Plan Commission
Chicago Plan Commission
Development
Remote
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Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Ellie Colbert
Former Michael Reese Hospital site development, The Fields, Riis Park school, Fulton Market Innovation District
Live reporting by
Rebecca Pritchard
Former Michael Reese Hospital site development, The Fields, Riis Park school, Fulton Market Innovation District
Rebecca
@attypritchard
Hi, I’ll be live-tweeting today's Chicago Department of Planning and Development Plan Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m. for #ChiDocumenters @ChiDocumenters
09:39 AM Feb 18, 2021 CST
The first item is listed as D(6) on the agenda: a motion to defer this item to a future date. It is a proposed Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinance Application from Eterra Plus LLC for a property located at 525 S. Wabash. The deferral passes unanimously.
Carla Smith, a resident of the 4th ward, speaks on behalf of herself and her neighbors: it is very important to her and her community that the developer of the Michael Reese Hospital Site makes "a commitment to bringing good hospitality jobs to the community."
Just before Mrs. Smith's comment, Butler Adams spoke in support and asked that the nearby Olivet Baptist Church at the corner of 31st and King Drive be preserved: it is the oldest African American Baptist Church in Chicago.
Desmond Orr from Well Service Prep speaks in support, saying there will be opportunity for Bronzeville residents for jobs, careers, skill improvement - primarily thanks to @King4thWard
Gilbert Neal speaks with concern of this development: he hopes that the people working here should have good pay and good benefits! Like Mrs. Smith, he is worried because the developer has not committed to this.
Kimmie Jordan echoes Mr. Neal's statements: she grew up nearby, and she and her family were pushed out. "This land belongs to Chicago and the Low End. We deserve quality jobs because we deserve to come back home."
A representative from the Chicago Hospitality Worker's Union: he, too, is concerned that the jobs created will not be good enough for the people living nearby. A commitment from the development regarding high quality jobs is a necessity!
Nicole Jackson speaks in massive support of the Michael Reece Site: it will add to the culture of the community, provide jobs, and allow for innovation.
Tracy Bay speaks in support of the Michael Reece Site and praises @King4thWard's effort to keep the community engaged in the ongoing decisions regarding the site.
Rhonda McFarland from @CommunitiesQuad speaks in support of the Michael Reese development - this will benefit the Bronzeville community over the long run. Like others before her, she speaks highly of Alderman King.
Butler Adams speaks again, this time regarding item D2, the amendment to the Fulton Market Innovation District. He says the plan does not have enough green space. He's concerned about the beautiful buildings that will be demolished, and those that have already been demolished.
Another public commenter, whose name i missed 😞, opposes the Fulton Market item. He speaks on behalf of dozens of organizations and hundreds of residents who oppose this plan. This plan continues the tradition of racist exclusion in Chicago. Not enough transparency.
Multiple public comments opposed to the proposed amendment to "The Fields." Rent is sky high - studio apartments for $2000/month! There are no parking spaces near longtime residents' homes. This development is only meant for rich people - and ignores the people living there.
Moving right along, the next item on the agenda is the presentation regarding the area which includes the former Michael Reese Hospital and the Prairie Shores apartments.
Here is a map of the planned Bronzeville lakeshore development from GRIT Chicago https://t.co/z6IF12uAVZ
Scott Goodman, speaking on behalf of GRIT Chicago, the applicant, describes the vision for "building a healthy community of the future" on what is currently vacant land.
Jim Reynolds speaks about the economic impact: the project will create an estimated 30K+ full time jobs and 55K+ direct and indirect construction jobs.
Reynolds also says they aspire to achieve 65% minority led business participation within the project. He says that 50% of the hires will be Chicago residents. 10% of the retail space will be available for below the market rate.
GRIT is committed to 20% affordable housing units which translates into almost 1500 affordable units out of about 6000 units.
Part of the plan is to make Cottage Grove a pedestrian thoroughfare by connecting the site to the community https://t.co/dior47jLYM
This plan may also include relocating the Metra station on 27th street to 31st to alleviate traffic.
Here’s an example of one of the potential buildings - it will include an exhibit about the Michael Reese Hospital. https://t.co/7U9iMSWveb
Attached are phase 1 and 2 of this plan - there is still a potential for a phase 3! https://t.co/se8LckwqYh
The next item is a resolution to update to the renovation plans of the Fulton Market Innovation District.
The goals below are supported by specific strategies including affordable housing ordinance updates and increased residential uses https://t.co/Sh8WiPgkm3
There have been several past plans for the use of this land. As of now there is a lot of improvement needed in the specified area: missing sidewalks, upgrades of crosswalks, light poles, and Metra improvements.
Commissioner Córdova raises concerns about sidewalks, pest control, bike lanes, etc. that were not covered extensively, if at all in the presentation. She questions whether the decision should be deferred until those issues are addressed in a conditional agreement.
Commissioner Michael Kelly raises concerns about the rising level of density on the near west side that is not being matched with enough levels of open and green spaces.
@AldermanBurnett commends this plan for having 30% affordable housing units. He suggests an L stop someday in the future, and also says that what is truly needed in this area is schools.
Commissioner Cox says this is an audacious plan for its goal to be a mixed income, mixed use, downtown-adjacent area. These types of areas in cities are very rare nationwide.
