002), MAC now has more than 70 buildings in the area (2800 units), making it one of the largest (non- U of C) owners in the neighborhood. MAC's previous properties, shown previously by the company at public meetings, ran in two wide swaths, south southeast from 51st and Lake Park (Village Center) along Cornell and S. Hyde Park to the Windermere at 56th and Cornell, where it plans to build a 26 story condo building on the parking lot and another swath approximately along 53rd southwestward. Locations and concentrations of John McGarry's K & G properties were not disclosed in the media articles. The other buildings bought were two on Woodlawn, one on Greenwood and one on Kimbark, which will remain rental.

Eli Ungar, a lead manager and investor for MAC, said they are keeping the rental buildings rental. Nothing was said about how many and how much buildings would be upgraded or rehabbed, but that K & G had a discerning eye and acquired a portfolio of good, "quintessential Chicago" graystone buildings, mainly 3 and 4 flat, and had preserved many (from deterioration and tear down?). MAC would have to take time to decide what to do with each building; some down the line could be sold or turned into condos. Meanwhile, as is Antheus practice, each building will be owned by a separate LLC and managed by MAC, which is moving its office and staff of 60 (at least one from K and G) to the former Day and Nite store in the 1600 block of E. 55th Street.

Asked why the heavy investment in Hyde Park, Ungar told the Herald he studied the area's demographics and though Hyde Park is a strong market for investing in apartments but not as strong for condominiums as some other parts of Chicago and has little new construction.

Alderman Hairston told the Herald she is pleased MAC will be holding this large block of housing as rental; that there are not enough rental units in Hyde Park, and that the commitment to keep the units rental addresses gentrification fears. [Editor--the latter depends on whether and how many of the units are substantially rehabbed into middle high or high end rental vs fixing up as affordable and mixed income rental and managing well.] Gary Ossewaarde, of HPKCC and reflecting discussion with Mr. Ungar at a HPKCC Board meting earlier this year, but speaking for himself, was quoted in the Maroon, "Clearly, they remake the buildings and charge higher rents...Ont he one hand, it renews the stock; on the other hand, it narrows the affordability in those buildings and the neighborhood."

On the other hand, vacancies (retail and residential) in many of the MAC buildings as will as others particularly in East Hyde Park, was cited (rightly or wrongly) as contributing to as well as reflecting a sense that the neighborhood is on the skids rather than on the verge of a gentrification convulsion such as some others fear.

Students of the University had lots of questions for the new manager after they received their notices of change in management and payout of interest on security deposits. The Maroon reported that students interviewed said their K & G apartments are in poor physical condition. Some said service was poor, others that service had been good.

Letter of Mary Rose Shaughnessy. Herald, July 25 2007 [For contrary views or more discussion, see letter of Edward Perovic, following. See also the 56th Cornell and Village Center pages and High Rises and Conversions.]

Whoa--is this a Mac Management invasion?

Whoa! What's going on in our Hyde Park? Have you noticed all the Mac Management signs around Hyde Park? Have you heard of Antheus Capital LLC? You should know that this corporation owns over 80 properties in Hyde Park, managed by Mac Management. Take a look at the website of their holdings in Hyde Park: [http://www.]macapartments.com/mac/a_ch_hp_overview.html.

Be sure to click on the Property List by Address link to see the specific buildings. Chances are you live in or nest door to one of his properties. I do.

Does this look like it's getting to be a monopoly? O, yes, now you remember. Isn't Antheus Capital the one who has big plans for the Village Center? And the Windermere? And isn't it the one planning to put up that tower next to Bret Harte School?

If Antheus Capital continues unchecked--it may end up owning more of Hyde Park than the University of Chicago.

What's wrong with this, you ask? Do we want one man, Eli Ungar of Englewood, New Jersey to have a monopoly in Hyde Park?

We wonder what plans has he got for us? Well, to begin with, he thinks we need more expensive condos. "There are very few options for people interested in a highly amenitized, well-located condo building in Hyde Park," he said about the new tower at 56th Street and Cornell Avenue. "There's been very little new construction of residential buildings in Hyde Park," he claims.

Apparently he missed the highly amenitized new residential developments that have gradually filled every inch of Hyde Park before he arrived in 2002.

Can higher real estate taxes be far behind? And judging from the steel and glass tower he plans for the parking lot next to Bret Harte, he has no idea of what architecture is appropriate to Hyde Park.

Ungar also does not seem to understand the character of the community. Hyde Park has never been a bedroom community of short-termers who come for a few years to work and then move on. Yet that is what Hyde Park could become if the middle-income renters have to move out because they can't afford the new rents after he upgrades his rental properties, as he is doing with the Algonquin Apartments. "Stainless steel appliances, including a dishwasher, are surrounded by granite counter, granite backsplashes and white laminate cabinets. Translucent doors that match the hall closet enclose one pair of cabinets. White subway tiles line the kitchen's far wall, and dark beige ceramic tiles cover the floor," according to Janice Rosenberg in a "Special to the Tribune" March 18.

Stainless steel and granite counters will mean middle-class residents and seniors who are already paying almost half of their income to live in the Algonquin will have to leave. Does he plan to "amenitize" all the 80+ buildings Antheus owns in Hyde Park?

Do we want upgraded buildings at the expense of our long term neighbors? Do we want Hyde Park to become Evanston-on-the-Midway? Do we want to drive out the middle class from Hyde Park? Do we want our real-estate taxes going through the roof?

Is Mr. Ungar interested in us, or is he only interested in the profit that can be made from hot properties for his corporation?


Joseph Samuelson says we can live with Mac Mgt. invasion, says it offers much improvement over previous owner's neglect.

Without even looking in the White Pages, it was clear that Mary Rose Shaughnessy does not live in a previously owned K&G Building now owned by MAC. Having visited many such buildings in my search for a home in Hyde Park, I was disgusted by the way they were kept. In typical Hyde Park fashion, any time there is a change for the better, people kick and scream.

Thankfully we live in a free society. Clearly the owner of K&G saw a lucrative deal when he sold his properties to Mr. Eli Ungar and so did Mr. Ungar. If Ms. Shaughnessy does not approve of people owning all this property, perhaps she should rethink the values of living in this country. Besides, instead of instead of screaming about Mr. Ungar, why doesn't she address her complaints to the owner of K&G who sold them to him? How is it that she doesn't question his motives or interests?

I have had enough of people in this neighborhood trying to prevent Hyde Park from coming out of the Middle Ages. Of course we need a hotel in Hyde Park We have only one badly run facility and everyone else stays downtown. And then we cry when stores and businesses are leaving the neighborhood.

And of course we need a new supermarket. Why on earth do we need a Cooperative? We do not live in the '50s anymore and we are all worse off clinging to this old mismanaged institution that hasn't paid dividends or lowered its prices in years. Of course the big guys can do it better than a small operation like the Coop. It is time to bring in a Dominick's or Jewel that can bring a pleasant shopping experience and decent prices. Notice I did not write Wal-Mart, although that would be amazing.)

And finally, Hyde Parkers tend to forget that we border very poor neighborhoods, and of course we need the Olympics in Washington Park as a chance to revitalize the South Side. It is about time we got on board and thought about ways to assist and benefit from these developments instead of kicking and screaming. They will happen anyway, and it is up to us to be proud of our assistance and input or be humiliated by their success.

 

Edward Perovic says Some development needs to happen in Hyde Park, community input becoming community roadblock. Herald, July 25, 2007

The front page of the Hyde Park Herald on July 18 would be comical if it didn't reflect a sad truth about our community. The three front page stories carried the following texts "Residents reject high-rise proposal for Mobil-McDonald's site;" JPAC says no to Olympics;" "Open meeting to be held for Doctors Hospital" and "Whether public approval will be given to demolish." Letters to the Editor offered more of the same.

"Community input" in Hyde Park is becoming "Community roadblock."Every time a developer or the university proposes a new project, there is immediate outcry. for decades, all these outcries have produced is more vacant lots and boarded-up buildings. Meanwhile, we Hyde Parkers continue to do our shopping, eating and movie-going outside the neighborhood.

While the South Loop and practically every other community in Chicago has seen a dramatic increase in retail and entertainment offerings, we have seen an increase in empty storefronts. Hyde Park's reputation has become one of anti-development and anti-retail. The lack of restaurants and basic necessity retailers speaks volumes. You can create all the TIFs in the world but if retailers are chased away by "community input," the TIFs become useless. It's difficult to raise property taxes on vacant storefronts.

I have spoken to several friends (all Hyde Parkers) after the Herald broke the news about the Doctors Hospital being replaced by a hotel. The consensus was that it's a wonderful idea. Makes perfect sense to have a hotel so close to the museum as well as to serve the visitors to the university and hospitals. The idea of a possible "quality restaurant" within the hotel was exciting (not so much for yet another Starbucks, however!)

My point being that there are many Hyde Parkers who are tired of driving by vacant lots and boarded-up buildings on our way to the north side to watch a movie and do our shopping.

Should the university or developers be given carte blanche when it comes to their projects? Of course not. The first and foremost concern should be parking. Developers should be given notice that Hyde Park welcomes development as long a your development can facilitate the parking needs of your project without creating a parking burden to existing neighbors. Anything beyond that is trivial. Not everyone in a community can be satisfied with any given project.

Surely we can create win-win situations with developers that will bring Hyde Park into the 21st century without sacrificing our academic and cultural traditions. a high-rise or two may be the price we need to pay but it is in all of our interests to set aside the roadblocks and create real community input that will revitalize our wonderful and unique neighborhood. Top

Does HP have a perceptual land use dilemma- perceptions of density vs bus. development?

Sylvia Telser writes the August 1 Herald:

Hyde Parkers want successful stores offering a range of products at reasonable prices. Hyde Parkers do not want high-rise development built on currently empty lots and boarded up buildings.

Go to the South Loop and points north and what does one see? Many successful stores bustling with customers. Whence come these paying customers? From the high density high-rise developments surrounding the retailers. It takes a critical mass of population to support purveyors of goods profitably. Will Hyde Parkers ever resolve this dilemma? Top

Top

Herald says too many bank branches (see details of criticism in Business Climate), too little of Harper Court's mission to support needed small businesses. December 6, 13, 2006.

Herald asks, December 16 2006, Where is Harper Court's plan to continue their mission in Hyde Park?

There is huge competition among banks for the retail business. This competition has led to a remarkable shift in store space in Hyde Park. This competition as noted in last week's Herald has resulted in seven branch banks in prime retail space in our community.

We've become short of awnings for convenience stores, restaurants, and gift shops. Seven locally-owned businesses including a popular clothing store lost their storefront spaces. One relocated in Hyde Park, but six of them left.

If anything is needed to demonstrate why Harper court could play a role in our community, this is it. Its mission was to pay attention to the needs of the community. Its original group of tenants were and continue to be good businesses. Harper Court has restaurants, services we need like the veterinarian, and businesses we wanted to attract like Artisans 21.

Commercial landlords are going to look for the best economic deal. And banks demonstrate that. But this was not the intent of Harper Court when it opened in 1965.

Where is Harper Court's plan to continue their mission in Hyde Park?

Top

A negative counterpoint: Sharonjoy Jackson says community wishes ignored in development.

She points to

David L. Hoyt gives a tongue-in-cheek reaction to negative comments on the 56th Cornell development in "Save the parking lot."

I would like to announce the formation of a "Committee to save the Parking Lot" at the northwest intersection of 56th Street and Cornell Avenue This parking lot, a precious relic of urban renewal, may be destroyed forever if plans for a 26-story residential high-rise on the site go through.

The committee stand on the principle that the auto-oriented nature of our city should be preserved, and that plentiful parking lots are the best way to do this. Parking lots reduce congestion by getting cars off the street. A tall building near bus lines and a Metra station would only mean more people would use public transportation. The bus and trains are too crowded anyway, so we don't need more people using them.

The Committee also feels that the proposed structure would attract relatively high-income households. Because these are the types of people who tend to have disposable income, they would probably spend it in our neighborhood. This would only reinvigorate local business, leading to a further reduction in the charming variety of vacant storefronts and marginal retail services we have worked so hard to preserve.

Most importantly, studies show that school children have more fun when they have recess on a playground next to a nice clean parking lot than when they play beside a tall building.

Organizations such as the Congress for New Urbanism and the American Planning Association would have us believe that cities prosper most when they are dense and not like suburbs; that higher residential densities shift traffic from cars to public transportation thereby reducing congestion; and that "transit-oriented development" stimulates local business, makes neighborhoods safer, and gives cities a vibrant, "urban" feeling.

The Committee finds his ridiculous and objects to all of it. Please act now to save our parking lot heritage.

 

 

Conference Reporter December 2006 issue

Development: New directions require a broader look—will public input be both sufficient and wise?
By Gary Ossewaarde

Development in Hyde Park, at least as gauged by proposals, will proceed at a much faster pace in coming years, although still limited compared to that in surrounding neighborhoods. Concerns include whether there will be open, ample community process and whether potential local and wider impacts will be effectively addressed without giving carte blanche veto to neighbors with a real or perceived adverse effect. The Conference has facilitated discussion on the Future of Hyde Park, 53rd Street and our retail options. It’s my view that we need a format or vehicle to take a global and long-term look at development in Hyde Park, perhaps leading to a quality of life blueprint. There are many planning organizations and agencies that offer such help.

The proposal for the former theater and retail complex at 53rd and Harper, presented by the University of Chicago and principals of the Brinshore and Baum firms at the November 13 Tax Increment financing (TIF) council meeting, appear to represent a “good result from a good process.” Community groups and residents were afforded unprecedented opportunities for input over an extended time into a Request for Proposals, considering that the University is a completely private-sector owner, albeit the neighborhood’s lead retail owner and institution.

The result honors the historic structures and the context, scale and pedestrian-friendly character of 53rd Street. The permanent loss of a theater (live and movie) there is a disappointment, but can visited for another site when additional parking comes into view. The specific program—for high-end apparel and other small stores to provide the retail missing in the neighborhood—is certainly a bold risk, but should be tried if 53rd Street is to be turned around and retail choices and heft in general are to catch up. In mid-2007, plans will be vetted by the TIF Planning Committee and at TIF meetings, a process that appears to be sufficient for this specific and type of project.

Such cannot be said for a much large project, Harper Court, which was founded on a public purpose, is managed by a nonprofit board, and includes a large municipal parking lot. (The city is currently conducting appraisal and study and will produce a draft Request for Proposals.) The TIF and its committees are significantly inadequate and inappropriate to be the only community vehicle for evaluation and public input into redevelopment of Harper Court and the City Lot.

The stakes are now higher: A program for the Harper and 53rd complex, including its modest scale, puts added pressures on Harper Court redevelopment—either by example to keep the scale small, or to instead have a higher, more dense development—choices in which the public must be involved.

Density and height, as well as parking, traffic and congestion in general, are among the principal concerns about proposed and potential developments, but are sometimes addressed rather than worsened by the right developments. Some proposed developments are: 53rd and Cornell (work to start in the spring on a 17-story condo building), 56th and Cornell (a 25-story condo building in the current Windermere parking lot next to Bret Harte School), Doctors Hospital on Stony Island (which the University may develop with a conference hotel and graduate housing but apparently not a condo high rise), or the Mobil/former McDonald’s site across from Nichols Park.

These concerns, as well as the right streets and locations for access, shadows cast, and not providing opportunities for birds to impale themselves, should be sensitively addressed and serious public input sought from neighbors and the larger community. But we need a way to think about these and other projects in terms of larger community objectives and needs, and not give a “NIMBY” veto over well-thought-out projects that may be context-appropriate, environmentally proactive, are convenient to transit, and provide new options for residents or businesses. A good case can be made that the 56th/Cornell building, for example, meets these standards well.

One concern about new development—paucity of new affordable housing options—clearly calls for a new look. As the Reporter has noted, a Task Force is being organized by the Interfaith Open Communities, Older Women’s League and others who are looking for small or larger sites that could become affordable senior and general housing. There is also a group in west Hyde Park working with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization and city government to address in some way hot spots of rental-to-condominium conversion. Some realtors have found a niche in renewing rental properties—conversion not being the only way to renew existing housing stock, but the price is literally less affordability. But it may not be easy to convince owners of, for example the upper floors above the new Bank of America branch on 53rd, to build out for affordable rental. Now, can anyone find a way to build new rental buildings in or near Hyde Park?

It is my hope that the Conference and others can identify a vehicle to examine and address globally the strains and directions of development in Hyde Park, perhaps as part of a neighborhood quality of life plan.

 

Conference Reporter August 2007, No. 2.

Development: Where is It Going? Where Would We Like It to Go?

by Gary Ossewaarde, with contributions of Trish Morse

With the many proposals set forth, set aside, revived or thought about the past two years, and the current churning realty market, it may be time to step back and take a good look at what kinds of development we want, especially retail, and what makes good land use and good development. Such a process should be informed by the subtleties and effects of "density" and what make a development or area "viable," "friendly," or "affordable."

