The Lawndale Alliance

Contacts: Valerie F. Leonard, 773-521-3137, valeriefleonard@msn.com

Joe Ann Bradley, 773-450-2400, joebradley@yahoo.com

Why We Cannot Support the

Proposed Ogden Pulaski TIF Redevelopment Plan at this
Time
Introduction

The Proposed Ogden-Pulaski TIF, whose boundaries include Roosevelt Road and 16th
Street on the north, Albany Avenue on the east, Cermak Road and 24 th Street on the
south and Kostner Avenue on the west, could be implemented as early as
December, 2007. The redevelopment plan for the TIF calls for commercial
development along Ogden Avenue, Pulaski Avenue, 16th Street (combination
commercial and residential), and the potential re-zoning of the area in the vicinity of
Kedzie Avenue and Cermak Road from residential to commercial/light
manufacturing. There are also plans to develop up to 300 units of new housing
(including affordable housing units), and create new job opportunities for local
residents, including welfare to work programs and jobs for ex-offenders. The
redevelopment plan was developed using the Fannie Mae Deep Dive Application by
the Steans Family Foundation (2006); LISC New Communities Program-Quality of
Life Plan for North Lawndale (2005); An Economic Initiative for North Lawndale
(1997); Master Plan for North Lawndale by Lakota Group (1997); and the Chicago
Zoning Ordinance (1999). It should be noted that the plan is being revised,
and the comments below are based on the publication dated August 2,
2007.

Our Concerns

1. Up to 1,200 persons could be potentially displaced as a result of the

implementation of the proposed TIF. Likewise, 8,275 residential units could
be impacted by building code violations.

2. There are a substantial number of errors in the acquisition plan and the list of
homes potentially displaced by the TIF.

3. The plan calls for racial and economic diversity, but does not articulate how
this would be achieved. This is of particular concern in a community that is
currently 93% African, with a median income of $18,342.

4. The plan was not developed with broad based community input. There is no
indication that the City Department of Planning and Development is willing to
change the proposed redevelopment plan and budget to take into account
the suggestions provided during the two public meetings they convened on
the TIF.
 5. The will of local property owners-- who collectively will pay $268,000,000 in
incremental property taxes to finance the TIF--seems to be ignored in favor of
a handful of influential foundations and tax-exempt organizations.

6. There are no mechanisms in place for community oversight for development

in the Lawndale community. The Lawndale Community Conservation Council
was dissolved several years ago. There is no TIF Advisory Council.

Need for Community Oversight

We believe there is a need for community oversight in the development process to

ensure accountability and to make sure the interests of the local community are
being met. To this end, we have provided the following recommendations.

1) Create a TIF Advisory Board comprised of local stakeholders. The

stakeholders should represent a broad range of interests, including local
business owners, large businesses, institutions, churches, nonprofit
organizations.

2) Revive the Lawndale Community Conservation Council to coordinate all

development activities in North Lawndale. The stakeholders should represent
a broad range of interests, including local business owners, large businesses,
institutions, churches, nonprofit organizations.

3) There should be community benefits agreements between large developers

and community residents and other stakeholders to make sure community
residents benefit from the new developments.

For further information, attend the next Lawndale Alliance meeting on Monday,
October 1, 2007, at the House of Prayer, 3531 West Roosevelt Road, at 6:00 p.m.