He believes open and green spaces are important, but that small “pocket parks” throughout will be most realistic.
Commissioner Lyons appreciates the emphasis on affordable housing, and wants to "ensure that the quality of jobs will ensure that people will be able to work and live nearby."
Cindy Chan Roubik, who is presenting these applications, responds that TIF funds are truly what is allowing small businesses to stay afloat at this time and allowing them to provide jobs and train employees.
This plan is approved unanimously. The Commission now moves onto item D(3) , a proposal to to rezone the area around N Meade & W Fullerton from Parks Districts to Residential Single-Unit/Detached House Districts, then to an Institutional Planned Development in Belmont Cragin.
This is located at the southeast corner of Riis Park. Part of the existing Riis Field House would be demolished in order to open space for housing, a school, a community center, and a commercial corridor.
Here you can see the park with the proposed new school at this location https://t.co/9EmqVsiQ5r
Kerl LaJeune, from the Public Building Commission of Chicago, shows what the school will look like and provides details regarding the community outreach and input related to this project.
The school will have a capacity of 690 students, which will help the nearby schools with the crowding they currently experience.
A letter from @FOTPChicago expresses concern over using Parks District land for non-park use, but "there is
legal precedent for public schools to be built in Chicago's parks." That being said - they plan to put forth effort to make it more difficult to do so in the future.
legal precedent for public schools to be built in Chicago's parks." That being said - they plan to put forth effort to make it more difficult to do so in the future.
Lori Lypson, Cheif of Staff of the Public Building Commission of Chicago, says they will have a robust plan for employing Chicago residents - and as it develops, as construction approaches, the plan will be available for review.
Commissioner Laura Flores is concerned about the design of the building - it falls short of design principals that the Commission is trying to promote throughout the city. She thinks it looks like a housing project, as opposed to a vibrant school for children.
@gilbert36ward follows up by emphasizing how important it is that this largely Latinx community (86%!) leads this project because that is who the school and park serves. The Commission echo his valid concerns.
The motion passes, with many commissioners asserting a conditional yes as long as the building plan improves.
Item 4 is regarding buildings located at N. Pulaski and W. Diversey as well as Pulaski and W. George in the same general area. It is an industrial corridor with mixed zoning including commercial zoning. One building is a historic warehouse, others are non-historic.
This construction is vehemently opposed by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association joined by 7 other community orgs and 125 residents. You can read all public comments regarding this item here: chicago.gov/content/dam/ci…
Chairwoman Córdova emphasizes the concerns from the public comment section: the requirement to give notice only applies to those residents within 250 feet, meaning notice was not given to everyone that this project will impact.
Richard Klawiter says they did the best they could to give notice, and some people from the organizations who the people on the project have worked with lived more than 250 feet away so these residents must've found out somehow... (Kind of a flimsy response)
@AldermanCardona says any resident nearby who cannot find parking due to the increase of shoppers and employees who are not residents of the neighborhood should call his office to express those concerns - he has received none so far.
Commissioner Novara expresses disappointment with the "disrespectful" manner in which this project is being sold to the residents. Logan has lost 20% of its Latinx residents due to gentrification.
She brings up the marketing: "Discover the Undiscovered," which closely reflects the US' habit of using "discovery" to gloss over the violent and oppressive conquering of indigenous people and their land
Commissioner Guacolda Reyes asks what organizations Mr. Klawiter has met with and he mentions Logan Square Neighborhood Association - which announced its opposition at the beginning of the meeting, and Commissioner Reyes reminds him of this fact.
Chairwoman Córdova: "There's a difference between engaging with the community and actually implementing their ideas."
The plan is approved. The Commission moves on to a proposal from Dean Siebert for the property located at 1905-07 W. Fullerton to be rezone from Heavy Industry to Neighborhood Mixed-Use to allow for the renovation of and an addition to an existing residential building.
This is the site, on W. Fullerton in Bucktown between Damon & Elston: https://t.co/JFd9eiSkgO
This project will create 20 construction jobs and double the current property taxes of $8500 from the $700k investment in the home.
The project is approved. The next item is regarding an irregularly shaped lot located at 3800 N. Milwaukee. The proposal is to rezone the property from limited manufacturing/business park to motor vehicle-related commercial district. No physical changes will be made.
This is what the building, which has remained empty and unused for some time now, looks like now, and will look like at completion. https://t.co/PJiIUlehnX
This will bring at least 7 businesses into the neighborhood which will cater primarily to families with children. It will create 75 jobs and will contribute to the area’s TIF funds.
The rezoning is approved. The next item is located at 5950 N. Sheridan Road! Near Thorndale and Sheridan.
Edgewater Acquisitions, LLC, proposed to construct a six-story residential building with 59 dwelling units and 59 parking spaces. https://t.co/L1eY0wrXVl
The proposal is approved and the meeting adjourned. "Go forth and wear your masks," Chairwoman Córdova says. This concludes the Plan Commission meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for March 18, 2021. For more meeting coverage, check out documenters.org.
Attachments
Agency Information
Chicago Plan Commission
The Chicago Plan Commission is responsible for the review of proposals that involve Planned Developments (PDs), the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMDs), Industrial Corridors and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts. It also reviews proposed sales and acquisitions of public land as well as certain long-range community plans.
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