At the July 2007 TIF Advisory Council meeting, TIF counsel Irene Sherr described an outreach of the University of Minnesota, Corridor Housing Initiative, that tries to do just that. Read about it: www.center4neighborhoods.org/corridor_housing.htm, or take a quiz on density from the Lincoln Land Policy Institute at www.lincolninst.edu/index-high.asp.

Under consideration is using TIF funds bringing them, or a locally based organization or firm, for a workshop in Hyde Park. This could be an opportunity to use Harper Court, as a test case--it's fairly large, it has a strong history of public goals, this could build upon the last two year's HPKCC workshops and on the 2000 Vision for Hyde Park Retail. Also, Harper Court and the city lot redevelopment appears to be on hold and re-leasing although still held to hold a key to TIF growth and revitalization of 53rd Street. The rehab of the separate north building into Checkerboard Lounge and Jerry Kleiner's soon to open Hyde Park Grill has revived interest in Harper Court rehab or redevelopment with similar scale and at least in part continuing to serve as a home to small businesses and artisans.

Regarding other proposed developments:

  • Harper Theater tenants are moving to new locations, almost all in Hyde Park, and redevelopment is soon to begin. The University is expected to report at the September 10 TIF meeting, 7 pm at the Neighborhood Club.
  • Doctors Hospital, 5800 S. Stony Island, involved plan for replacement of the current Orange-rated historic structure with a hotel and conference center. Many have expressed various serious concerns. These include preservation, high quality architecture, scale, change of street character, University of Chicago's developer and the latter's perceived policies, and adverse effects including on parking. There was one public meeting (and will be more), and parking and other consultants have been hired. It is unclear whether there will or can be substantial modification and a serious public process in light of what the university sees as its clear need for the facility.
  • The 53rd and Cornell L3 development was placed on hold by the owner , who will present concepts for redevelopment of the Mobil and former McDonald's site at 53rd near Kenwood Ave. at the September TIF meeting or a special meeting to be scheduled.
  • Antheus Capital continues planning its 260story condominium high-rise at 56th and Cornell. Neighbors are asking modifications, being investigated by Ald. Hairston. There are also concerns that the project needs to work well for Bret Harte School.
  • Meanwhile, we find perplexing reports and rumors about Antheus' desire to redesign and expand the important Village Center at Lake Pak and East Hyde Park Boulevard.

With all the uncertainty about markets, what the community wants, and the Olympics wild card, we seem in for a contentious ride. But how much change we will actually see on the ground remains murky.

An Open Letter from HPKCC (from the August 2007 Reporter)

June 1, 2007

Mr. Hank Webber
Vice-President for Community and Government Affairs
The University of Chicago
5801 S. Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60737

Dear Mr. Webber:

I was very excited to hear about the University's plans to develop the Illinois Central Community Hospital building on Stony Island Avenue and 58th Street.

The ICCH building is an important asset to the community, both visually and historically. The Conference hopes you will find a way to execute your project while keeping the historic building (possibly by using the empty space between the existing building and the Metra tracks).

By keeping the classic older building (which certainly would be perceived as a gesture of good will by the neighbors) coupled with the addition pf a vibrant new structure, this development could create an architecturally exciting project at an exceptional location here on the south side.

Most of us in the community were impressed by the University's unrushed, carefully thought-out, and open process for the development of the Hyde Park Theatre and adjoining building. I sincerely hope that you will follow a similar plan, with ample opportunity for broad community input and comment.

As always, thank you for your time and attention; we a the Conference are always happy to hear from you.

Sincerely,
George W. Rumsey, President

CC:
Leslie Hairston, Alderman, 5th Ward
Brian Goeken, Deputy Commissioner, Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Carol Bradford, President, Hyde Park Historical Society

 

From the August 2007 Conference Reporter

One Member's Perspective by James Withrow

"Import Substitution" Is a Poor Retail Strategy for Hyde Park

Discussions about the state of retail in Hyde Park sooner or later include the observation that millions of retail dollars flow out of our neighborhood due to the lack of choice and/or quality. This article will quickly concede that fact and t hen aim to convince you that focusing on the money that goes elsewhere actually contributes to money going elsewhere.

Hyde Park is a wealthy neighborhood compared to the rest of Chicago and the rest of the world. It's a natural inclination to wonder why we can't have a broader selection of retail here. However, the idea that we can substitute trips outside Hyde Park for clothing, for example, by bringing in a large retailer of clothing has a number of problems.

First, there's not a single apparel retailer that could possibly appeal to all Hyde Parkers. We're an especially diverse neighborhood and to satiate our tastes we would still buy the vast, vast majority of our clothing elsewhere. We face that issue at the Co-op, too. While the Co-op needs to improve its consistency on the basics--friendly service, well-stocked shelves, appealing produce--the notion that one grocery store could satisfy all Hyde Parkers is far-fetched. Even with a much better run store, we'd still see Hyde Parkers spending grocery dollars elsewhere. A single large clothing outlet will probably make some Hyde Parkers happier but couldn't possibly come close to solving the perceived problem.

In any case, the focus on bringing in a broad array of retailers to capture more types of neighborhood retail spending may well be counterproductive. Consider as a rough analogy the Third World development strategy that's pretty much been discarded--"import substitution." The thinking behind import substitution was that a nation would try to decrease imports by developing an array of local industries which could then replace imports by producing domestically. Some large countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico had limited success, but smaller nations like the Dominican Republic and Honduras found it counterproductive.

What went wrong? Let's say a country the size of Honduras decided to reduce auto imports by subsidizing an auto factory and raising tariffs against auto imports. It's very possible that Honduras could indeed decrease auto imports, but at what price? The likely scenario would find only one major auto company in that small nation. The company's financial well-being would not depend on the perceived quality of its products, but rather on the political connections it developed in a quest for subsidies and protection. Besides swallowing up national resources, that manufacturer would attempt to further monopolize the market. Honduras would likely have a national auto company with lousy cars and high prices. (Analogies to perception of the Co-op abound here, don't they?) Competition is the best way of keeping businesses on the ball.

So, what choice do we have for Hyde Park retail besides "import substitution?" I think we can look to East Asia for another rough analogy, for a better model. Rather than subsidizing manufacturers who replace imports, East Asian economies like Taiwan and South Korea instead began subsidizing factories which exported goods. And when that's been done smartly, it's worked pretty well, well enough that western nations have fought back with trade agreements aimed at subsidy reduction.

How might that analogy shape our thinking about retail in Hyde Park? Well, if we're going to try to guide market forces to improve retail in our neighborhood, the better strategy would be to focus instead on businesses that are likely to bring shoppers to Hyde Park from elsewhere. This translates into subsidizing retail competition, especially in niches where Hyde Park has an inherent advantage.

We often complain about the state of retail in our neighborhood, but rarely does anyone mention that we actually have the best neighborhood in the Midwest for one retail segment: books. The better approach here would be to think of ways to build on that success and think about how we could promote Hyde Park as a destination for book-buying.

One of the problems with bookstores as a shopping magnet here is that besides O'Gara's and Powell's being located across the street from each other, our bookstores are spread out. The two chain stores--Borders and Barnes & Noble--are relatively far away from each other, which is atypical. The Seminary Co-op, possibly the best store for academic titles in country, is well-hidden far away from any other retail.

If these stores were along one easily walkable strip, what would happen? Folks from other neighborhoods would think of Hyde Park as a book-shopping destination. Plus, bushiness that do especially well with bookish people would want to be on that strip. Would those bookish-friendly businesses also appeal to a lot of Hyde Parkers? I bet they would.

What retailers do especially well with bookish people? I can't say I know, but I bet the answer will be surprising and that they generally tend to coincide with what Hyde Parkers buy disproportionately. For example, I'd guess that bookish people probably buy more wine than average consumers. If there were a strip of bookstores attracting shoppers from outside t he neighborhood, a specialty wine retailer would probably be attracted to that same strip.

Now here's the key to my argument. Which retailer would tend to run the better store? One who felt she just needed to e good enough that Hyde Parkers wouldn't leave the neighborhood for wine or one who recognized that her customers were mostly coming from outside the neighborhood and therefore she was really competing with wine merchants around the city? That's roughly analogous to the difference between subsidizing for import substitution and subsidizing for export.

I'm not saying this one example presents an easy solution. Relocating all the booksellers in Hyde Park to a half-mile strip would be an expensive undertaking. I bring it up because that approach should guide how we think about retail here. Could a couple booksellers be relocated in Hyde Park at a reasonable expense? Is there some other segment of retail or services that Hyde Park could become a destination for if they grouped together?

When we look at other retail segments, are we planning to have one dominant player who just has to be good enough not to anger the neighborhood, or do we want a couple players who at least have to compete with each other? And, better yet is to have retailers in Hyde Park competing for dollars from outside Hyde Park.

Providing goods and services for people outside our neighborhood will increase choices and retail quality for Hyde Parkers. That's the better alternative to an "import substitution' strategy which will tend to leave us with unsatisfying monopoly retailers.

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HPKCC Development, Preservation, Zoning Committee reports from the December 2007 Conference Reporter.

Development, Preservation, Zoning Committee Reports on HP Activities [October 22, 2007 meeting]

Gary Ossewaarde chaired the meeting. Attendees: George Davis, Trish Morse, George Rumsey, Jack Spicer, and Vicki Suchovsky.

The committee discussed development proposals in the neighborhood and topics for follow up.

Doctors Hospital. Jack Spicer showed us that architects engaged by the Historical Society and Landmarks Illinois drew up two alternatives that meet all the requirements and needs of the University and their developer using the existing building. It’s 10 stories at its highest; plan two keeps the 170 feet of green space the University (although not necessarily neighbors) insists upon keeping for its future development, and is about 20 percent cheaper. Members shared what they have been hearing about the University being not as keen on its plans as it had been. Doctors Hospital was said to be a good test or demonstration experiment as to whether community input not only gets listened to but gives a better result.

53rd Street. The University was reported to be considering seriously how a large part of 53rd Street might be remade. The TIF will hold a workshop on 53rd Street development December 8. The committee will recommend that the Conference will encourage attendance but not otherwise participate (but the board would have to consider should we be asked.) Members said they would like to see an independent community-based planning process with professionals undertake planning for 53rd Street. This will be brought to the board for discussion and some members will touch bases with groups such as National Trust’s Main Street that have conducted such processes well and with respect for the individuality of communities. In general, members felt that no one local organization—and clearly not the TIF Council-- can speak exclusively for the neighborhood on major development issues. We can encourage their coming together, hold workshops etc. The problem, it was said, is getting any study paid attention to (witness the 2000 Vision for Hyde Park Retail).

Harper Court. No new news, but it will move. Members asked how we can encourage carrying out the old purposes, and maybe find another vehicle other than the current board.

Mobil McDonalds. Alderman Preckwinkle told a small meeting that she intends to see a planned development zoning variance for a building higher than 50 feet—this may well come up at the November 19 TIF. Jack Spicer circulated a paper setting forth problems with this plan form both 53rd character and history and general principles of not giving public value to private persons through special piecemeal up-zoning that not part of larger planning and contrary to historic planning for 53rd St.

Members said we need to be focusing and listening on the whole set of proposals cropping up and see how the committee might evolve into a larger role in community input and planning.
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53rd Street Workshop in December Catches Development at the Crossroads

By Gary Ossewaarde

As development and retail questions reach a critical juncture in our neighborhood, the HPKCC Board and Development, Preservation, and Zoning committee have been discussing how we can contribute to the ongoing debate. A leader in Hyde Park and mid-South repositioning, Hank Webber, is leaving and will be sorely missed. Harper Court is about to issue its Request for Qualifications to developers. Members of the Hyde Park Co-op are asked to take the most serious vote in its history. The next TIF meeting could have a crowded agenda, and at the least has as backdrop Harper Court, 53rd/Kenwood (Mobil site), 53rd/Cornell, and updates on the Harper Theatre redevelopment. Outside the TIF are 56th/Cornell, Doctors Hospital, and more. And there is the market and economy.

There is the tug of war between those anxious for more development (retail or residential) and those who want less or none and over differing visions about the kind of neighborhood we want to live in. Others point out that Hyde Park development, despite a recent city Zoning Ordinance that invites community-wide planning, proceeds piecemeal and by exception, in reality holding it back. And the city also turns its back on strategic planning and deep-sixes revenue sharing by raising parking costs and property taxes steeply--to get revenue rather than to manage or tailor growth.

Our board and committee take into account findings from the workshops and forums HPKCC has held over the past five years, current proposals and rebuttals to them, residents’ fruitful letters and redevelopment schemes sent to the Herald and to us, and principles from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and private foundations: principles, sometimes competing, that include transit oriented development, pedestrian-friendly scale and streetscape, incubating new and small businesses, adaptive reuse, inspiring architecture, green and sustainable structures, a mix of incomes, maintaining affordability. And we ponder what we can salvage from the shelved 2000 Vision for Hyde Park Retail District prepared by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and the city.

One of our conclusions is that no one organization but rather the whole community and its many organizations together must advance to the next step. In fact, at the July 2007 TIF meeting an exercise in commercial street and development planning involving an outreach by the University of Minnesota’s Corridor Housing Initiative was discussed. The potential of such a workshop was described in the October Conference Reporter along with warnings against retail development for misguided objectives. Such a convened “vision workshop” is now at hand and the Conference is among its sponsors.

We urge our members to attend the Come Vote: 53rd St. Vision Workshop December 8, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Canter Middle School, 4959 S. Blackstone Ave. Browse our Development-related pages in hydepark.org for background articles and an array of neighbor’s ideas and reactions—and come prepared to think outside the box.

Be aware that the workshop follows close upon the inaugural open meeting of the new Coalition for Equitable Development (December 5, 7 pm at the Neighborhood Club), likely disclosure of new plans for the Mobil Site (based upon intent of Alderman Preckwinkle to seek lifting of current height restrictions there), Village Center at 51st and Lake Park, and 53rd and Cornell, and possible consideration of alternatives for the Hotel project at Doctors Hospital. Keep in mind also projects that seem to be moving toward successful ends—the Theater redevelopment, 56thCornell (if the school is accommodated), and prospectively, just maybe, Doctors Hospital. Then plug in your thoughts, hopes, ideals for Harper Court and 53rd Street.

 

Coming next, and soon? See below on the current "nexts."

Harper Court's sale home and sub pages. Proposal for redevelopment (in an rfp process with the city lot although on hold) has been the big issue. The March 13 2006. TIF meeting heard from the owner-Harper Court Arts Council, but HPKCC thinks they didn't hear from the community, so they set up their own public planning meetings. Both sides presented May 8 2006 at the TIF meeting. Things have slowed down since, the arts council presenting its guiding principles ( a weakened version of what the Conference forums revealed) for an rfp at the July 10 TIF meeting. The city/Harper planning process had not started as of early September.
Now, the city will handle the RFP and development proposals and not the Harper Court Board. Public process was uncertain. The city received an appraisal but was dissatisfied. No word on the engineering studies also needed before an RFP can be reported then go out.

The decision was been made on Harper Theater- restoration of the 53rd side for high end fashion and apparel retail, extending around to replace demolished but partially replicated theater facade. See Theater RFP page on the model community input process and implications. It's the key to redevelopment also. High end boutiques were to be sought, but the development team was said to disappoint the University and fail to meet time deadlines. The project is now on hold and the agreement said to be terminated.

Bank of America has revised its plans for the restored property at 1439 E. 53rd. Signage at the branch that opens late November 2006 will be modest in accord with TIF wishes, and there will be some light on the street. The facility will have open sight windows and visibility throughout and the bank will be an active participant in the community. It is working with the owner to have the upper stories rehabbed as affordable rental housing. Top

Doctor's Hospital at 5800 S. Stony Island was bought by the University of Chicago at Sept. 6 auction for 10 million. Schmidt, Garden and Martin originally designed Illinois Central Hospital, one of the first corporate hospitals in the country and source of a significant book on institutional architecture by its 1915 architect Richard Schmidt. One concept mentioned was a university-affiliated hotel for part of the site. The university analyzed the environmental conditions, Webber said, and the site will require some remediation. Zoning changes would also be needed as the current zoning is "institutional." There is plenty of room to build. Preservationists are likely to protest and fight a plan that does not preserve the main building or at least the facade. It is an "Orange" building, of significance, on the Chicago Survey of Historic and Architectural Resources. Neighbors were upset with plans as revealed June 5 for complete teardown for a typical Marriott complex to be built and run by White Lodgings.
This also reveals again that the University easily trumps any offer for property, including very far from its planned-development home base. --does this introduce distortions, other than the obvious one of driving up prices and tying up land in the neighborhood?
Visit the Doctor's Hospital page for late and details.


The "nexts":

Fernando Leal, having, has experienced difficulties re the 53rd and Cornell project. The site was cleared and zoning planned use request filed for a 21-story residential and retail complex, to be rental with 15 affordable set-aside onsite. Earliest building: 2009.

