A community meeting on the status of TIFF, or taxpayer-supported development, in Uptown turned contentious Nov. 27, as pro- and anti-development forces turned out by the hundreds to voice their opinions. Ald. Mary Ann Smith and Ald. Helen Shiller attended the community hearing, and spoke late into the evening only after dozens of pro and con speakers gave their three-minute remarks.
The core issue at stake is the condo and retail development of the Goldblatt's property at the corner of Lawrence and Broadway, in Smith's ward, and the low-income residential development of the Leland Hotel, in Shiller's ward.
As development quickly takes over much of Uptown, many residents are alarmed at the decrease in low-cost housing in the region, with condo developments outpacing affordable housing for families. Much of the area surrounding the debated development has already been renovated with new condo projects, and already the schools are seeing fewer children registered as families are priced out of the region.
But the Goldblatt's property, which has sat vacant on and off for several years, is a unique issue facing the Uptown area. Should tax dollars be used to finance a complicated and expensive renovation project? Would development naturally envelop that building as it has so many others in Uptown? Is it in the best interests of other retail businesses to have a massive retail store, such as the proposed Borders, as an anchor tenant at that location? Does the proposed development include enough affordable housing units for families to justify tax dollars being used to subsidize what is in essence a commercial condo development? Should one of the historic properties, the Plymouth Hotel, be sacrificed as part of the Goldblatt's renovation, just for the need of more parking?
All of these questions and many more were raised during the three-hour-plus Nov. 27 meeting appropriately held at the Preston Bradley Center on Lawrence.
Speakers included representatives of housing organizations, chambers of commerce, business owners, long-time residents, short-term residents, architectural preservationists, gay organizations, block clubs, and more.
The evening opened with presentations by Joseph Freed & Associates, the developers of the Goldblatt's plan, and the non-profit Century Place Development Corp., which has taken over management of the Leland Hotel and which would oversee the development there. Some in the audience saw the Leland Project, which would in part be financed with help from Freed, as placating the desires of those wanting more affordable housing. Instead, those opposed to joining these two projects at the financial hip would like them severed and treated as independent TIFF proposals.
Most of the units in the Goldblatt's complex would be small, ranging from 700 to 1,300 square feet, with 20% set aside ( four two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedrooms ) as "affordable" based on state-approved levels. Those levels, however, are averaged over several counties, and are not based on the immediate neighborhood of the project. The Leland plan would be 133 units in the former single-room occupancy building, and 50 of those would be for people who are disabled.
Housing activists who spoke about the Goldblatt's project urged that more of the units be set aside for low-income and affordable housing, and that the standards for affordable be lowered.
While some business owners in Uptown believe the addition of a Borders would spur business in the area, other business owners are concerned that it will bring unfair competition. Women & Children First Bookstore, located one mile from the development, recently hosted a meeting where Queer to the Left and other activists spoke against both the development and plans for a Borders. Borders has been successfully sued by independent bookstores for unfair business practices, and the loss of thousands of independent bookstores around the U.S. has been tied to the rise in chain stores.
But audience members were split on the issue of Borders. Some see them as a potential savior for the retail rebirth of Broadway, believing that Andersonville-based Women & Children is far enough away from the store's impact. But Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon of Women & Children First have long seen how a regional store such as Borders can impact business beyond its own immediate borders.
"Chain stores do not serve a diverse, complex community," Christophersen said. Bubon noted that no big-box retailer saved Andersonville, it is "one independent store after another that makes it. If a small business doesn't make it, it can be replaced."
There was an obvious divide in the audience between newer and wealthier residents who see their homes as a financial investment ( and therefore support development that would increase property values ) , and those people who have lived in the community for decades. While everyone seemed to praise the area's multi-cultural diversity, the long-time residents have seen much of that diversity be forced out because of increasing rental and purchase prices, and the change of single-family homes into multiple condo units. The very diversity people have moved to Uptown for is being drastically changed during each Chicago moving season.
Many people pointed out that the Goldblatt's development means no loss in any housing, since the properties currently have no businesses or housing in them. However, others said that continued development will mean continued skyrocketing costs in overall residential prices.
Smith and Shiller spoke late in the evening, after at least half of the 300 or so people had left. The two alderpersons basically say they support the plans, and are willing to continue to seek some changes, including lowering the level of what "affordable" means. Several community groups have been providing input on these projects for more than two years, and Smith and Shiller anticipate a vote could happen in the City Council as early as Dec. 18.
