September 18
At its meeting, the Cook County Board of Commissioners Workforce, Housing & Community Development Committee approved its first agenda item, a quarterly analysis of the Bureau of Human Resources timeline presented by the bureau’s chief, Velisha Haddox. The report shows the amount of time it takes to fill vacant positions. The main consideration and discussion topic, however, was the second agenda item: “A Resolution for a Hearing on the Creation of a Property Tax Relief Fund.” Community members and representatives of community organizations aired their views. “I don’t want to get kicked out of my neighborhood. I don’t want to stop going to the church of my choice,” said Albany Park resident Diane Limas, “I don’t want to leave. If my property tax continues to go up and my income stays the same, I’ll have to leave.” Tonya Trice, executive director of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and the South Shore Community Development Corporation, said, “Recent years escalating property taxes have posed a significant challenge. The situation threatens our ability to maintain stable homes and achieve the American dream of homeownership.” Ivy Ellis, executive director of the Northwest Home Equity Insurance Program, asked how innovative financial tools might be leveraged to support seniors. “While many in this demographic [of seniors] have paid off their homes, tax increases pose a substantial burden,” she said. Aisha Butler, CEO of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.) said, “I’ve seen my taxes go up. When I first purchased twenty-seven percent of us were homeowners. Now we’re down to twenty-three percent.” Committee Chair Bridget Gainer ended the meeting, describing Cook County taxation as “a deeply dysfunctional system [with] disproportionate impact on low income communities.”
October 17
“How can this project be the best for me if I don’t even know what it looks like?” asked Harvey resident Sharron McGee as she questioned a stormwater retention pond that would require some residents to relocate. She was speaking at a meeting of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners (MWRD). Some residents of the south suburb are resisting an MWRD program to buy out homeowners in flood-prone areas to create a stormwater retention pond. The Harvey Central Park Stormwater Detention Basin project is a $9.8 million effort to reduce flooding along Myrtle Avenue between 153rd and 154th streets, according to the district. Officials say it will help protect 209 homes in the area. MWRD Board President Kari Steele said that she considers the project a form of environmental justice. But the project also means that fifteen homeowners would have to move to make the land available for the project. At least one objected that the rationale and financial incentive are not enough to make them leave the homes that have been in their family for fifty-two years, according to the Daily Southtown. Other residents commented that the project is mainly displacing Black seniors. The MWRD is charged with treating wastewater and managing stormwater for Chicago and 128 suburbs.
October 28
At its meeting, members of the City Council Committee on Finance voted to pay more than $4.5 million to settle four police misconduct lawsuits and heard public comments on two planned projects. Three payouts were approved for $400,000, $325,000, and $225,000. The largest payout—$4 million—was to the estate of Lee Harris, sixty-eight. Harris spent thirty-three years in prison for his wrongful conviction in the 1989 murder of twenty-eight-year-old Dana Feitler. He was exonerated and released in 2023, dying eight months later. Members also heard public comments about issuing tax-exempt bonds and providing other financial assistance totaling no more than $19,175,000 for an affordable housing development at 905 S. Exchange Avenue by developer Thrive Exchange, LLC.
October 29
At its meeting, the City Council Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development learned that the former site of the U.S. Steel South Works plant on the Southeast Side could be transformed into a cutting-edge technology facility. Tim Jeffries, managing deputy commissioner of Chicago’s Bureau of Economic Development, told the committee that the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park is a rare opportunity to support economic recovery and other opportunities for the Southeast Side. The park is only a “framework” without a site plan, Jeffries said, but could generate some $200 million in tax revenue over thirty years. Some community members urged the committee to put this project on a slower track to allow more time for discussion. They are concerned about environmental remediation and impact as well as ensuring economic benefits for local residents. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) likened the project to “a deleted scene from ‘Terminator 2,’ commenting that “it’s an incredible thing to talk about this land, the generations that have history here, the technology we’re discussing.” The original plant opened in 1882, closing 110 years later in 1992. At one time it had employed 20,000 workers and produced steel to build Pullman railroad cars and the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower). The land has remained vacant since the plant’s closing.
October 29
Chicago’s newest urban farms could be inside the Loop’s skyscrapers. At their meeting, members of the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards voted to allow buildings in the Central Business District to house indoor agricultural facilities. With many downtown office buildings still vacant or underutilized since the COVID-19 pandemic, developers and city officials have looked for creative solutions to fill these spaces, such as incentivizing affordable housing conversions on LaSalle Street. An indoor urban farm is a low-impact use that allows older buildings to compete with newer developments, said Council Member Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), and uses less energy and water than a residential floor of the same size. From here, the municipal code change goes to a full Council vote.
This information was collected and curated by the Weekly in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.