Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Proposed Boystown development stirs controversy
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2011-11-23

This article shared 4901 times since Wed Nov 23, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


A grassroots group called Halsted Neighbors is opposing a proposed mixed-use development project on the corner of Halsted and Bradley—just down the street from the Center on Halsted. The 15-story glass-and-metal structure that JDL Development is proposing to build in Ald. James Cappleman's 46th Ward would replace the parking lot next to the IHOP on the corner of Halsted and Grace.

The mixed-use building would include 46,000 square feet of commercial space, 350 apartments (mostly one-bedroom or studio units, with a few two-bedroom ones) and 369 parking spaces for rental unit residents, retail customers, the Open Arms United Worship Center and the neighborhood synagogue. The price per square foot for the rental units will be $2.30, the current market rate, according to JDL Development President James Letchinger.

Residents of the heavily LGBT area only found out about this proposed structure in an e-mail newsletter sent out by Cappleman's office or on the ward's website Oct. 29. Halsted Neighbors then held a meeting at the house of one of the founders, Mark Usiak, with Cappleman Nov. 9. The group asked Cappleman about the details of the project and why they were not notified about it prior to Oct. 29. Cappleman disagreed, saying the project had been made public prior to Oct. 29. However, according to Amy Karatz, president of East Lake View Neighbors, there has never been a public meeting focused specifically on this proposed development.

At the 46th Ward Zoning and Development Committee meeting held Nov. 10 at Weiss Memorial Hospital (which was not made public on the 46th ward website until the evening of Nov. 9) the proposed development was brought up for discussion. Attendees included Cappleman; his chief of staff, Tressa Feher; mediator Angela Fortino; Letchinger and members of his staff; board representatives from more than 30 neighborhood organizations throughout the ward; members of the press; and concerned citizens and business owners from the area surrounding the proposed development. At the meeting, according to Kallan Miller, also of Halsted Neighbors, attendees were asked not to speak but to write their questions on an index card and hand them to the moderator. The moderator then would decide which questions would get addressed.

The developer presented a slide show of the building plan and acknowledged the massive impact it would have on the residents of Bradley Place. Letchinger said, "Our team is pleased to bring a high quality, mixed-use development to the neighborhood.

"This project will add substantial new commercial space as well as new, modern apartments, increasing the vibrancy of Halsted Street and providing an alternative to existing living options, encouraging people to live in the community. The development will not utilize any public funding and will provide substantial revenue to the City of Chicago."

When asked about the project, Cappleman said, "Research from the 46th Ward master plan supports the creation of mixed-use developments. However, I strongly believe development needs to be a community process. We have encouraged the developers to meet with as many community and neighborhood organizations as possible and then the 46th Ward Zoning and Development Committee will look over the proposed plans to score this particular plan. I rely on this community process to provide me with a framework to make inclusive decisions about development in our ward."

Halsted Neighbors feels that there will be a negative impact on the neighborhood, especially on the current residents of Bradley Place, which is now a one-way street that exits to another one-way street. According to information revealed during the Nov. 10 meeting, the developer is proposing to restrict parking on Bradley Place and turn the residential street into a partial or complete two-way street to accommodate the large retail trucks, customers traffic and residential traffic that will come from this new structure.

Retail trucks will have to travel down Bradley Place to deliver their goods since the Chicago Department of Transportation does not allow loading docks or entryways on Halsted Street. The proposed re-routing of traffic will, according to Usiak, create more traffic issues in a area that, along with residential and retail space, is also home to Wrigley Field and many schools that create their own traffic issues during baseball games and during the school year.

Also, during the Nov. 10 meeting an individual asked Letchinger what benefits this project would provide the LGBT community. Letchinger's response was "What's that? I'm not familiar with the term." Usiak said the audience booed when Letchinger didn't know what "LGBT" meant and Cappleman just brushed it off and moved on.

Usiak also recently met with the board of the Gill Co-op, a long-time low-income housing project located across the street from the proposed structure. He said that they are opposed to the new building and will be signing Halsted Neighbors' petition. Usiak said, "For whatever reason it seems like the burden of proof is being put on the neighborhood as to why the project should not be built, whereas the burden of proof should be on the developer as to what value this proposal brings to the neighborhood. To date we see none.

"The current proposal calls for a rezoning that is out of place with the character of this neighborhood and provides no substantiated benefit to the community. The scale and magnitude of the proposed project will further strain an aging infrastructure, over burdened city services, contribute to traffic congestion and compromise safety. While we are not opposed to development and see the need for greater retail, there are already many available and marketable retail opportunities in the area.

"We would first like to see the existing vacant retail space (an MLS and private forum search found that there are over 78 empty retail spaces within a mile radius of the proposed project) in the neighborhood occupied. Many retailers are following the trend of retrofitting an existing space to fit their needs."