Also, Doctors Hospital- the University says still no decision.

The former Eagle Pub, Giordano's 5311 S. Blackstone is a focus of Alderman Preckwinkle and preservationists (no new word in several months)

With filing of demolition permits (not yet reviewed by the Landmarks Commission and Dept. of Planning), Alderman Preckwinkle faces a new dilemma. Preckwinkle had been trying to work with the owners to save at least the facade of the small business building that has historic, architectural and streetscape value and is on the Orange List of the Chicago Survey of places of historic value. What the Alderman's options are are not clear. She could certainly use zoning powers. Local preservationists such as Jack Spicer are encouraging residents to show support and encouragement to the alderman to seek a reasonable solution. The owners, Giordano's and architects say there is no workable solution and they can only put some of the terra cotta tiles on the facade of a new 2 or 3 story expansion restaurant.

One can anticipate that neighbors will be skeptical about expansion of the restaurant in the first place, having had some problems already with Giordano's, from parking and delivery cars to dumpsters, which are also located next to Spruce Park, whose advisory council had complaints about operations and facilities at Giordano's.

From Alderman Toni Preckwinkle’s (4th) Report in the January 17, 2007 Hyde Park Herald concerning Giordano’s/former Eagle Pub redevelopment

… Just last week the Commission on Chicago Landmarks honored the work of Marian Despres by rejecting an ugly and irresponsible plan for taking the façade off the Farwell building and carelessly smearing it across a multi story parking garage. Blair Kamin was so stunned by the commission’s staunch defense of real preservation, he wrote in the Tribune, “Pigs flew.” Nonsense. Pigs don’t fly. Sometimes people do the right thing.

We have the opportunity to do the right thing in Hyde Park in a remarkably similar case. There is an orange-rated commercial building located at 5311 S. Blackstone Ave. known to people under 45 as Giordano’s and to the rest of us as the Eagle. It has a lovely terra cotta façade with more visual interest than most of 53rd Street.

Giordano’s has prospered in Hyde Park and wants to expand. The owner met with me and the staff of the Landmarks Commission to discuss his needs. We believed we were in negotiation over the best way to preserve the façade while allowing the building to replaced with a larger structure that would serve the pizza business.

We were surprised when without notice to anyone the owner applied for a demolition permit. Then at a recent meeting, the owner’s architect proposed removing the façade and instead of restoring it, suggested sticking bits of it over t he exterior of a two story building in a manner I could not quite fathom. The owner’s representative and the architect insisted that this was the only feasible solution economically and structurally. I was particularly dismayed by Giordano’s refusal to work with a noted structural engineer, experienced in these matters, who volunteered via the Landmarks staff to work pro bono on the preservation of the façade.

It would break my heart to see Marian Despres’s legacy honored on Michigan Avenue and spurned in Hyde Park. Pigs will not need to fly. People will simply have to work together for sound preservation and healthy business growth.


Hyde Park Herald article, January 17, 2002, Ald. fights demo of former Eagle Pub. By Daniel J. Yorich

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) is opposing the proposed demolition of the building that houses Giordano’s of Hyde Park, which was formerly the watering hole of choice for thirsty neighborhood politicians and activists.

Located at 5311 S. Blackstone Ave., the single-story building housed the Eagle pub before the current owners bought the property in 1988 and transformed it into one of thee Giordano’s pizzeria chains first franchises. For decades, the Eagle was the gathering spot for local members of the Independent Precinct Organization of Illinois and those affiliated with the Hyde Park-Kenwood Leadership Conference, said Sam Adelman, a former IPO president .

The terra cotta fronted building was constructed in the early 1900s, [1923?] said Giordano’s manager Peter Skiourls and the restaurant has outgrown the building. Skiourls said the property’s owners want to demolish the building and construct a new site for the restaurant.

“This is an old building and we’re always faced with having to fix this and repair that,” Skiourls said. “It’s cheaper to tear down and build something designed for a restaurant’s needs. Hyde Park has been very good to us and we want to reinvest in the community and build a better place for our customers.

Preckwinkle said she is sympathetic to the restaurant’s desire to expand and modernize, but opposes the building owner’s plans to level the structure, which is ranked as an “orange” building in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey. Orange is the second most significant ranking of the six-color coded historical significance designations, given to properties that possess “some architecture that made them potentially significant in the context of the surrounding community.”

Preckwinkle and her staff said they plan to work with the Chicago Landmarks Commission to broker a compromise with the building’s owners, whom Skiourls identified as Chicago-based JBA Inc. The Landmarks Commission can place a 90-day hold on the application. The commission has yet to receive t he demolition application, which was applied for on Nov. 20, 2006. Constance Buscemi, a commission spokeswoman, said the application is still being reviewed by the city’s Department of Constructions and Permits and would then be forwarded to the Landmarks Commission for review.

Preckwinkle said she hopes to broker a compromise that would entail either the construction of a second story above the current structure, or, as an alternative, a plan that would preserve the terra cotta exterior of the structure a part of the new building.

Skiourls said he and the building’s owners are open to discussions with Preckwinkle and other city officials but said he’s not sure either of the proposals offered by Preckwinkle are economically feasible.

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Plans by the new owner (Tony Rezko's lawyer) to build 6 condo units next to Sen. Obama's home in historic landmark district of large, single family homes and near the new Greenwood Row Houses historic district raises ire.

Sen. Obama was steered his new home site by the Rezko's, who are under investigation re filling government jobs and lobbying, and bought 10' from the Rezko's. Recently, Rezko's wife sold their lot to their business lawyer, Michael Sreenan, who has submitted designs for a set of 6 condos. Ald. Preckwinkle has objected first that the developer did not volunteer that he did not have Landmarks Commission approval, second to the designs and possibly in principle to 6 units in a landmark district based on hundred year old single family mansions. Note that the building would be sited on Hyde Park Blvd., which already has such units all along it (as well as Congr. KAM), but is thought inconsistent with Greenwood Ave. extending northward from the site. The Kenwood Open House Committee, which oversees the district for the city, is also concerned but want to see more. Sreenan says he is only vetting concepts at this time and his options are. open.

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What a Planned Development amendment requires/includes

This particular amendment concerns PD No 282, Residential-Business.

1. site definition

2. reviews and approvals

3. bindings and devolution

4. uses permitted by sub area

5. Listing of plan description documents

6. Signage subject to compatibility and character of the area

7. Conformity to the plan, parkway tree and parking lot landscaping ordinance provisions, provision of accessory parking, governance of RM6.5 Residential Multi-Unit District zoning with two exceptions

8. terms of re designations and changes

9. governance of Municipal Code and CDOT rules and construction standards re ingress and egress, emergency access (which cannot have garbage receptacles.

10. height restrictions including federal aviation

11, 12, 13. definitions of applicable regulations

13. "The Applicant acknowledges that it is in the public interest to design, construct and maintain all buildings in a manner which promotes and maximizes the conservation of natural resources... generally consistent with the...LEED Green building Rating." (Sub Area A must have at least 25% of the roof green.)

14. "The Applicant acknowledges that it is in the public interest to design, construct and maintain the project in a manner which promotes, enables, and maximizes universal access throughout the Property. Plans..shall be reviewed and approved by the Mayor's Office for people with Disabilities [to].. highest standard of accessibility."

15. Sunset (6 years).

 

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A mid 2007 assessment of developments in the TIF area

From report on the July 9, 2007 TIF meeting, prepared by Trish Morse.

Alderman Preckwinkle reported on several development issues:

  1. Fernando Leal is in Nevada so couldn't attend this meeting in July. He will be presenting a proposal for the site of the McDonald's/Mobil station on 53rd Street at the next meeting. He has a contract to purchase the site and says he has a financially viable plan for this site. There was a question about how it was zoned. The alderman didn't know, but pointed out that is didn't matter since it would be a planned development. More just below this section.
  2. 53rd & Cornell will require a revised proposal since Leal feels that the old plan is no longer financially viable, so he's moving forward with the McDonald's/Mobil station site first. The demolition of the current buildings is being delayed by the need to relocate the ComEd poles/power lines. Once that's done, they'll be granted the permits to demolish. The demolition should take place before September. There was some concern expressed by the audience about how demolishing the building and getting less tax for the property would affect the TIF income. Apparently it wouldn't make a difference.
  3. The Village Foods location development by Antheus reported in the Herald is very preliminary. There has been no community approval, no presentation to the TIF. There are "other things to address with this developer" before there can be any talk about the Village Foods project, so it's long way away. (Word is that Antheus has backed off from development there.)
  4. Brinshore Developers and Baum Brothers, the developers of the U of C property at 53rd and Harper, will present their plans at the September meeting.

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There is serious possibility of redevelopment of Indian (Lake) Village Shopping Center (Antheus owned) at 51st and Lake Park, but it is preliminary and stalled by disagreement with Ald. Preckwinkle. Visit the Indian Village Page. But Antheus is said to have backed off.

 

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L3 53rd and Cornell (but see above)

A clarification on Mobil site and 53rd Cornell in August 1 2007 Herald

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) is supporting the development of 53rd Street and Cornell Avenue, with stipulations that L3 Development LLC makes changes to proposed plans [for a] 17-story mixed-use building. "I have asked [L3 CEO] Fernando Leal to come back tot eh community in the fall with his revise plans for 53rd and Cornell," Preckwinkle said.

She added that the development might be on a future TIF meeting agenda, but not until a complete plan for the property is made. "It won't be unless everything is gelled an he's got his plans together," Preckwinkle said.

Meanwhile, plans for the Mobil gas station, 1330 E. 53rd St. and the adjoining vacant parcel once occupied by McDonald's are up in the air, Preckwinkle said. "We're trying to work that [site] through," she said. "At the moment, there isn't a plan."

 

Fernando Leal demolished the 53rd Cornell property and in 2008 had applied for planned developments for up to 21 stories., L3 has not yet located an of site location for its 15% affordable commitment, but is looking at some buildings. Leal said at the January 8 2007 TIF meeting that construction costs have escalated 35% over two years, necessitating a hard look that will delay start of new construction.

Air rights were already finalized in October 2007 with the only neighbor who would sell theirs, Jack McGarry of K & G Building Management.

What held up the 53rd-Cornell project. Not the inability to locate a separate, viable affordable housing building but disagreements with neighbors to the north, who all have to agree in order to avoid lengthy process, hearing et al on zoning changes and especially purchase of air rights. Remember also that Mr. Leal has to sell 45% before construction can begin. And now there is the steep rise in construction costs-three bids came in at about or over a third higher than expected. Also, air rights were essential for the project to go forward. Neighbors in all directions would not sell air rights, so they were bought from John McGarry of K and G Management in October 2006.

Fernando Leal's company L3 (Jim McKevitt) presented re: 53rd Cornell development at the September 11 TIF Advisory Council meeting. They will be submitting an application for zoning change to the city in October. "If everything goes right you should see construction by spring of [2007]", McKevitt told the meeting. Size would be maybe a little higher, 15-17 stories, but Mr. Leal seemed to remain undecided, and according to some, weakly committed to the project. Some persons at the meeting opposed the height and said there had not been real public meetings or hearings (a zoning hearing will have to be held.) Preckwinkle said the issue had been thoroughly vetted in the community.
(See also Business Climate, and High-rise/condos Scramble.) Preckwinkle pushed for more affordable housing in Cornell-53rd as building got taller--but accepted the "affordable" buyers having another building location tbd--as of September 11, no such building had been identified in the neighborhood. The TIF Council voted OK on the project early in 2006, but a brief firestorm started over moving the affordable units off site. The project still goes before the Plan Commission and will seek both permits and the affordable off-site.

 

Bar Louis (5500 South Shore Dr.) has presented to the public its plans for an outdoor patio cafe. Plans appear to have passed muster with neighbors. There will be valet parking and landscaping. Plans are on view in Bar Louis. There is still strong opposition. Most problems, however, appear to come from carousers on the wide street and park district parking lot.

It appears the Vivekanada project possible high rise 54th/Hyde Park Blvd. has been abandoned by Fernando Leal after downzoning precluded a high rise. Mr. Leal cancelled his option. The Temple asked Ald. Hairston to restore the old zoning, as they need it to find a developer and need the high rise to finance a new temple in Lisle. The Alderman told them to first find a developer with a plan, then the matter will be brought to a public meeting.

The Shiloh Church condo development project (4800 block of S. Dorchester), discussed at a Nov. 4 public meeting at the 4th Ward Office, has been modified down to c12-16 units inside the to-be-kept facade. Most concerns of residents appear to have been addressed. The facade will be preserved. Tempus Real Estate, the new owner ($1.6m) converter of "Shiloh Baptist" at 4840 S. Dorchester (Orange-rated, Solon Beman 1904 and in the Kenwood Historic District) into condominiums, promises the city and alderman Preckwinkle it will keep the facade and limit the number of units to 10-20 (likely 12) rather than the 32 proposed by a former owner, which caused an uproar. Alderman Preckwinkle's office says neighbors must be heard, Landmarks guards the facade. The owner says they plan a beautiful building.

The Ronald McDonald House project (north of 55th on Drexel) was presented November 3. Most questions were answered. Neighbors hope this will help stabilize the crime situation in the area and that parking has been solved.


For details, possible impacts of two major purchases for new or redevelopment on central and east 53rd St.: 1) a case study-new ground in area dev., 2) Are we driving out the home-grown and retail variety and should our business organizations intervene? The importance and considerations of the L3 redevelopment of 53rd and Cornell are discussed in Business Climate. Likely next:who buys Drs. Hospital (auction of June 28 was [postponed yet again). Fernando Leal of L3 will be one of the bidders. See L3 plans for 53rd Cornell, 1st thoughts for Mobil/old McDonald's in Business Climate.

See also High Rise page. Incl. Ald. Preckwinkle insists on more affordable housing in the Cornell-53rd project.

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations has issued a new report, The Differential Impact of Gentrification on Communities in Chicago.

Some people are ticked off by something as simple as the cutting down of a pre settlement cottonwood north of the 55th Starbucks to squeeze in another four-flat condo to sell to UC doctors and Lab School parents in a "busy" market, according to the developer who said, "It's my property." Indicative of many trends. Story in the Preservation Hot page.

Bar Louis, in the Flamingo in the 5500 block of South Shore Drive, has won the blessing of Alderman Hairston and many, but not all, local residents at an April 26 2006 local hearing, to build an outdoor patio south of the swimming pool. It would close at 10 am and not have music or be a "party cove". Some residents noted this is a congested area with lots of noise and police activity. In 2002 there was strong resistance to a zoning change for incoming Bar Louis that would have permitted the patio. Parking and security will be further studied.


The Shoreland at 5400 South Shore Drive, how has signs up announcing 280 units with 306 parking spaces--which some say is too few spaces. The University will be moving it's dorm out in a year or so.

Note-these are just a few likely big, high developments suddenly blossoming all over the neighborhood. More on Cornell and Hyde Park Blvd. (Vivekenanda) and Drs. Hospital, Mobil/Old McDonald's, plus expected condo conversion of Regents Park. See High Rise page.

The Development, Preservation and Zoning Task Force/Committee of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference was especially active on the Harper Court issue : contact Gary Ossewaarde, hpkcc@aol.com, 773 288-8343. The committee monitors, encourages, or expects in the future to host more public forums on the following issues as well as form with others a working group on Zoning re-mapping of the neighborhood:

Where these matters are headed and what the committee thinks about them and is doing: here and reflected in the above highlighted sections, and in Tracking Community Trends (detailed), Community News, Hyde Park Theater Bldg., Preservation Beat, TIF News home page, Zoning pages, and Hot Topics pages. And we do reach out to associations in neighboring communities. We have participated in an HPKCC forum on the future of 53rd Street and retail development- perhaps it's time have another. We are interested the pattern of University land purchases, sales and development and involvement of the community in plans for the above and interested in preservation-of-stock , maintenance of character issues, and how to have both enhanced and affordable housing and commercial opportunities. See an assessment of the trend of business in Hyde Park in the TIF Business Climate page.

 

Late news, meetings, major support organizations

Approval and some bitterness were expressed over Antheus capital's proposed 25 story condo building at 56th and Cornell (Windermere lot) See below for discussion.

The Theater building: The University announced in November it accepted the proposal of Brinshore and Baum Bros. Realty to keep the 53rd store frontage and redevelop it, and the Harper frontage as higher end apparel and similar retail stores (deeper), with probably a bistro or restaurant in the remains of the theater, office space upstairs in the latter. The old theater facade will be at least suggested in brick and decoration. Most considered the outcome a good result from a good public-involved process. Some considered the University to have not listened, especially to widespread demand for a theater regardless of costs. See TheaterRFP page.

