When there’s going to be a public meeting about a new development proposal, instead of sending out misinformed flyers, the Jefferson Park Forward neighborhood org. does something different: talk about the issues.
The board met with 45th Ward Alder John Arena and a developer on Monday night to discuss a proposal by Full Circle Communities at 5150 N. Northwest Highway. Their blog post explains how the subsidized rents will work, what social services will be on-site, how the project is funded, what zoning change is necessary, and what some possible effects of the development might be. No scare tactics. The group also doesn’t take positions on specific developments.
Nadig Newspaper quotes Alder Arena, which explains why he supports affordable housing in the neighborhood. All of this doesn’t mean there aren’t uninformed comments against the project.
Your regular neighborhood news roundup
- Elevate Energy’s study shows that three types of popular and older multifamily buildings in Chicago should get efficiency upgrades because they represent 92% of housing stock and a lot of CO2 emissions
- It’s unlikely you’ll see better charts showing how far behind the Chicago Housing Authority is in achieving new unit construction targets than these in South Side Weekly
- Take a look back at the foreclosure crisis, Sheriff Tom Dart’s role in reducing evictions, and how Communities United stood up (Sun-Times)
- A new building permitted in the West Loop is going to be its tallest west of the Kennedy Expressway (Curbed)
- Are $1,600 rents the new normal in Logan Square? Interviews with apartment brokers and housing advocates (DNAinfo)
- Why The Thompson Center Is Worth. Saving.
- The Cook County Land Bank Authority has launched its own version of Large Lots. These 4,451 vacant lots cost more than $1, but they’re easier to obtain because you don’t have own property on the same block.
- I had no idea that there was an Irish-style castle in Chicago. Here’s the Address Snapshot for the landmark (Illinois History Journal)
- Zach Mortice: How do you redesign the Lathrop Homes so that everyone wants to live there, without making CHA residents feel like they don’t belong? (Architect Magazine)
- Cook County Comissioner Boykin (1st district) wants to give teachers and first responders a free home in the areas where they work, if they live in it for five years, targeting West Side neighborhoods (WGN)