"We are asking that the Alderman Cappleman and ward 46 committee members to allow the community to have an open forum and voice their concerns," said Miller. "We fully support the development of the lot; however, following the current trend of developing rental units will result in a glut of vacant units and drive property values down. A more viable solution would be to develop the space that offers retail and green space that will enhance the neighborhood."

Another issue that should be considered, Usiak said, is what he feels is the increased crime rate in Boystown and how this project (which will bring approximately 600 more residents into the neighborhood) will impact crime rates in the area. This issue will be compounded, he said, when police district's 23 and 19 merge in the coming months, reducing the amount of police presence in the area.

"One other important factor to consider is that redistricting is supposed to become effective in January 2012 so the location of the proposed project might be in Ald. Tom Tunney's district by then, so why rush this through?" asked Miller.

According to the 46th Ward website, a vote was to be taken on this issue during the Nov. 10 meeting. However, the vote has been pushed back to Dec. 8 so the zoning and development committee can get answers.

Currently, Halsted Neighbors has gotten more than 450 people from the neighborhood to sign a petition against the project and about 150 people have joined the Facebook group. They are asking for more transparency regarding the project and a public forum to discuss the issue.

For more information on Halsted Neighbors, visit www.halstedneighbors.org or find its page on Facebook. To find out more about JDL Development, visit www.jdlcorp.com . To voice an opinion on the proposed project, contact Cappleman's office at 773-878-4646 or visit www.james46.org .


This article shared 4901 times since Wed Nov 23, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness
2024-03-26
City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 season—which will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...


Gay News

Brown Elephant Returns To Northalsted
2024-03-26
Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program
2024-03-14
One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala to return
2024-03-11
--From a press release - CHICAGO, IL — Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala will be held on Saturday, April 20 at The Geraghty. The gala brings together LGBTQ+ community members and allies for an evening of celebration to recognize ...


Gay News

Bring Chicago Home Campaign releases open endorsement letter from 100+ faith leaders
2024-02-19
--From a press release - CHICAGO — With just over a month before the March 19th primary election, prominent Chicago faith leaders will today release a letter—signed by over 100 religious leaders—endorsing the Bring Chicago Home campaign to restructure the Real ...


Gay News

Connections for the Homeless purchases Evanston hotel
2024-02-18
Connections for the Homeless in Evanston hosted an open house at the Margarita Inn, formerly a boutique hotel, February 13, to celebrate its purchase for use as a hotel-based interim shelter. The Margarita Inn will give ...


Gay News

SAVOR At Willies 'n Waffles, sexuality is on the menu
2024-02-12
Having written about Chicago's culinary scene for at least 15 years, this writer has covered all sorts of spots—from Michelin-starred upscale establishments to those so-called "holes in the wall" that can serve some of the best ...


Gay News

Chicagoans indulge in a World of Chocolate
2024-02-11
AIDS Foundation of Chicago hosted its 2024 World of Chocolate celebration the evening of Feb. 9 at Union Station. Top chocolatiers from across the city allowed guests to sample numerous confections, hors d'oevres and libations for ...


Gay News

Town Hall Apartments switching ownership from Heartland Alliance
2024-02-08
Town Hall Apartments is switching management amid financial turmoil at Heartland Alliance. Full Circle Communities, an affordable housing nonprofit with more than 1,600 units across the Midwest, plans to take ownership of Town Hall Apartments as ...


Gay News

TAWANI Foundation commits $25K to StartOut, supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship
2024-02-08
--From a press release - CHICAGO — February 8, 2024 — The TAWANI Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides support in the areas of arts and culture, historical preservation, health and wellness, LGBTQ+ and human rights ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations
2024-02-06
--From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...


Gay News

Comcast NBCUniversal partners with News is Out, Word In Black on fellowship program highlighting Black, LGBTQ+ issues
2024-02-06
--From a press release - Digital Equity Local Voices Lab Fellows to be placed at 16 local publications to receive training and create content Philadelphia (Feb. 6, 2024) — News is Out [ https://newsisout.com ] , a queer media collaborative of ...


Gay News

Mr. Chicago Leather contest returns to Touche following 2022 controversy
2024-02-01
The Mr. Chicago Leather contest returned this past weekend, January 26-28, to Touché Chicago, over a year after numerous community members were incensed by a racist incident. But the bartender who quit Touché following the incident ...


Gay News

New Survey: Unstable housing most cited reason for food insecurity among LGBTQ+ youth
2024-01-30
--From a Williams Institute press release - A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that 85% of LGBTQ+ youth programs surveyed said unstable housing was the main reason LGBTQ+ youth had inadequate access to food. The programs ...


Gay News

Looking back at Chicago LGBTQ+ community's stand against Anheuser-Busch
2024-01-30
As conservatives across the country boycotted Anheuser-Busch products for Bud Light's partnership with trans woman Dylan Mulvaney in 2023, LGBTQ+ bars in Chicago removed their products for a different reason. Following the deeply negative response to ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.