The City and Ald. Preckwinkle took control of the Harper Court/City Lot redevelopment project. The city is doing appraisal and will present a draft RFP to just (?) the TIF Development Committee and whole TIF public meeting in 2007. There is much opposition to redevelopment of the court at least, and at least without keeping in some way its original purpose to foster (incubate) and provide a home for hard-to-sustain, arts type businesses. Specific visions for redevelopment varied widely in HPKCC forums and workshops in 2006. Visit the pages on Harper Court Sale.

The Shiloh Development (4800 of S. Dorchester) was downsized and the Landmarks Commission assures the facade will not be touched. Parking ratio for the 16 or so units will be 2 spaces per unit, in the lower level. It's still an increase in density and possibly traffic near a park and church and in a historic single-home mansion district. More in High Rises/Condos page.

The new Ronald McDonald House by UC Hospitals for the 5400 block of S. Drexel was presented Nov. 3, 2005. (Groundbreaking was in summer 2006.) The design is modern-late 19th century. Much thought has gone into it. Parking is limited, but designers and operators explained why there should not be an large volume of traffic for the home, just east of the UCH Friend Center. Not everyone was convinced on security and construction dust. Neighbors (who were surprised by the demolition of the previous 3-flat) hoped the development will stabilize crime.

The vacant buildings east of the tracks on 53rd were sold in May 2005 to L3 Development for a likely 12-story development. See Business Climate and Districts. Regents Park has been sold for a (distantly-future) condo redevelopment. And Drs Hospital Was bought by the University, likely for a hotel-conference plus development- See Doctors Hospital page.

Fernando Leal presented concepts for a large development at 53rd and Cornell to the 53rd TIF Advisory Council public meetings September 12 and November 14 2005. As much concern was expressed by neighbors, and by Ald. Preckwinkle, the TIF Council declined to vote. Preckwinkle was upset that height was suddenly 17 stories and the numbers of units are up while the affordable component was's only 7 percent, not the 15 she has been seeking in developments and a city ordinance. Preckwinkle met with Leal September 23. 2005. By Nov. 14, the affordable component was to be in an off-site building and the main-structure units fewer and larger, with entry off Cornell but trash/delivery off 53rd. The Council voted approval. After that, nothing happened for a while, in part die to controversy with neighbors over shadows, congestion et al and the problems with getting funding and permits. Things seem to have picked up steam in fall 2006, with permits received for a said spring 2007 start. Leal is supposed to present at the July 9, 2007 TIF meeting.

Developer given off-site affordable housing option for 53rd St. tower. Herald, November 23, by Nykeya Woods and Tedd Carrison

The developer...announced last week that he will seek additional land on which to build a percentage of affordable housing units mandated by Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th). Fernando Leal, the managing director L3 development LLC, said he would place the as-yet undetermined number of affordable housing units of-site of his proposed 17-story high-rise at the Nov. 14... Council meeting. A motion was raised to authorize the building development and it was approved by the board.

"We have looked at different properties all throughout Hyde Park. We have seen a couple that we like. We had looked at properties prior to taking this [53rd Street and Cornell Avenue development] as a long-term buy and hold," Leal said. ...

"As Fernando and I talked about this project,... I told him that we needed to meet the 15 percent guideline," Preckwinkle said. "We talked about this with the Department of Planning where what we came to was for him basically to buy another guiding and convert that into affordable condominium units."

Hyde Park resident and retailer Howard Cohn urged the TIF Board to support the L3 Development. "I am disgusted and ashamed of the corner building and what has occurred at 53rd and Cornell," Cohn said. "We need projects to bring in good quality retail in this community so people stay, shop and eat in this community..And this is the beginning of what could eventually go on and change other aspects of 53rd Street and the rest of Hyde Park."

 

Re: Leal's possible mid-rise at the Vivekenanda Vedanta Society property, 5423-07 block of S. Hyde Park Blvd.: Mr. Leal has walked away from a high-rise development, and possibly the property. Alderman Hairston, saying she had unsuccessfully tried to arrange neighbor and community meetings with Leal, introduced a resolution that "temporarily" downzoned the affected properties to RM5 from RM5, allowing no higher than 7 stories (depends on footprint coverage, in any case 47 feet). The owner says it cannot build its new suburban temple unless it realizes what a high building will bring. It is moving, it says, because of HP parking problems.

What neighbors said about development and related issues at an October 2005 HPKCC public discussion on the neighborhood

Development-density-preservation-affordability

Like:
· Table 2 Character
· Table 3 Character
· Table 5 Variety of housing

Want Changed:
· Table 1 Retention of businesses
· Table 2 Commercial development (hotel, movie theater, notions-on appropriate streets
· Table 3 Entertainment for older children and adults
· Table 3 More Affordable Housing
· Table 3 Variety of stores
· Table 4 Improve poor management of public space….cleaner business district
· Table 4 Lack of business incentives
· Table 5 More small businesses
Conference should:
· Table 5 Have more development/preservation forums

Individual comments-other issues not presented
AFFORDABLE HOUSING (5)
· Stronger emphasis on affordable housing and displacement of poor
· Affordability
· Affordable Housing
· Landlord and home owners should receive breaks on water bills
· Combating odious (onerous?) ordinances for high rises (unwarranted masonry inspection soon after major construction).

DENSITY (5 of 6- Noise is a quality issue)
· Too much density
· Continue to fight for low-rise zoning—Our community doesn’t need to be a south side Sheridan Road
· Keep “Doctor’s Hospital” (and low density—no high rise).
· HP must decide how much density this community can absorb w/o undergoing major personality change—very important and imminent decision(s) for very near future
COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT (2 of 7)
· Entertainment for adults 25+
· More variety of restaurants

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As we rolled into late 2005... the University had been trying to persuade one last theater manager to take on the Harper Theater. This effort failed. Thought in that case is to keep, renovate and expand the retail in the Herald building on 53rd but take down the theater except the facade for new development. A general feeling is that nothing is moving in the business district until the issue is resolved. See Theater and TheaterRFP Guidelines pages.

Harper Theater/Herald Building- moving from a theater option to a mixed retail-social-residential development option. More in Theater page. Hank Webber told the November 14 2005 TIF Council meeting that efforts to redevelop the complex as a theater operation have reached a dead end. The objectives of a new development, to be be done by a developer when identified, not the University, are first to maintain retail on the 53rd facade and the character and scale of that corner, and second to create a retail-residential mixed development that would add to the community: "We want a project there that contributes 18 hours a day, seven days a week to life on the street that represents a gathering place for the university community, the Hyde Park Community as well as the South Side."

What the Herald said Nov. 23 2005

Just nine years shy of its 100th anniversary, the Harper Theater's fate has been sealed; 5238 S. Harper ave. will probably never reopen as a movie theater. In its ongoing exploration of uses for the northwest corner of Harper Avenue an 53rd street, the University of Chicago, the property's owner, decided last week to stop pursuing a movie theater for the site. On Nov. 14, the ...TIF Council listened as Hank Webber reiterated an old explanation regarding the state of the movie theater industry. The university's vice president for community an governmental affairs said rehabbing a historic movie house is not economically viable in an age of multiplexes. And the money needed to renovate the building--at least $9 million--could probably build a new theater from scratch and then some.

The TIF Council and the community have heard this before, which made last week's decision anti-climactic. The inevitable caught up with reality. Many have already come to terms with a Hyde Park without its Harper Theater. The South Side has seen the demise of dozens of neighborhood theaters. Hyde Park used to be home to three of them: the Piccadilly, the Hyde Park and the Harper.

Eventually the last one would give way to a neighborhood ripe for new development. But given that Hyde Park has championed more preservation efforts than most neighborhoods in the city, the apathy over saving the Vaudeville era theater on Harper is perplexing.

Work on the theaters and the adjacent building (5240-44 S. Harper and 1425-64 E. 53rd St. was finished in 1914 under Chicago based architect Horatio R. Wilson. Architect Z.E. Smith is also credited in some accounts. The theater first belonged to the Schoenstadt chain and hosted live theater, music and films. Its operation changed hands multiple times before it finally closed in spring 2002. The last owners, Alicia and Donzell Starks, blamed the TIF council's delay in building a neighborhood parking structure as well as competition in the theater industry for closing the Harper (known as the "Meridian" under the Starks).

Since 2002, public debate regarding the fate of the historic movie house has centered around a handful of meetings led by Webber to gauge community interest. The result: the Harper Theater is no Promontory Point. In fact, it has been argued that the more significant and salvageable of the structures on the property is the 53rd Street frontage. Three of the four corners of 53rd street and Harper--downtown Hyde Park--still boast their original buildings, each with its own architectural face. Any public discussion over uses for the northwest corner must take this building into consideration, with or without the shuttered movie house. Let's begin by placing the 53rd Street building on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey "orange" list of significant structures. The theater is listed. For whatever reason the corner building is listed der a category of lesser importance.

The Herald is grateful that the University of Chicago, whose forte isn't urban planning, has taken its time in an attempt to find a historic movie theater operator. But its decision to end the search is overdue. Nostalgia aside, public opinion shows that many would like to see a movie theater in Hyde Park, but not necessarily the Harper.

Let's encourage the city to convert its ugly parking lot on Lake Park Avenue into a theater and retail complex with a wrap around parking deck. Wouldn't that complement the newly-opened Checkerboard Lounge? Even a unique community like Hyde Park can stand to borrow an idea or two from elsewhere, like Evanston.

The University has had enough time to ponder uses for this property. It is not a good practice for a developer to buy a large parcel of land and sit on it for too long. We have seen that with the 1600 block of East 53rd Street, where there is now a plan to erect a 17 story high rise after years of failed promises.

The university bought the theater and the Herald Building in 2002. As we roll into 2006, there is still no project in the works. Will it be "wait and see" for the next few years?

Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, among its many studies and task forces on neighborhood development, taxation and empowerment issues, has a GIS (satellite based) mapping service to help citizens and community groups track and compare public spending in their neighborhoods Available for cost of NCGB Membership. They also have a thick TIF Almanac with many resources for any property owner and community resident, also available with membership. NCGB. 312 939-7198. NCGB also holds Monthly TIF focus meetings and training seminars on subjects from Planning for Community Change to Workforce Development

Interested in finding out how other communities are handling "Sensible Growth" issues? See the orgs. links above. Or get on the listserve of Metropolitan Planning Council/Campaign for Sensible Growth/Urban Land Institute Chicago: kcrowell@metroplanning.org. We also participate in Center for Neighborhood Technology's Chicagoland Air Quality Commission.

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UC says it's an active player in 53rd development; parties discuss what kind of mix and prospects for the business district.

Talking to the Maroon January 30, UC vice president Hank Webber said we are in an active period of development. President Zimmer at a town hall meeting in January said the university's goal is, in conjunction with others in the neighborhood, to promote a Hyde Park that is "safe, comfortable, and pleasant for members of the University and the community. I think everyone would like to see better commercial and retail opportunities in Hyde Park, and we share that view," he said. The Maroon noted that many residents look forward to new services and businesses by worry about displacement of local culture. Wallace Goode of the University Community Service Center said it doesn't have to be either/or but both the quaint small boutiques and one-stops especially for goods like socks that you can't have individual boutiques for.

David Baum, one of the redevelopers of the 53rd Harper Theater property, told the Maroon they think new retail options will not detract from the community's character if they are integrated artfully,--you have to have a mix, including of locals and nationals. Baum already has brought Starbuck's to 53rd and Kinko's to 57th and said he targets the area because it is under represented in retail but educated and affluent. He expects a domino effect from development.

But several local business employees say small businesses will close as new come in. This will in turn hurt our edge as we end the vibrancy of having the old and new help each other as in Harper Court. But a more recent occupant of Harper Court said chain retailers provide an opportunity to inform a new crowd about Hyde Park culture. Alderman Preckwinkle said, "Nothing ever stays the same over time. The challenge is to have a vibrant commercial strip that mixes national businesses and local chains."

Jerry Kleiner, whose restaurant next to the Checkerboard in Harper Court opens in April, said he's betting on a hunch that 53rd can be a thriving strip. "Something is needed... I like the fact that there's good opportunity in Hyde Park... I want to turn people on to a new neighborhood in their city. I feel it's time to expose the rest of the city to Hyde Park." Webber praised Kleiner's record of helping establish added restaurants in neighborhoods.

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A tale from big-development past: the turnaround of Regent's Park. And now it enters a new era

Regent's Park, the twin tower at 5020 S. Lake Shore Drive, in late 2004 was again honored by the Mayor's Landscape Committee for its unique roof garden (see story in the Green page). Here in brief is the story of its fall, revival, and present princely state. Bruce Clinton in mid 2005 sold Regents Park to a condo developer, although conversion will be held off a couple of years.

Hyde Park Herald, December 1, 2004. By Mike Stevens

....[Managing Director Pete] Richter, who bean working at Regents Park as a security guard 17 years ago, said [landscape] awards show how far the buildings have come since developer Bruce Clinton and The Clinton Companies began managing the property in 1975. Built in the early 70s with loans from ...(HUD), the 1,038-unit building quickly hit rock bottom in the mid 1970s when high vacancy rates, rent-delinquent tenants and rising crime led the University of Chicago and some HUD officials reportedly to call for its demolition.

"It was an awful place. It was just terrible," said South East Chicago Commission's Executive Director Gob Mason, who was a homicide detective at the time. "The last homicide I [investigated] was in that building."

The Clinton Company took over management at the one million square-foot rental property in 197 after reaching an agreement with HUD to buy the property in five years following extensive renovations. After Clinton made the improvements, HUD doubled the appraised price from $23 million to $46 million, Richter said. Clinton took HUD to court.

After noting ongoing renovations, increased occupancy rates and dropping crime rates, much of the Hyde Park community and almost all of its leaders, rallied behind Clinton. University officials, including law school dean Douglas Baird and former Vice President of Community Affairs Jonathan Kleinbard, worked for years with Clinton to try to restructure the debt-ridden mortgage he inherited after taking over the property from HUD.

"He had a lot of help. He had a lot of people on his side," Mason said. Supporters included then U.S. Sen. Carol Mosely-Braun, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1), Mayor Richard M. Daley as well as "the full weight of the university," Mason said.

In 2002, the university-funded SECC honored Clinton for his contributions to Hyde Park along with eight others, including the "chief architects" of Urban Renewal the late Mayor Richard J. Daley and former SECC President Julian Levi as well as former 5th Ward Ald. Leon Despres. "We kind of looked at that as our all-star cast going back over our 50 year history," Mason said. "Saving [Regents Park] really saved a good portion of Hyde Par."

Today Regents Park boasts close to a 90 percent occupancy rate and the heated garage houses Mercedes.

And in mid 2005 Regents Park was sold to Crescent Heights. This is a large, respected national firm. Condo conversion in the future is virtually certain but not in the foreseeable future. --rents already run about $1,400 a month. It does take a large piece of residential real estate out of local hands.

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Half vacant or nearly full? developers grapple with vacancies, difficulties, perceptions but real progress being made

Hyde Park Herald, March 30, 2005. By Nykeya Woods

Three years after the international fitness chain World Gym moved out of Hyde Park, its former address, 1451 E. 53rd St. finally has a new tenant. Witherell Real Estate owner andy Witherell is keeping quiet about what retail business recently signed a lease, but he told the Herald last week that a new tenant will occupy half of the 8,000-square-foot storefront.

This space along with several other ground-level storefronts on 3rd Street have remained vacant for several years, leaving developers grappling with ways to fill them. Yet of the 285 businesses in the neighborhood, only 5 percent of storefronts are vacant, according to statistics provided last week by the South East Chicago Commission. In 2002, Witherell told the Herald that he preferred to have a restaurant open in the spot, but he was also looking into beauty supply, apparel or optical businesses. Witherell also refused to say why it took so long to lure a business into the space.

[The old wall dividing the space will be re-established. At the time World Gym moved in, Bob Mason, Executive Director of SECC] said he doubted that the neighborhood could support another gym facility outside of the Bally Sports Club... "We made that point with the owner, but he felt he could get his share of the market." Local urban planner Irene Sherr weighed in: I know for World Gym the lack of parking was a problem, she said. She added that possibilities for the space remain limited due to the Illinois liquor law. [No license within 100 feet of a church: United Church is within that.]

Mason added that there are not a lot of vacant store-fronts down 53rd Street. The largest chunk of vacant retail space, seven empty store-fronts between the Metra viaduct and Cornell Avenue, is currently owned by Mario Soldo of Blackstone Management, who's in the process of selling off the space.

Mason said several businesses, including bicycle shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, sporting goods stores and ice cream shops, have expressed interest in moving into the area. Recently someone inquired about the space formerly owned by 600 Designs, 5239 S. Harper Ave.

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News, findings

Go to the TIF Council Meetings page for a summary of the University's principles and strategy for development, as told November 10, 2003. For overview of what transpired at the largely-attended November 10 meeting, visit 53rd Street News. Also University and Community

 

Preckwinkle calls for local oversight of 43rd St. TIF (Cottage 39th-50th), potential role of tifs and boards (in the few that have them). Cottage Grove Corridor background, studies- see following feature.

