Public Meetings Report. Illustration by Holley Appold/South Side Weekly
Public Meetings Report. Illustration by Holley Appold/South Side Weekly
  1. Public Meetings Report – March 18, 2021
  2. Public Meetings Report – April 1, 2021
  3. Public Meetings Report – April 15, 2021
  4. Public Meetings Report – April 29, 2021
  5. Public Meetings Report – May 13, 2021
  6. Public Meetings Report – May 27, 2021
  7. Public Meetings Report – June 10, 2021
  8. Public Meetings Report – June 24, 2021
  9. Public Meetings Report – July 08, 2021
  10. Public Meetings Report – July 22, 2021
  11. Public Meetings Report – August 05, 2021
  12. Public Meetings Report – August 19, 2021
  13. Public Meetings Report – September 30, 2021
  14. Public Meetings Report – October 14, 2021
  15. Public Meetings Report – October 28, 2021
  16. Public Meetings Report – November 11, 2021
  17. Public Meetings Report – November 25, 2021
  18. Public Meetings Report – December 9, 2021
  19. Public Meetings Report – January 13, 2022
  20. Public Meetings Report – January 27, 2022
  21. Public Meetings Report – February 10, 2022
  22. Public Meetings Report – February 24, 2022
  23. Public Meetings Report – March 10, 2022
  24. Public Meetings Report – March 24, 2022
  25. Public Meetings Report – April 7, 2022
  26. Public Meetings Report – April 21, 2022
  27. Public Meetings Report – May 5, 2022
  28. Public Meetings Report – May 19, 2022
  29. Public Meetings Report – June 2, 2022
  30. Public Meetings Report – June 22, 2022
  31. Public Meetings Report – June 30, 2022
  32. Public Meetings Report – July 14, 2022
  33. Public Meetings Report – July 28, 2022
  34. Public Meetings Report – August 11, 2022
  35. Public Meetings Report – August 25, 2022
  36. Public Meetings Report — October 20, 2022
  37. Public Meetings Report — November 17, 2022
  38. Public Meetings Report — December 1, 2022
  39. Public Meetings Report — January 12, 2023
  40. Public Meetings Report — January 26, 2023
  41. Public Meetings Report — February 9, 2023
  42. Public Meetings Report — February 23, 2023
  43. Public Meetings Report — March 9, 2023
  44. Public Meetings Report — March 23, 2023
  45. Public Meetings Report — April 20, 2023
  46. Public Meetings Report — May 4, 2023
  47. Public Meetings Report — May 18, 2023
  48. Public Meetings Report — June 1, 2023
  49. Public Meetings Report — June 15, 2023
  50. Public Meetings Report — June 29, 2023
  51. Public Meetings Report — July 13, 2023
  52. Public Meetings Report — July 27, 2023
  53. Public Meetings Report — August 10, 2023
  54. Public Meetings Report — August 24, 2023
  55. Public Meetings Report — September 7, 2023
  56. Public Meetings Report — September 21, 2023
  57. Public Meetings Report — December 7, 2023
  58. Public Meetings Report — February 1, 2024
  59. Public Meetings Report — February 15, 2024

May 11
The City Council Committee on Workforce Development met to discuss pandemic-related hiring barriers and review resources for workers and employers during reopening. Restaurant and retail industry representatives highlighted a lack of vaccinated employees and affordable, consistent childcare, noting that childcare centers lost city funding in the 2019 budget and were among the businesses the pandemic most affected.

Commissioners approved selling the site of the former Michael Reese Hospital—unused since the City acquired the property in 2009—to developers of the roughly $3.5 billion Bronzeville Lakefront project at the Community Development Commission meeting. The proposed development is expected to cover almost eight million square feet, with the first building to be completed by 2024. The Commission also approved selling city lots in North Lawndale as sites for affordable housing. 

May 12
Public commenters at the Chicago Park District meeting said Riot Fest in Douglass Park, and private events in other parks, infringe upon residents’ rights to enjoy their local parks. Paid entertainment events, residents complained, destroy the refuges they turn to for sanity, fresh air, grassy areas, exercise, and recreation. Residents lose full use of parks in the short, hot summer and must wait for them to regenerate. With some 600 Chicago parks, those not in neighborhoods should be used instead. Parks Supt. Michael Kelly responded, “I don’t take [these concerns] lightly.” He noted that “the revenue brought in by private music fests helps fund [Park District] programs.” 

May 13
Back of the Yards residents were introduced to three proposals for INVEST South/West development at 47th and Ashland during a community presentation by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development. The Back of the Yards Works proposal was from a group with strong neighborhood roots and focused on supporting homegrown entrepreneurship. Ald. Raymond Lopez criticized it for not including a housing component requested by the City. Proposals from New City United Yards and 1515 W. 47th Street LLC both recommended building fifty affordable apartments. New City United Yards proposed more housing designed for families and seniors.

May 17
The City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy meeting focused on combating the urban heat island effect, in which limited green space and heat-trapping built environments raise temperatures in cities and negatively impact residents’ health. In Chicago, Black and brown populations are affected disproportionately. Council members discussed mitigation strategies such as bolstering the city’s shrinking tree canopy, encouraging “green roofs,” and investigating the impact of industrial corridors.

May 19
INVEST South/West proposals for a vacant lot in North Lawndale discussed at a community presentation by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development ran the gamut, including: a cosmetology school and an African-American hair museum; a performance space and a small grocer; and green terraces with a grocery store and restaurants. Each proposal included at least fifty affordable apartments. Three more proposals were presented the next day. Two combined commercial and co-working spaces with mixed-income housing; the third proposed a 200-room hotel.

May 20
A study on the racial wealth gap in Chicago was the focus of the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation meeting. UIC Prof. Amanda Lewis, an expert on race and public policy, noted that about a third of Black families in Chicago have net worths of zero, compared to just fifteen percent of white families. The racial wealth gap is multigenerational and has been increasing nationally, she explained, mostly because of past and present government policies. Reparations, more robust family support policies, and student loan forgiveness could begin to address the problem, she said. 

The Chicago Plan Commission approved a proposed 120-unit affordable housing development in predominantly Latinx McKinley Park, by a 7 to 4 vote, at its meeting, despite reservations over its proximity to the controversial MAT Asphalt plant. For nearly three years, neighbors have voiced strong concerns about air pollution after the plant’s construction across from a park was approved with little community notice. Voting no, Commission Chair Teresa Córdova called the negative health risks for residents an “environmental racism” concern.

The Chicago Police Board reviewed a report on the outcomes of the Chicago Neighborhood Policing Initiative, which was piloted in two police districts since its 2019 launch. Lead researcher Northwestern University Prof. Andrew Papachristos explained in the meeting that the model created “district coordination officers” to foster more relationships with community members, though many residents felt that cops were there when they didn’t need to be, and not there when they wanted them there. Consistent with broader trends in Chicago, the program had no statistically significant impact on community trust in police. Papachristos and CPD Superintendent David Brown supported continuing the program with more resources. 

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This information was collected in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.

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