Things are moving ahead very fast in 2007 with the coalition of Quad Cities, O-H Community Partners, Dept of Planning, Skidmore, Ald. Preckwinkle, Mahogany Ventures, Cottage Grove Development. Getting under way are a big shopping center on the southwest corner of Cottage Grove and 47th (that will tear down the Booker bldg. of the designer of Harper Theater despite calls by Quad Cities leader Bernita Johnson-Gabriel) and a whole string of new businesses and mixed development plus town houses along cottage including a beauty business that employees ex-offenders. On the table also is an arts and recreation center (including a pool) for 37th and Cottage.

In 2008, a $12 million Cottage Grove Restoration Initiative has started to provide loans to rehabilitate business facilities and get buildings ready to lease.

The newly-appointed 15 member advisory council first meets Wed., at King Community Center, 4314 S. Cottage. 773 535-8103 (4th Ward office). Expansion of the earlier TIF at 43rd was proposed by the alderman in early 2004. Apparently there was some concern about the city acquiring and bundling large amounts of vacant land without much public oversight. We wish the best to the new council in its oversight and envisionment roles.

More on LISC New Communities initiative: www.newcommunities.org. And Quad Cities.

In early 2006, Little Black Pearl students presented their concepts on streetscape improvements on Cottage Grove from 43rd to 51st.

And a coalition that hires and trains at risk persons is now contracted to clean Cottage Grove. Extending over two years, the program transitions people into being employables. Quad Cities is the second city area to hook into the Cara/Cleanslate program. The 8-10 member team will clean gutters and vacant lot, empty cans and separate recyclables, and maintain public gardens 5 days a week.

Hyde Park Herald, January 12, 2005. By Jeremy Adragna

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) made waves in 2000 when she called for residents of the 4th Ward to oversee development plans along 53rd street in Hyde Park.

Preckwinkle said this week she is again looking for a few good South Siders to drive development plans as she called for a TIF oversight board of directors to be formed in coming months. This time, board members will oversee plans along Cottage Grove Avenue between Pershing Road and 48th Street. The area falls within a Tax Increment Finance district know as the 43rd and Cottage Grove TIF, one of several within Preckwinkle's ward, which controls nearly $80 million.

The city employs TIF district to redevelop economically depressed neighborhoods by rerouting property tax money back to the area it came from.

The plan is to study the area first, which stretches from Vincennes Avenue to Drexel Blvd. and includes Preckwinkle's ward office* at 4664 s. Drexel Blvd., to see what types of retail businesses can be installed there. (*Preckwinkle has no personal financial interest in the property.)

Preckwinkle says she has used TIF areas in other parts of her ward to beef up affordable and market-rate housing, but 43rd and Cottage Grove TIF council members will oversee almost exclusively commercial and retail development.

An earlier study completed in January, 2003 included recommendations to build a new public library and businesses along 43rd and 57th Streets but it is unclear whether board members will follow the report.

Chinwe Onyeagordo, a consultant for Quad Communities Development Corporation which routes private investments to the area, says the advisory body will not likely take on any particular development decisions immediately but rather acclimate themselves to the area and the complicated process [of] how TIFs work.

Preckwinkle gained citywide attention in 2000 when she formed an advisory body to the 53rd TIF in Hyde Park. Chicago TIFs are ordinarily controlled behind the scenes by city planning department officials, the Community Development Commission and aldermen. Preckwinkle's format airs the inner-workings of community development, opening the complicated process to the residents which fund it.

Preckwinkle points to the success of the 53rd Street TIF council in getting concessions from retailers like Boarders Books and Music, McDonald's, and BP Amoco when they looked to expand along Hyde Park's Lake Park Avenue in the past two years. "We've had a group of dedicated volunteers to vet proposals," Preckwinkle said. "As a result of feedback from community members we got a better Borders and a better looking McDonald's."

The alderman's office is taking resumes from anyone interested in becoming one of 15 advisory board members until Jan. 28. Interviews will be held in February.

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TIF study urges more business- our money going elsewhere! Growth means new retail opportunity for the Cottage Grove Trade Area. Expanded Herald coverage on above subject

January 19, 2005. By Nykeya Woods.

The map below, from the article, should probably show the wings along 47th instead of 49th, as the 4646 Drexel building is in the new TIF. The 43rd TIF Advisory Council, which covers 39th to 47th and Vincennes to east side of Cottage and (at 47th) to Drexel, scheduled its first meeting for April 20, 6 pm at the King Community Center, 43rd and Cottage Grove.

Map of the 43rd Cottage Grove TIF (extendng south to 50th). Herald

A recent study by the Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC) found that residents in Douglas, Grand Boulevard, Oakland and Kenwood spend up to $693.5 million outside the neighborhood.

The study released to the public at the Jan. 10 53rd Street Tax Increment (TIF) District advisory council meeting at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club cited a lack of retailers in the area as one reason residents are taking their disposable income elsewhere.

The study also concluded that new construction in these same neighborhoods had increased by 74 percent from 2000 to 2003. Which Chinwe Onyeagoro, project consultant to the QCDC sees as an opportunity to spur business growth locally. Included in the study is the expectation of more than 10,00 new residents in these neighborhoods in the next five years.

"There is a very nice, uncomplicated story about why this area, the Cottage grove trade area, is a great opportunity," Onyeagoro said. "There are things happening in this neighborhood that make it a real quality opportunity for retailers."

The Cottage Grove Corridor, which will be an anchor as a business strip for retailers, is defined as the boundaries along 37th to 51st Streets, between Lake Shore Drive and the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Also included in the study was another test area that included several 10 minute driving times from the Cottage Grove Corridor, which falls within the 43rd Street/Cottage Grove TIF district--23rd Street to the north; Marquette Road to the south; Halsted Street to the west; and Lake Michigan to the east.

Advisory President Howard Males said it was important that the Hyde Park businesses know what initiatives surrounding communities were planning to implement. "The rationale from our point of view today for having our guests here has to do with the way the city is coming together with a recognition of a Mid-South district," Males said.

Susana Vasquez, program director for the New Communities Program of the Local Initiative Support (LISC) agreed. "They [Quad Communities] thought this entity [53rd Street TIF] is realizing that some of the organizations and grouping of folks in the Hyde Park Neighborhood are things that we would like to see happen in Quad Communities," Vasquez said. LISC, a group established to rejuvenate decaying communities in 16 Chicago neighborhoods, was the other guest speaker at the TIF meeting.

The study also concluded that these neighborhoods spend more than $35 million in than Chicago's average neighborhood. Although the average income is $30, 000, these neighborhoods can generate $191 million per square mile for retailers. Of 77 communities, neighborhoods within the Cottage Grove Corridor were ranked 18th collectively. In comparison, Hyde Park was 8th, Kenwood was 10th, Douglas 20th, Grand Boulevard 25th and Oakland 50th.

"One of the early action items that the Quad Communities Development Corporation took on was really trying to quantify what the opportunities [are] for retailers," Onyeagoro said. She said residents may understand the resources that they have at their fingertips being "sandwiched between Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago," but retailers need numbers that can prove that a store will survive. The study predicts that within the next ten years, middle-income families surrounding the Cottage Grove Corridor will spend over $850 million. The area could support over 700,000-square-feet of businesses that include apparel stores, eateries, hardware stores.

Below see a summary of what LISC and Metro Edge are doing, steps to redevelop retail at northwest edge.
February 27, 2005 The Tribune published an article, "Boom on the Boulevard: Developers take on Drexel, whether mansion or multifamily" This includes a complete listing of developments in the area.

The Sun-Times on February 14 published a full-scale article on the Cottage retail corridor and plans to redevelop it, noting that people are spending a lot of money shopping elsewhere. In fact, $460,000 sq. ft. of new retail could be absorbed. Proposed is small and medium sized businesses to complement what's there now. In the survey, residents also said they expect beautification and improvements in safety. Positives cited: Housing increasing fast and home ownership soaring, cultural mini-corners, education improving with UC initiatives, other UC commitment and involvement, increasing lakefront access, new city financing tools. A given: easy access to expressways and downtown.

__________________

Some recent developments in North Kenwood Oakland.

From South East Chicago Commission and Feb. 27, 2005 Chicago Tribune. Many of these are already sold.

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Profile of North Kenwood-Oakland change

From an article in New Homes Magazine, June 2005

Troubled neighbors

In the neighborhoods that frame Hyde Park to the north and south, however, the picture is very different. Here, sidewalks are far less populated and stores virtually non-existent. Empty lots dot the vintage streetscapes like missing teeth.

Though they are Hyde Park's closest neighbors, North-Kenwood-Oakland to the north (bounded roughly by the lake, Cottage Grove, 35th and 47th) and Woodlawn to the south (bounded by the lake, 60th, King Drive and 67th) seem light years away from Hyde Park. But that view is deceptive -- and swiftly changing.

The avenues to the north and south of Hyde Park may lack street life, but not construction activity. Everywhere one looks, jackhammers stutter, bulldozers shift earth and hammers pound roofs under construction. North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn are being built anew, many of the single-family homes, condom buildings and townhome developments rising on lots long devoid of anything but weeds.

What's driving the boom in neighborhoods around Hyde Park? Prices that are significantly lower than those in Hyde Park-Kenwood, a convenient lakefront location close to downtown as well as Hyde Park shopping and amenities, and the availability of prime comparatively affordable land in a super-heated real estate market.

Few observers have a better perspective on the changes than Jerome Wade. As president of Wade Enterprise & Associates, a South Side development company, Wade remembers building on Oakenwald Avenue in North Kenwood in 1994, when lots could be purchased from the city of Chicago for one dollar each.

Today the city sells lots for $30 a square foot, he says. "Now, it's a whole different ballgame. We have developers coming down from the North Side, and they believe lots at $30 a square foot are cheap."

David Chase can relate. As president and CEO of Chicago-based Thrush Companies, he recalls the days seven or eighth years ago when his company sold new townhouses and condos in the North Kenwood-Oakland area for $105 to $110 a square foot. Today, new units range from $180 to $200 a square foot.

"From a residential standpoint, that's a significant acceleration," Chase says. "It's been a virtual explosion in terms of market value and land value, and not just over the last 10 years but over the last five. And particularly the last 18 months."

Among the beneficiaries are long-term residents like Gregory Newsome. The owner of Loop-based CNI&M, a moorage and real estate brokerage, he lives in the vintage home he bought at 40th and Ellis in 1984. "when I first bought my house, there were a lot of issues and problems, because of the projects being there," he recalls. "Now those are gone. And while it's not utopia...it's considerably more livable. I love the neighborhood."

Much to like

The lure of North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn for developers is certainly understandable. Land is still available and affordable, especially compared to the much pricier, denser North Side. The neighborhoods are within walking distance of the lakefront, the most sought-after amenity in Chicago. The cultural, commercial and educational attractions of Hyde Park are close at hand, and the South Loop is less than a 10-minute tip up Lake Shore or King Drive.

Developers enjoy an added incentive in North Kenwood-Oakland, as in other South Side neighborhoods where the Chicago Housing Authority's plan for transforming public housing is "turning a negative into a positive," says Brian Moore, asset manager with draper & Kramer, a full-service real estate firm with a long history on Chicago's South Side. The former CHA sits in North Kenwood-Oakland offer large blocks of land close to the lake and downtown and in return for taking a mixed-income approach that includes new housing for CHA residents, developers receive a much better deal than they could trying to piece land together on the private market.

Buyers converging on the area are drawn by the prospect of city living at a fraction of the cost of Lincoln Park, Lakeview and other Near North and Northwest side enclaves, says Mark Sutherland, a partner with Alex Pearsall in Sutherland Pearsall Development Corp., a builder active on the South Side. "People are not afraid to pay top dollar for quality new housing," he says. "It's still literally a bargain compared with North Side housing prices."

Where are the buyers coming from? Identifying where they're not coming from is might be easier. Many buyers grew up near these communities in the 1960s, moved to the suburbs as the area deteriorated and now wish to return with their families, Moore says. Others work in Hyde Park, many for the University or the hospitals. Renters from Hyde Park-Kenwood who can't afford a first home in the neighborhood are moving north or south for a discount. And there are the converts from the North Side and Evanston, where lots of would-be buyers have been priced out of the housing market.

Wade, whose firm is building 10 single-family homes on South Berkeley, finds that his buyers include emigres from the North Side and South Loop. Having reaped sizable windfalls on their condos, they salivate at the $365,000 price tags on Wade's single-family homes. For that price, they gain three-story, eight-room homes with all-brick exteriors on a landmark street -- and have money left for upgrades.

Lake Park Crescent, Draper & Kramer's ambitious mixed-income development on Lake Park, between 41st and 42nd, is large enough to have an impact on surrounding blocks in Oakland. Standing on land once occupied by Chicago Housing Authority buildings, Lake Park Crescent's 480 units will be about evenly divided between for-sale and rental housing. About a third of the total units will be market-rate, a third affordable or "workforce" housing and a third public housing.

The development features two eight-story mid-rise buildings flanking a three-acres, crescent-shaped park. A 14-story condominium tower will come later, as will three-story row homes, city homes and six-flats. Prices range rom $200 a square foot for condominiums to more than $500,000 for three-story row homes, according to Moore.

A major selling point for Lake Park Crescent, Moore says, is the planned pedestrian bridge over Lake Shore Drive to a new beach under construction between 40th and 42nd. The subject of an international design competition held by the city of Chicago, the bridge is being designed by Cordogan Clark & Associates, which has produced an innovative serpentine design. Draper & Kramer is also attempting to convince Metra to reopen its shuttered station at 39th.

A tribute to the area's heritage

One of the main perks at Jazz on the Boulevard, another mixed-income community on former CHA land, is Drexel Boulevard itself, a grassy thoroughfare with a landscaped median that at 100 feet is wider than many parks. The Thrush Companies, which is building Jazz along Drexel between 41st and 42nd, paid tribute to Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and the other jazz greats who once performed at the nearby Regal Theater and other legendary venues in the area in naming the project.

When complete, Jazz on the Boulevard will feature 137 housing units - 39 rentals and 98 for sale - Chase says. The rental component includes 30 CHA apartments that are being build with joint-venture partner Heartland Alliance, which will own and operate the units once they're complete. These apartment will be interspersed among the for-sale units, about one-quarter of which will be "workforce housing" priced to be affordable for teachers , city workers and others increasingly priced out of the expensive city market.

"We have a great constituency from Chicago Public Schools, the fire department, police department and the University of Chicago buying these units," Chase says.

The workforce housing is discounted 10 percent to 50 percent over market rate. For instance, a market-rate one-bedroom, one-bath condominium with a garage is $175,000 to $185,000, while the same workforce unit is $110,000. At the other end of the spectrum, two market-rate "Morton" duplexes will see for $400,000, while their workforce counterparts are $210,000.

Based on sales figures, the formula seems to be working. At press time, the first phase of construction was nearly sold out, 29 of 36 condos were sold in phase II, and in phase III, only one townhouse and about half of the 24 condos remained for sale.

Demand has also been robust for the South Side homes of Sutherland Pearsall, according to Sutherland. Long known for its residential developments on the North Side, Sutherland Pearsall has become one of the South Side's most prolific builders, with seven projects underway on Drexel Boulevard in North Kenwood-Oakland, Hyde Park and Woodlawn. The include both new construction and condo conversions in historic buildings, Sutherland says.

The company's largest current project is a 59-unity condo conversion called Drexel Parc Lofts, at 4537 S. Drexel. More than 60 percent sold, the seven-story building will feature lofts with one to three bedrooms and one or two baths, priced from $156,9000 to $270,900.

Community Organizations Spearheaded Change

Just as community-based organizations played a central role in stabilizing Hyde Park, homegrown groups have shaped the rebirth of North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn. The North Kenwood-Oakland Conservation Community Council, funded in 1991, has been the dominant force in spurring change in the community.

After the devastating effects of white flight in the early 1960s and the creation of troubled public housing highrises, North Kenwood-Oakland suffered rising crime, deteriorating housing and a complete lack of investment.

At one point, Newsome says, the 4th Ward, which includes all of North Kenwood-Oakland, was the poorest ward in Chicago and one of the poorest in the nation. Beautiful old house were abandoned, vandalized, then razed by the city, which held title to endless vacant lots.

Since its inception, the North Kenwood-Oakland CCC's goal has been to bring private developers into the neighborhood and guide redevelopment. It has been aided in that mission by the Fund for Community Development and Revitalization, which Newsome now chairs. The fund tries to attract commercial investment and large-scale redevelopment of vacant apartment buildings, and is majority partner in Lake Park Pointe Plaza, the area's six-year-old shopping center on 47th just west of Lake Park.

Newsome's aunt, Shirley Newsome, since 1992 has served as chairman of the CCC, which now is also involved in improving schools, beaches and parks. "There are lots of things going on in the neighborhood," she said. "We're taking a holistic approach. It's not just about houses, it's about everything in the community, including people."

In Woodlawn it's the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Cor[poration (WPIC) that has battled to stimulate real estate investment in the community.

Once overwhelmingly white, Woodlawn changed almost overnight to 99 percent African American in the mid-1960s. During the following years, the area suffered from wholesale disinvestment, widespread arson and a crumbling economy. The population, which had swelled to 80,000 in the early 1960s as the neighborhood's large old buildings were subdivided into apartments, limited by three quarters. Its current level is 24,000.

WPIC started working to develop additional rental housing in the 1980s, then pushed for the development of for-sale housing in the early 1990s. Today approximately 30 new single-family houses line both sides of 63rd between Kenwood and Woodlawn carrying price tags that start at $275,000. Rampant condo conversion is ongoing east of Cottage Grove Avenue from 61st south to 67th, and townhouses are being built throughout the community.

An enhanced level of safety and improving retail and cultural environments are attracting newcomers to North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn. Both neighborhoods have been extended the protection of the University of Chicago Police, which now patrol as far south as 64th in Woodlawn an north of 39th, in North Kenwood-Oakland.

So far, North Kenwood-Oakland is outstripping Woodlawn in spurring retail and cultural amenities. Lake Park Pointe Plaza houses a drugstore, and athletic footware store, a cellular phone store an myriad of other shops, and stands right across the street from a Bally' Fitness, and Cottage Grove, from 39th to 47th, has been designated a tax-increment financing district to spur retail development.

The limited number of existing businesses also are preparing for an influx o new customers as the base of new housing grows, according to Draper & Kramer's Moore. When the company began looking at the sale of its Lake Park Crescent development five years ago, Draper & Kramer officials huddled with the owners of a store just south of the site called the One stop. "We met with them about revitalizing the store, cleaning it up and making it more attractive," Moore recalls. "The owner said, 'I'll wait till the people are here, so I know I have a market.' Just in the last two months, that renovation has been completed."

The community has seen significant investment in culture and education, says the Thrush Companies' Chase. The Little Black Pearl [Art and Design Center]. an arts and culture organization, is based at 47th and Greenwood Avenue. Across the street, Muntu Dance Theatre, which focuses on African Dance, is building a new space. Ariel community Academy and the North Kenwood-Oakland Charter School are house in the rehabbed Shakespeare School building, at 46th and Greenwood.

Along with the cultural, educational and housing assets that are bringing North Kenwood-Oakland and Woodlawn closer to Hyde Park, the established community's less affluent neighbors now rival the hosting grounds of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in anther category - optimism.

"I've always felt that, just from a business assessment standpoint - looking at the location, and proximity to downtown and Hyde Park - (North Kenwood-Oakland) was a natural for redevelopment, for upper-end or high-end redevelopment," says Gregory Newsome, who predicts the area might one day rival Lincoln Park. "Ahead, I se nothing but expansion. Wild expansion."

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Special Service Area considered for Stony, 71st; big boxes on Stony-in place by August 2007.

Alderman Hairston at her March Ward Meeting felt out the audience on creation of a Special Service Area taxing district for commercial properties to run from 56th and Stony south to c. 77th and along 71st from Dorchester to Exchange/South Shore. Businesses in the Tax Increment Financing district in that sector since 1998 is not raising enough tax revenue to finance either redevelopment or services and amenities, Hairston said. The purpose of the service area (special taxing district) would be to allow such services as security guards, street cleaning, signage....maybe a trolley service and would have the special advantage of allowing establishment of uniform standards for buildings, signage etc. in conformity to the new Zoning Ordinance for commercial districts. Several businesses, including Staples (already open) and Target are eyeing Stony Island between 67th and 76th, and they need the extra oomph or enticement an SSA would give. It is uncertain whether SSA money would be used to leverage Target--TIF money leveraged the Starbucks at 71st. An oversight board of local residents would develop guidelines and oversee the administration and expenditures.

Hairston said: "It gives the board control of how the commercial corridor is growing. The most important part is that the improvements are community controlled and there's community insolvent."

Wishbone will be opening its own restaurant building next year at Stony and 69th. The Walgreens at 71st and Jeffery will be completely replaced and two additional Walgreens build on Stony.

As the SSA is rolled out, local businesses are already contributing on a one-time basis for a street sweeping and snow removal firm, Operation Clean Slate, that hires locals. It will be doing a demonstration in the days after Labor Day.

Big box retailers may keep Hyde Parkers on South Side [but not nec. in Hyde Park]

Hyde Park Herald, May 4, 2005. By Mike Stevens

It is looking more likely that Hyde Parkers will have additional big box retailers nearby as Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) announced last week that Target Corporation has expressed written interest in opening a store on the rebounding Stony Island Avenue commercial strip. "We finally have it in writing that they are interested in coming," Hairston told residents on April 26 at her monthly ware meeting....

In addition, the office-supply retailer Staples is set to begin renovations for a new store in half of the old Goldblatt's store at 75ht Street and Stony Island Avenue. Staples officials have ben trying to convince Bed, Bath and Beyond or electronics-retailer Best Buy to fill out the remaining half of the building, Hairston said.

Cheap prices and plentiful parking offered by these type of large chain retailers could potentially draw many Hyde Park shoppers out of the neighborhood.

James Poueymirou, president of Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, believes nearby commercial development will be great for Hyde Park consumers but could also be a boon for local businesses. Recent studies confirm South Siders increasingly leave the area to shop, Poueymirou said. He hopes bigger and better stores combined with less traffic congestion could help reverse that trend drawing new shoppers from other parts of the city to Hyde Park and the South Side. "If we can retain those residents with existing business and new business, then that money will stay here and it can be reinvested in the community," Poueymirou said. "Everybody who goes up to shop on North Avenue... that does Hyde Park no good at all."

To prod development along, Hairston continues to push for a new Stony Island Avenue business tax district that she hopes will speed up Stony Island's commercial revitalization. The proposed Special Service Area (SSA) district would include only commercial property owners along Stony Island Avenue between 56th and 76th Streets, and along 71st Street between Dorchester Avenue and South Shore Drive.

Money generated from the special county real estate tax would pay for services not covered by the city such as sidewalk and parking lot snow removal, beautification projects and possibly even a trolley service. A board of commissioners appointed by Hairston would decide the scope and purpose of any SSA projects.

Potentially adding to the acronym-addled mix, Hairston continues to push for the formation of an additional community-based development organization. Hairston plans to convene a private meeting next month with planning officials and interested residents about forming a Community Development Corporation (CDC). A CDC would help organize development by monitoring existing properties and shepherding along further development.

During last week's ward meeting, Hairston said she would consider invoking the city's right to seize property by eminent domain to hurry along development [while recognizing this a sensitive matter]. Of particular concern to Hairston were property owners who sit on their property in the hopes that surrounding development will drive up their land's value. "People should be compensated, but this not the lottery," Hairston said.

She also hinted at increasing local control over business facades and signage although it's unclear which of these potential community-based groups would yield such power. "Our commercial corridor reflects who we are as a community and I don't want it to look like someone vomited," Hairston said.

With housing developments multiplying to the north and Stony Island Avenue to the south poised to become a major commercial strip, Hyde Park no longer sits like an island isolated from the rest of the South Side, Poueymirou said. "The old definitions of Hyde Park are changing with every new development that takes place," Poueymirou said.

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Preckwinkle blames city for 53rd Street TIF delays

Hyde Park Herald, January 19, 2005. By Kiratiana E. Freelon

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) announced at the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) advisory council meeting last week that plans to bundle the funding of a Hyde Park parking lot and Canter Middle School addition might have to be nixed due to the reluctance of the city's Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Denise Casalino to greenlight the parking lot project.

According to Preckwinkle, Alicia Berg, the former commissioner of the planning department, promised that the city would own and operate the parking lot. Since that promise, however, the latest commissioner, Denise Casalino, is reluctant to agree to the project.

"I'm not sure the present one will honor the parking garage," Preckwinkle said. Calls for comment from the city went unreturned.

The current fate of the parking lot will also affect Canter Middle School, 4959 S. Blackstone Ave. When the TIF began Preckwinkle wanted to combine the bond financing for the two projects. But without the support of the city, that may not be possible. "We're going to have to clearly uncouple them," Preckwinkle said.

The next step is to determine what the city's final position is on the garage, Preckwinkle said. Then she will proceed with planning for the garage with or without the support of the city. When Preckwinkle formed the TIF, its main goal was to accumulate funds for a parking lot and later, a Canter middle school addition.

"In a year it will be clear how to fund the garage and then we can figure out what to do with the school," she said.

Marilyn Krogh, chair of the local school council at Canter, was still optimistic that the school would get an addition. "The Canter expansion is a long-term process. We'd like to see it within five years," Krogh said.

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Development news bits

Regent's Park was sold by community anchor Bruce Sagan to a "condo developer." (Sagan is expected to retire to Colorado.) That developer signed a deal for no conversion before two years (2007). Indications:

After 3 years, in spring, 2005 the World Gym site at 1451 53rd was finally leased. Still, this was a hard nut to crack and left a perception of decline and dereliction. No liquor license is possible there or at Harper Theater. See article above. Announcement on the Theater is expected late June or early July.

The set of buildings east of the tracks on n. side of 53rd has been bought and is in back-and-forth with the alderman, neighbors and TIF committee on plans see Business Climate and Districts.

Triangle residents are upset about Mr. Kretchmar's plans for a high rise near the Barclay. This would be governed by the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, which is unlikely to approve without aldermanic consent, and she is opposed. Plans dropped?

Former Shiloh Baptist - accord reached between condo unit developer and neighbors with alderman's help Oprah's chef Jeff Smith sold the building and the new developer wants, after demolishing the Orange-listed structure, to put in 32 units in an area of mostly large single family homes (2nd tier mansions at the edge of the historic Kenwood mansion district). Neighbors were very upset and organized. The matter was successfully resolved with fewer units, but of course the Orange-rated church will be gone.

The current building is an Orange-rated structure within an historic district.

 

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Visit the Doctors Hospital page.

 

Hyde Park Records opened in Mid-november, 2004, replacing 2nd Hand Tunes at 1377 E 53rd, which closed after a protracted civil liberties fight with the city. Three former employees reopened the small former chain's most lucrative store, according to articles in the Herald and Chicago Maroon. One, Boomer Lowe, said "We used to work here--this place used to kick ass..We said, 'there can't not be a store here.'" The store has been cleaned up and the stock is best of the old stores and new stock. "The more music fans in the neighborhood, the better." www.hydeparkrecords.net.

New condo developments in west Hyde Park, announced in 2003, are progressing toward construction on long-vacant city land. Investment Management Corp's four units in three-floor structures in the 4700 block of Ingleside will have up to 1,800 sq. ft. and sell for up to $300,000. Morhyne Development will develop city-held land at 548 E. 51st St. in the hot strip north of Washington Park from King to Cottage. This will be a 5-story, 22 unit market rate condo with up to 2,100 sq. ft. per unit, elevators, and fitness centers -priced at up to $400,000.

Catholic Theological Union announced its new classroom building for the west side of Cornell in its parking lot at 54th Street. Slated for 5 stories or 95,000 sq. ft. and at $25 million, planners held meetings with Alderman Hairston and local residents and apparently satisfied all demands with parking above what is there now--as did redevelopers of the Shoreland Hotel. Groundbreaking is expected December 5, 2004 (permits pending, of course) . There will be a library and classrooms, administrative space, worship space, an enlarged art gallery. The design suggests the adjacent motel-like Margaret Paluch Hall. The current administration building will be used for offices and residence. Completed in 2006 and spectacular, especially the soaring atrium and the art gallery (integrated into the movement corridors).

Schematic Chicago Theological Union new building 5412 S. Cornell. orneCTU under construction. Gary Ossewaarde

CTU is the largest Catholic seminary/graduate ministry school in the country, founded in 1968. Over the years both the student body and service mission changed greatly. President Donald Senior decided to keep the facility where it is and that it expand. CTU is credited with stabilizing its ethnically and economically very diverse set of blocks. CTU is an active participant in the area consortium of theological schools.

Catholic Theological Union breaks new ground

Hyde Park Herald, By Nykeya Woods

Groundbreaking for the new $25 million Catholic Theological Union (CTU) academic building took place in the school's current parking lot across the street from its present home, 5401 S. Cornell Ave., on Sunday. The five-story 95,00 square-foot academic building for the country's largest Catholic theology and ministry graduate school, founded in 1968, will provide needed space for classes, a library, worship, faculty and administrative offices.

Architect Joseph Antunovich, president of Antunovich Associates, describes the new CTU home as a design that is not traditional. He said it is a blend of contextual design with a warm modern look. "It is a building design that is evocative of the surrounding Hyde Park neighborhood," Antunovich said."Taking a school's academic programs, their administrative programs, but also out of respect for the community, accommodating all of their parking needs within the building. In Hyde Park, that is a sensitive issue."

Included in the building will be an art gallery and a parking garage that will expand if more parking space is needed. The current building will be used for student housing and offices.

The groundbreaking ceremonies took place in a conference room, attended by the founding members, faculty, students, developers and supporters. Each prayer at he ceremony was repeated in swahili, Vietnamese and Spanish. Rev. Thomas Reynolds doused onlookers with holy water from branches of an evergreen tree.

At the ceremony, Rev. Donald Senior, president of CTU, said the school is "bursting at the seams." "Our spirit in taking this momentous step for us, we hope, is not really different than the courageous and generous commitment of founders," Senior said.

Founding President Rev. Paul Bechtold was in attendance. "I'm excited," Bechtold said about the groundbreaking. "It's always a leap of faith when you engage in a new venture." He added that his feelings for this groundbreaking paralleled the feeling he once had at the inception of the theology school. Bechtold published a book called "Catholic Theological Union at Chicago: The Founding Years 1965-1975" in 1993.

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Little Black Pearl open (see in Arts News), Muntu dance theatre may be open by end of 2007(but see on parking fears in Parking Woes page)

Hyde Park Herald, December 22, 2004. By Kiratiana E. Freelon

Joan Gray, president of the Muntu Dance Theatre, hopes to be sitting in an office at the corner of 47th Street and Greenwood venue this time next year. Developers laid the foundation for Muntu's new 55,000 square-foot facility at the corner last week. Work is scheduled to finish late in 2005.

The facility plans include a 400-seat theater, meeting space for community organizations, dance studios, classrooms, and retail space. "I don't expect it to change the direction of the company, Gray said. "But it will add a new dimension." Muntu currently produces dance shows and runs three dance classes at Kennedy-King College. The new building will help expand its classes and host local and international artists and groups, gray said.

The company is close to completing its $12 million fundraising campaign, which will help fund the construction. At a Dec. 10 gala during its 2004 concert series "Sopaly," at the DuSable Museum of African Americn History, 740 E. 56th Pl., Muntu raised more than $50,000.

Muntu, Chicago's oldest African-themed dance company, will hold its grand opening for the facility in spring 2006.


Never Breaking new ground? St. Stephen's Church in the 5600 block of Blackstone, a redevelopment into condos supposed to be happening for over 6 years. In March, 2005 it was downsized from 20 to 12 units (while keeping 25 parking spaces.) The gray limestone columns and cornice would be kept and the old front replicated. The proposed development has been to subject of long negotiations and development of a legal agreement (2001) with neighbors brokered by Alderman Hairston and block organizations, as well as a suite of public meetings at each stage. In some respects, this process breaks new ground-rules in development. In the agreement, developers, LaGrange-based Antoniou-MickShea, agreed to keep the height to that of the present structure and make other provisions including a certain number of parking spaces, and the neighbors agreed to support the zoning variance needed. Some neighbors remain strongly opposed, some want the eyesore torn down maybe with part of the front preserved, but most are said to want development: one neighbor is quoted, "We're nervous about what will happen, but we are not terrified. We really would like to see this project happen."

The block ad hoc leader, Linda Neal told the Herald, "it was a fairly drastic change from the one we approved, [But] there is certainly a chance that we allow this to be substituted." First to consider this will be a steering committee of block residents, then the city and a public meeting. Prices will be nearly $1.4 million for the 3,000 sq. ft. each.

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_____________________

The Aldermanic "pick" or "menu" of projects

Did you know there is an "Aldermanic Menu" for local capital and infrastructure projects? It is not too late , let them know your ideas. The effective menu seems to shrink steadily, and at the time when the mayor was prepared to raise taxes, the "truck hire" scandal reached its peak, provoking civic and business group ire and aldermanic cold feet.

NCBG principles to reform City Capital Budget in behalf of neighborhoods and accountability:

See each neighborhood's share in the city budget: To learn how go to the www.ncbg.org site or contact John Paul Jones: jpjones@ncgb.org.

 

Task Force and others' events, news

The HPKCC Development, Preservation and Zoning Committee was very active on Harper Court and Harper Theater- see in those pages. It will continue to monitor and as appropriate take positions on specific proposals and problems as well as engage the community on general directions-- we may hold a forum soon on retail developments and directions.

Standing meetings

The 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council meets 2nd Monday alt. months (i.e. Jan, March, May, July, Sept, Nov.) , 7 pm, Hyde Park Neighborhood Club. Previous meetings. Committee meetings discuss these issues regularly and are open to the public: Planning, Streetscape, and Parking.

Neighborhood Capital Budget Group's TIF and development committee holds open meetings on an afternoon, at 407 S. Dearborn, 14th Floor conference room. Contact them for information. jpjones@ncgb.org

Getting it right matters..

The city is cracking down on those who fail to get the proper permits or build other than what they proposed. A example is Muntu Dance Theater--see Muntu in Arts News.

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Discussions, articles of interest on development principles

What Metro Edge and LISC are up to on the neighborhood edge

Although Hyde Park had a Retail Study and overall Planning Now Retail District Study produced in 1999, that's six years ago. All the other neighborhoods around ours are having marketing studies and full-scale Quality of Life Plans done, but not Hyde Park.

From the TIF Advisory Council January 2005 minutes:

Metro Edge Study presented by Chinwe Onyeagoro, Project Consultant to Quad Cities Development Corporation: Ms. Onyeagoro presented results of a Metro Edge study for the Cottage Grove Trade Area that found the area above city averages in buying power, growth potential, and retail opportunity. Also noted were the new residents, the number of home purchases, and a decrease in violent crime. Next steps are to present these findings to city staff, neighborhood planning groups, existing businesses, and local stakeholders; to engage Skidmore in developing a master plan; to establish a 43rd & Cottage TIF; to develop a marketing plan for the Quad community; and to begin meetings with brokers, developers and retailers.

Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC)" presentation by Suzanna Vasquez, Program Director, New Communities Program of LISC: Ms. Vasquez gave a brief history of LISC's ten year commitment to 16 neighborhoods in Chicago, raising capital for grants and loans for development. The concentration for the past five years has been on comprehensive community development. to that end a MacArthur grant provided LISC with funds for personnel and grant money for neighborhoods devising a "Quality of Life Plan." Examples of grants include a U. of C./LISC beautification initiative; principal professional development for Quad Communities schools in July of 2004; and a market study by Metro Edge to help draw retail to the Quad Communities. Other local neighborhoods working on a Quality of Life Plan include Woodlawn, Washington Park, and St. Edmonds. Ms. Vasquez noted that partnerships are being fostered, including one between Quad Cities and the Abraham Lincoln Center to work on employment.

More above

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An exhibit a 1 Space Gallery, "Design of Diversity: Urban Design for Chicago's Socially Mixed Neighborhoods" uses a formula saying HP is not socially diverse (like Lincoln Park !!, Edgewater, Uptown...) but gives ideas on how to be so.

Hyde Park Herald, June 14, 2006, by Caitlin Devitt. Exhibit through June 30, 2006 is at 1 Space Gallery, 230 W. Superior. 312 587-9976.

Hyde Park is not one of the socially diverse neighborhoods cited in the fine exhibit on Chicago urban planning organized by the University of Illinois at Champaign. Lincoln Park, however, is. This may seem counterintuitive, but it's all been scientifically computed with the Simpson Diversity Index (A+[N) N-1)/[sigmai nsubj (nsubi-1)]). So Hyde Park is less diverse than Lincoln Park, as well as Uptown, Edgewater or the Lower West Side. Well, anyway, one need not always gaze in the mirror to have a good time. There's and other reason to visit this show: to gather evidence for the argument that it would benefit Hyde Park if Harper Court remained an incubator for small, independently-owned businesses.

The exhibit suggests three requirements for neighborhood diversity:

When it comes to businesses, the exhibit, which thankfully avoids a preoccupation with gentrification, notes that small and neighborhood-based businesses are good; a local veterinarian, art gallery, plant and toy stores would likely be pleasing to these urban designers. They suggest that physical space should be preserved for such business, a group of cottage buildings built around a courtyard, maybe? The planners suggest wrapping small businesses around a big box retailer, supplying plentiful retail without flattening the horizon. This is best achieved in an area that features a mix in building sizes; one could imagine something like a large corner retail building, a theater building, narrow storefronts and two-story buildings. Collective space to connect the whole thing is ideal, perhaps grassy courtyards where residents can gather for farmers markets or chess playing.

It's always nice to see shows like this in Chicago, where it seems that urban design follows the cash dollars, and retail streets are becoming parades of Walgreen's, Subways and bank branches. Those interested in urban policy or who followed the Urban Renewal debates probably won't find many surprises here, except for the diversity of Lincoln Park. If we can figure out a way to plug Harper Court into the Diversity Equation, Hyde Park might score higher next time.

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Blair Kamin cites (in ongoing Tribune series started Feb. 27, 2005) Hyde Park Bank lobby's rehab/restoration by Florian as way to reinvigorate historic banks as visual and economic anchors for neighborhoods vs "schlocky" proliferation of mini-branches. But there is the tradeoff of increased service and competition--often with class, like Harris on 55th at Cornell.

...The Berwyn bank symbolizes just how fleeting architectural permanence can be--and how the economic Darwinism of the marketplace can play havoc with historic banks, no matter what the reassuring words on their walls. Today, the chief economic threat to these monuments to Mammon is coming from the proliferation of Mc Banks, those small, inexpensive, architecturally challenged branch banks that are spreading across the Chicago area and the nation.

The trend has prompted concern among city and suburban officials became the branch banks frequently gobble up storefronts occupied by retailers and pay no sales taxes.* But it has another disturbing side: The mini-banks threaten the existence of large historic banks that serve as visual anchors for their communities...

[What's different now? Eased laws on branch banking, spread of ATMs and online banking, Community Reinvestment Act--And this bank once definitely discriminated-compare with the praise now for investment by a firm serving African Americans as well as others, below--Gary Ossewaarde.]

To be sure, not all historic banks are about to bite t he dust. Some have been converted....others actually have remained banks, their interiors handsomely adapted to modern needs.

Chicago architect Paul Florian of Florian Architects, for example, has done an exquisite renovation of the richly decorated interior of the Hyde Park Bank, deftly juxtaposing functional contemporary elements with the banking hall's fabulously ornate shell. The project, which earlier this year won a national Honor Award for Interior Architecture from the American Institute of Architects, brilliantly shows how old banks can be revamped to met current needs. The question is whether this extraordinary effort will turn out to be a model or an exception......

The outcome at the Hyde Park Bank is much more satisfying, largely because Florian and the bank's aptly-named president, Timothy Goodsell, confronted the same problems and came up with a far more creative solution. Found on the second floor of the 11-story office building at 1525 E. 53rd St. that was designed by Chicago architect Karl Vitzthum, the 1929 bank hall had become every bit as functionally outdated as Bank One's. It looked terrible, too, with warrens of office furniture cluttering he space. Uneven lighting split the room into disjointed parts--the hall and its once-gilded ceiling, which had turned a sickening brown.

"It was like a fine instrument that was out of tune," said the noted Chicago preservationist Tim Samuelson, who lives in Hyde Park. Wondering whether a grand room like this still made sense in an era of small, storelike banks, bank executives thought of converting the hall to other uses and moving personal banking to the ground floor, where it would be more accessible to foot traffic. But they decided to stay put, shrewdly realizing that the hall could set them apart from cookie-cutter McBanks.

It does so wonderfully. Florian's renovation simultaneously unifies the previously chopped-up space and gives it a new level of articulation that fits today's banking practices. Contemporary sconces and lamps in restored chandeliers bounce light off the re-gilded ceiling, making the hall look like a single, uninterrupted space. Yet Florian broke down the scale of the hall by placing personal banking and lending service areas on the hall's flanks. He spotlighted these economically significant zones with such attractive features as a stainless steel light wall, a red onyx desk and a raised light floor.

The modern asymmetry and openness of these elements serve as an antidote to the hall's overwhelming formality. Nowhere is that more evident than in the new teller pavilion, which is faced in travertine that blends wonderfully with the walls of the old hall but doesn't form a wall between banker and customer. The teller pavilion even has circular, color-coded LED lights that let customers know when tellers are available.

The project shows definitively that there is a middle ground between grandeur and intimacy, history and freshness. And though it proved expensive, costing nearly $4 million, it has generated a special kind of value for the bank and its depositors, most of whom are African-American.

Goodsell, the bank president, recalled: "An African-American man stopped in and said: "I've never seen anybody invest this kind of money in a business that caters to African-Americans. Most of the businesses that come into the African-American community--they're not well managed, they don't look nice. The fact that you put t his kind of money into this building really makes me feel good." [Goodsell] added" "it sent a message: We're here for the long haul."

*Like storefront churches and religious dormitories.

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Thinking about the next mid-sized site redevelopment, 53rd Kenwood, and learning from past mistakes; how might the build-in affect vacancies etc.?

Developer seeks mixed-use for old McDonald's parcel

Hyde Park Herald, March 2, 2005. By Jeremy Adragna.

A plan to build a multi-level apartment building completer with first-floor retail is what 53rd Street Development LLC has in mind for a large swathe of land on Hyde Park's main drag between Kimbark and Kenwood Avenues . The Herald reported last week that land once owned by a McDonald's Corporation subsidiary at 1344 E. 53rd St. had been recently sold to William Phillips, owner of the adjacent Mobil gas station at 1330 E. 53rd St.

But the new plans could come with decidedly less controversy as Phillips said this week he intends to take input from the community at upcoming 53rd Street Tax Increment Finance Council meetings.

In similar plans laid out in 20001, the land was slated for an eight-story 137-unit apartment building with first-floor retail space. But those plans were shot down when area residents fretted over parking problems and congestion related to a proposed McDonald's drive-through.

Phillips also confirmed that his former partner, John Kretchmar, with whom he had made the plans in 2001 would not be part of the new deal. Phillips said the newest plans have not yet been laid out and he is unsure how tall the building will be but that it will include space for first-floor businesses.

"I'm not going to do anything that this community is not going to be pleased with," Phillips said. Philips and new partners are negotiating with Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) and will meet with her in the coming weeks. Phillips owns several car washes around Chicago including the 53rd Street Mobil which he has operated since 1978.

Also in recent weeks the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce has set out to assess the neighborhood's retail needs and to fill empty storefronts. But construction of the proposed apartment and retail building could leave even more space for the Chamber to fill. Bob Mason, executive director of the University of Chicago clearinghouse South East Chicago Commission, contends retail space is at a premium along 53rd street and it would likely fill up fast. "That's prime real estate," Mason said. "If there is retail going on, that shouldn't be hard to fill because there are very few vacancies left."

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Alderman Preckwinkle sees healthy, new development in 4th Ward.

Hyde Park Herald, October 13, 2004

When I was first elected alderman, I wrote a number of columns about redevelopment in the surrounding neighborhoods. The gist of them was that Hyde Park and South Kenwood would be healthier and more vital communities if these neighborhoods were redeveloped.

I kept repeating this message for several reasons. first, it is what I've always firmly believed. secondly, it was important that my constituents know that the reversal of the decades of decline and disinvestment that plagued so much of the ward was a priority of their new alderman. Finally, most of my time was devoted to redevelopment activities outside of Hyde Park and South Kenwood, he communities that elected me, and i wanted to be sure that my friends and neighbors knew why.

Recently I realized that I had not felt compelled to return to this theme in a column for some time, for obvious reasons. The redevelopment of the communities around us has transformed the Mid-South Side, and anyone walking or driving through will be impressed by the extent of the rehabilitation and new construction.

All of this came to mind because there was a ground-breaking last week for Jazz on the Boulevard, a 137-unit, mixed income development that will be constructed by the Thrush Development Company, Granite Development and Heartland Alliance on Drexel Boulevard between 41st Street and 42nd Place. Ninety-eight units will be for sale and 39 rental units will include 30 apartments for public housing residents.

This is the last of the three bid mixed income redevelopment projects planed in the ward to get underway. (Lake Park Crescent at 41st Street and Lake Park Avenue will have units available for occupancy this month. Oakwood Shores at 39th Street and Ellis Avenue will have units available before the end of the year.)

Thrush Development Company has a long history in the ward. The company participated in the 1994 Parade of Homes on Oakenwald in North Kenwood. It also built the Shakespeare development at 46th Street and Woodlawn Avenue. Designed by Fitzgerald Associates, it has a beautiful interior courtyard and a mixture of well designed condominium, row house and town house units. This 109-ujit development includes 12 apartments for public housing residents, which are indistinguishable from the market rate, for sale units.

I believe that Jazz on the Boulevard will be as attractive as earlier Thrush projects and look forward to the grand opening next year. It is a relief to see these large projects underway at last.

The dramatic transformation of the North Kenwood and Oakland communities epitomized by Jazz on the Boulevard would not have been possible without the vision and work of the neighborhood planning body. The Conservation Community Council is chaired by Shirley Newsome [the other members are listed].

The physical transformation of North Kenwood, Oakland, Grand Boulevard and Douglas is only the beginning, however. More work needs to be done on the other elements that make for healthy communities: public safety, public schools, employment and social services, commercial development, etc. Those efforts will be the subject of my next column.

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4th Ward more than just Hyde Park says Verna Hampton

Hyde Park Herald, December 15, 2004

I am writing to you about Alderman Toni Preckwinkle. I want to know if she knows part of her ward is west of Drexel Boulevard? She does everything for Hyde Park and nothing for the people west of Drexel.

the sidewalk on Cottage Grove Avenue in the 4900 and 5000 blocks look awful. The same is true of 49th Street. Reavis School is on 59th Street between Cottage Grove and Drexel; we need a stop sign at th and Cottage Grove. we do have a crossing guard there, but those cars go by so fast she was almost hit more than once. I gave her a whistle myself.

I have to cross every morning to take my three grand kids to school. Sometimes there are tow crossing guards there. There is also a senior building there; they said they have been asking for a stop sign there for five years. Nothing has happened.

Look at t he buildings on 47th street. Most of them are boarded up west of Drexel but not east of Drexel. We the voters need her to know there is more t han Hyde Park in her ward. We need that stop sign more than anything.

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Writer criticizes University's real estate policy as inept at best, inimical to development and business climate

Note, the 53rd former McDonald's site was in fact sold by owner McDonald's subsidiary to the local developer-owners of the Mobil station (William and Claudine Phillips' 53rd St. Development LLC) to the east, although the University may well have been involved. And, as Hardwick implies, McDonalds and the University might have early in the process been involved. Maybe the University either foresaw accommodation to McDonald's as a potential locator on Lake Park and, in addition to other reasons it wanted Burger King out, agreed that the Burger King lease at 47th Lake Village shopping center (a few blocks north of the Lake Park new McDonalds) would not be renewed, although this seems early in the move game for that--or it may have been coincidental.

Herbert H. Hardwick letter to the Herald, February 9, 2005

I am still chuckling over a funny story from "Retail News," on page 3 of the Hyde Park Herald (January 12, 2005). In this story, by Nykeya Woods, the inconsequential fact that Burger King had a year remaining on its lease when it closed in early December, 2004 was prominently mentioned. Inconsequential because Burger King's demise was ordained around 26 months earlier when the University of Chicago, which owns the Village Mall at East Hyde Park Boulevard and South Lake Park Avenue, negotiatively declined to extend Burger King's lease beyond December, 2005.

The University of Chicago has a well documented history of driving viable businesses from that location and others around the neighborhood.

Who could forgive or forget how the University of Chicago hounded Rothchild's Liquors out of the Village Mall and then, using its political arm, the South East Chicago Commission, had the precinct Rothchild's intended to move into, at East 47th and South Lake Park Avenue, voted dry. They also, at about the same time, then evicted Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois from the upper floors of the same building in the Village Mall.

The current peccadillo concerning the demise of Burger King, a tenant of twelve years standing, can be parsed by a little common sense deductive reasoning about the real estate business. and one of its favorite devices, the 1031 Exchange or Starker Exchange as it is officially known.

The McDonald's Corporation of Oak Brook, Ill. probably owns upwards of 70,000 parcels of property world wide for the 13,000+ stores it owns, manages or franchises. Believe it or not its Property Acquisition and management Division is its largest subsidiary. McDonald's makes a practice of owning the properties its free standing stores reside on... In the case of McDonald's newest Hyde Park store at the corner of 52nd Street and South Lake Park Avenue the 1031 Exchange or Starker...may be the icing on this vaguely confusing transaction between McDonald's, the University of Chicago and the former owners of the Shell Oil Station which formerly occupied the site. Another viable neighborhood business the University deep sixed, summarily. And let us not forget the Christmas Tree Lot which mysteriously appeared on McDonald's former East 53rd Street location (1344)...next door to the Mobil Car Wash.

So why, may you ask, did it take a year longer than so public projected to close th McDonald's deal and get the restaurant open--almost 4 months beyond its August 2003 opening date? The University of Chicago, that's why,... The University has owned and controlled the site at the southwest corner of 52nd an Lake Park avenue for more than 40 years....[acquiring it during] Urban Renewal.

The University an McDonald's probably executed a 1031/Starker Exchange for the two properties and that exchange would account for the rather mysterious appearance of the Christmas Tree Lot on the former McDonald's site this past holiday season. The ...Lot usually resides on property owned or nominally controlled by the University of Chicago.

[His conclusion seems to be that part of the UC-McDonald's deal is that competing Burger King, too close to the new McDonald's, be kicked out of Lake Village, and this must have been at the start of negotiations, soon after the Kretchmar deal fell through for 53rd Mobil-McDonald's. ]

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An appeal for the University to look again at the Music Box proposal for Harper Theater after all

Hans Morsbach writes Herald that parties should bend over backwards to accommodate the Music Box. August 9.

I am very excited to hear that the Music Box is considering moving to Hyde Park. I think this is a wonderful possibility as it is a sympathetic theatre that philosophically fits well into Hyde Park.

The fact that the theatre would be interested in maintaining parts of the adjoining 53rd street building is also positive as the store front facade on 53rd Street is architecturally attractive and I would be upset if it were replaced by a boring, new structure.

I realize that the University of Chicago has been trying to preserve the character of Hyde Park and attract exciting new tenants. Unfortunately, the results are not impressive, no matter how intense the effort.

I hope that the university has enough moxie to make the Music Box an offer they cannot refuse. It is an opportunity that would significantly alter the ambiance of Hyde Park and should be taken advantage of. It would constitute the most exciting commercial development opportunity in years and should not be passed up.

Broad-based economic opportunity is a requisite in our communities.
Gary Ossewaarde

Local aldermen and institutions including UC hold job fairs and extensive outreach to ensure contractors, vendors and jobs are offered to a substantial proportion of minorities and disadvantaged in projects. Several minority groups continue to complain.

In the new Muntu Dance-Black Pearl $16 M cultural center "planned destination" at 47th and Greenwood, Alderman Preckwinkle says "twenty-five" is the floor, not the ceiling. The projects receive Empowerment Zone funding. Mostly minority workers have constructed Little Black Pearl and boasts a 50 percent total participation. It will open in September 2004 to each kids to make and sell art.

What do residents want in communities, and how do they achieve them?

Based on an October 2004 Metropolitan Planning Council Issue Brief

(Note, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations has put out an advisory report on avoiding the Differential Impact of Gentrification on Communities in Chicago.)

For more information: 312 922-5616, www. metroplanning.org, vice president: 312 863-6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org.

MPO's 2002 annual survey showed metro residents want to be able to live close to work, preserve open space (71) , and have affordable housing near jobs (73-81) --and within walking distance to shopping (44). Living where they can take pubic transit to work garnered less- 32% vs 62 in suburbs. (numbers = percentages in Chicago.) Among the clearest across the board is that people want retail--and retailers want density.

Retailers use several measures of density--and many experts think these are frequently misapplied, as confirmed by many businesses that have done very well locating in areas that conventionally don't measure up. Measurements include households within a certain distance, average daily traffic counts, foot traffic counts, consumer expenditures gauging demand per household per retail category divided into volume needed to sustain a store, how much business in the area can be captured. Example: grocery store needs 12,000 households standalone to 17,000 with a few competitors (70% "capture rate".) UPS/Mail Boxes may only need just 20,000 living within 3 miles while Dominick's may need double and a Krispy Kreme 5 times the numbers a few miles.

Also important in land-investment and retail locations is how communities distribute, use and regulate land. In 2003, PricewaterhouseCoopers downgraded key markets--Houston, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas--because lax controls there bring higher vacancies and lower rents. Also frowned on are traffic congestion, car dependency, lack of connectivity, stressed roads and sewers, banal commercial strips , and regional infighting over tax dollars. But concentrating higher density housing near transit and retail creates favorable foot traffic. But without initial density, the transit won't come or won't help.

Other kinds and impact of density also affect economic health and growth. Density is linked to housing costs-although this is complex, and if development is thought to be getting out of scale, urban design guidelines work better than "downzoning." Density and walkability are also linked to public health--people who live in denser communities are less obese and live more active lifestyles--but walkability is not being adequately facilitated or encouraged in most communities.

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What about affordability? Some say as many units should be be onsite as possible, others say it isn't necessary. In some cities the development boom actually builds more affordable units:

An October 23, 2005 feature in the New York Times titled "The Benefits of the Boom" included evidence that incentives that include offsite redevelopment can be win-wins even if a drop in the bucket. New York has two incentives (not stated (much) extra space for a development from developers of affordable housing or buy city-issued certificates from the affordable developers for lower property taxes. therefore, a stronger market means more affordable units. There are rules to encourage mixed income communities.

Irene Sherr, community consultant, says Less is More

Hyde Park Herald, October 26, 2005

Planners joke among themselves that every community meeting boils down to one issue: PARKING. No matter the development, parking is the reoccurring and universal theme at community meetings and that more parking is always better.

But a new book, "The High Cost of Free Parking," by UCLA economics professor Donald Shoup, argues less parking is actually better for a community. This slap in the face of conventional wisdom has sparked new discussion about the propriety of so much free parking. It even challenged the notion that parking is actually free.

Shoup argues that the cost of free parking is hidden in the higher prices of everything else. He says "free parking" distorts transportation choices, produces bad urban images, interrupts the natural vitality that comes from parking once and walking from place to place, wastes valuable land and hurts the environment. He predicts that in 20 years current parking policies will be considered as much a failure as high-rise public housing and urban renewal are viewed now.

Community leadership, in a desire to respond to the perceived lack of parking, has required developers of new residential construction in Chicago to build more than the required ratio of one parking space per unit. Further under the assumption that people will not buy a parking space to accompany their new unit, developers have been required to bundle the cost of parking into into home prices. Simultaneously, the need for more affordable housing increases and communities urge developers to incorporate affordable housing into projects. Many planners and residents praise these strategies as sound and progressive planning practices.

Further, the issue of density is often linked to these discussions. Residents will say that they do not want more density (but will want better retail options) because it will add congestion.

Dense residential neighborhoods tend to have lower rates of automobile ownership. Manhattan in New York City represents the epitome of this relationship. In Chicago, neighborhoods like Hyde Park, Andersonville and Lakeview have better access to public transportation and offer more destinations to walk to. There are more people to support businesses and the streets are safer.

The 2000 census indicates that well over 30 percent and in some cases close to 50 percent of households in these and other dense neighborhoods do not have access to a private vehicle.

What great city or neighborhood is known for its abundant parking supply? although these locations have many amenities and attractions, ample parking is not one of them, yet these areas thrive.

So, the next time you are debating the merits of a new development, remember the "High Cost of Free Parking."

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An Urban Land Institute Workshop, held summer, 2003 in Chicago, identified...
Ten Principles for Development (Thanks to Howard Males, TIF Advisory Council chairman, for passing this along in the recent TIF meeting announcement.)

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7 Challenges: Why successful redevelopment is so hard but happens

Based on an Urban Land article, October, 2003, drawn from Place Economics (D.C. think tank)

  1. The players: Most gov'ts, institutions and activists are used to housing issues rather than commercial districts
  2. More players, usual and unusual: Who drives the bulldozer? Hospitals, universities, and churches (esp. for parking); prob. more than developers--sound familiar here?
  3. Neighborhoods are constantly changing even if they look stagnant--don't overlook "functional transition."
  4. Leadership. The usual downtown mover groups are often missing, weak, or uninformed /inexperienced /underfunded or feuding among themselves or with the residential base.
  5. NIMBY. Again, sound familiar?
  6. The rent dilemma: when buildings aren't or can't be well maintained or infill structures of high quality because there isn't the money from sales volume > rent >warranted construction expenditure. Picture 53rd Street.
  7. Being overlooked for location because of exaggerated perception of No. 6 and of how "little" money there is in neighborhoods.

So, what do succeeding, revitalized urban commercial districts have? (D.C.'s 17th St. P-R much like 53rd.

  1. Population density
  2. Integration, economically mixed-income with owner/renter mix. > Dollar volume but not for high end bias.
  3. It's in a local historic district. > teardowns out so affordable inventory of commercial space and a range of rent rate diversity for independents is maintained +> infills are to scale and quality and pedestrian orientation is maintained. (It helps that (and the businesses thrive with) there are no surface parking lots. (It's 4 blocks to the Metro.)
  4. The merchants' association and residential neighborhood association are both strong.
  5. The district has a "second life" in the evening- dozen restaurants, bars, clubs that draw regionally (Sounds like old HP.)
  6. Diversity of customers and rents > diversity of business types and nationals and locals.
  7. All of the above, together.

Another reason we need pedestrian oriented commercial strips: to "Nudge people to exercise."

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Hyde Park Cultural Directors Cultural Use Survey, executive summary- very encouraging and leaving room for better outreach and synergy with each other and business venues. (UC sponsorship, however, is of marginal advantage.)

A consortium of directors from 13 cultural organizations in the Hyde Park area sought a better understanding of the levels of cultural "use" among Hyde Park residents, as well as the factors residents consider when deciding to attend cultural events and activities. This better understanding o the Hyde Park cultural "temperature" will help the consortium develop stronger audience education and communication with Hyde Park residents.

MCIC [Metro Chicago's Information Center] used a two-part methodology:

A summary of primary research findings shows:

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Broadband initiative proposed for city by Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago- and it's coming in two forms, mobile and localized from a few big towers and lampposts throughout the city

The Metropolitan Planning Council has launce a A new initiative, Broad Shoulders to Broadband with support of the John D. an Catherine T. McArthur Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, and McCormick Tribune Foundation. A multi-media CD is available from the Council.

This "tells the story of Chicago's broadband infrastructure potential from a business perspective: some local enterprises have taken advantage of the city's technology infrastructure, while many others remain 'out of the loop.' In the meantime, cities worldwide..have learned from and moved beyond Chicago's CivicNet, realizing the savings and benefits of broadband technologies. As the world leader in technology infrastructure, it is time that Chicago leverages its resources and builds the network that all of its businesses and residents deserve."

"From rails to road to the telephone, Chicago is built on infrastructure. Today,Internet backbone is shaping development patterns for the 21st Century. About 24 times faster than dial-up service, DSL is an affordable broadband solution idea for small business and residents."

(A map shows that of 12 islands of under service by DSL, three are relatively close to Hyde Park: Bronzeville (vast), a pocket in Cheltenham?, and a crescent from the Skyway at about 83rd running southwest to west of the Dan Ryan including Pullman. Another map showing fiber routes and future demand for High Bandwidth shows that demand will be heavy in band from Kenwood southeast through South Shore.)

"But many neighborhoods lack access. Without affordable access, businesses and residents cannot connect to Chicago's advanced digital network and will be unable to attract and retain jobs. Many businesses need fiber-level services for next-generation applications like video conferencing, telemedicine, and supply chain management. unfortunately, they are located too far from fiber or high-speed wireless networks to access service at a competitive price."

What is CivicNet?

CivicNet will save taxpayers money by pooling the purchasing power of Chicago's 2000 government facilities--offices, schools, libraries, police and fire stations, parks and other--the City can save millions of dollars per year and meet the growing technology needs of these facilities.

CivicNet will boost economic development. By extending broadband to its neighborhoods, Chicago will position itself to attract high-tech industry, like bio- and nanotech, while all types of businesses will have access to the most robust fiber network in the world."

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Some demographic trends and policy ideas

While we are have been in an era (latest data 1990-2000) when the city is growing in population and, for example, in valuation of owner-occupied property, this is considerably less true in Hyde Park and South Kenwood than in surrounding neighborhoods (especially North Kenwood-Oakland) despite soaring resale prices and taxes. Since Hyde Park-K is among the high demand areas in the city, this may reflect already high property values and assessment due also to lack of developed and re developable land. In other words, we're a "mature" market.

It is also stabilized in the sense of providing (maybe increased) home to lower income families even while increasing numbers of well-off families (many being larger families now) move in. Opposition here is strong to high-rise and other projects that increase density—even if full parking were offered.

[Ed—because of the perceived strain on the streets and infrastructure and on quality-of-life issues. The differences in valuation growth also reflect both overflow from HPK and (even more) new attractiveness of a repopulating, often gentrifying, Mid South Side, and of course that the starting point had become very low for the surrounding neighborhoods- in other words, cheap land (being made more readily available to developers). While Hyde Park will remain distinct, it seems destined to become less and less and island.]

This map, from Urban Land Institute Chicago/MPO Campaign for Sensible Growth publication, shows rising stated values of owner-occupied housing in Chicago, 1990-2000. Lightest (Neighborhood 41- Hyde Park) + 4.1-46.6% growth in the decade. North Kenwood Oakland had 86-272% growth; Woodlawn 46-58%.

Some impacts of the growth in valuation (which incidentally has been ahead of commercial value increase in HPK, one reason for establishing a 53rd Street TIF):

Homeowners may benefit at time of sale but both they and renters may be priced out even with subsidies and assessment rebates and holds. The ULI/Growing Sensibly study has suggested that in order to protect those living in neighborhoods and encourage mixed-income neighborhoods, "An inclusionary housing policy [may be] a method of alleviating the adverse effects of appreciating markets." These groups and the City have held "Technical Assistance Panels" on workforce housing in pilot neighborhoods, including experts, non-profits, residents, developers, and real estate professionals. They concluded that "the Chicago housing market could support a targeted inclusionary housing program, but only in certain areas of the city," i.e. not with existing concentrations of affordable housing combined with non-appreciating values. For them, economic reinvestment was suggested. Challenges: 1) It's difficult to implement strategies for market rate rental development- taxes penalize it, 2) It's hard to match variable and changing market conditions with flexible, rules-light programs that don't also encourage abuse. Suggestions were made.

The city is proud of its record and new five-year plan on the subject, according to Commissioner Markwoski, who participated in a series of talks at the UC Harris School of Public Policy in late 2003. In the plan, revealed earlier in the day at the City Club, $1.9 million is available to build, preserve and assist in develop 48,000 units. The plan was developed with much consultation and hearings over six months. This plan depends heavily on partnering and is but one component in affordability initiatives, including preserving and revitalizing existing "affordable" housing--especially federally-assisted stock, and acquiring vacant single family houses, and financial assistance and counseling for families. The challenges were acknowledged.

Meanwhile, the city and Ald. Preckwinkle are acquiring long-vacant stretches of near-lakefront land by eminent domain before the prices skyrocket, especially in the Madden/Wells public housing corridor between 35th and 39th, in the process keeping density moderate in the new redevelopments.

The Conference has on file articles showing that many deprived neighborhoods are making strides on turn around: "Inner City Renaissance" and "From Poverty to Progress."

Discussion continues in Ending Homelessness and Tracking Community Trends>Neighborhood Goals>Inclusiveness, Affordability, and Strong Housing Stock sections.

Some broader development issues:

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Advisory Referendum: What, Why, and How?

What can the average citizen do when he or she believes an injustice has been done in the community--e.g., the denial of a liquor license to the new owners of the Woodlawn Tap (AKA Jimmy's) or the Nichols Park issue of a number of years ago?

One answer is to see that an advisory referendum calling the question is placed on the ballot of any upcoming election.

Advisory Referendum?

An advisory referendum is designed for the purpose of soliciting the opinion of voters on a question of public policy--e.g., "Shall smoking be banned in all public buildings in the City of Chicago?" YES/NO?

The referendum can be citywide, ward-wide or precinct-wide.

It should be noted that results of the referendum are not legally binding. They are, indeed, "advisory."

Referendum Procedure

An advisory referendum may be initiated by petition or by an ordinance or resolution of the City Council.

If the referendum is initiated by petition, the petition sheets must include: an appropriate heading, space for signatures, text of the question to be submitted to voters, the area covered by the referendum (e.g., city, ward, precinct), and the election at which the question is to be submitted.

Signatures

Petitions must be signed by 10% of the registered voters of the city, ward, or precinct covered. For a referendum in a combination of precincts, petitions must be signed by10% of the registered voters in each precinct. Signatures must include addresses.

Circulation

Circulators of petitions must be registered voters of the governmental unit covered by the petitions--e.g., city, ward, precinct. For a referendum in a combination of precincts, circulators must be registered voters in one of the precincts.

A statement validating the signatures of the circulator and the petitioners must appear at the bottom of each sheet.

Circulators must appear before a notary public and have the signed affidavits notarized.

Petitions for an advisory referendum must be filed with the Board of Election Commissioners not less than 78 days before a regular election. A copy of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners’

Guidelines for Advisory Referenda" is on file in the Conference office. It contains more detailed information on the process and procedures for putting an advisory referendum on an election ballot.

Nichols Park Referendum Brings Support in 1988

In 1988, a group of Hyde Parkers put an advisory referendum on the ballot for the upcoming election. It questioned the need for stores and houses on what was then an empty lot on 53rd Street. Residents had organized Friends of the Lot, supporting the extension of Nichols Park rather than the use of the property for development .Results of the referendum showed that 86% of the residents favored the park. Alderman Tim Evans then supported the residents. The rest is history.

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