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Letter in the Hyde Park Herald
Apostolic Church of God and its Woodlawn Central project are currently trying to build a 94-apartment tower and 150-room hotel on top of a 300-car garage and retail space near the Obama Center. Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor is having 20th Ward residents within a mile of the development vote on whether she should support the development and the zoning change it requires. Here’s how I think we should understand the development’s community impact. In short, this seems to be a common gentrification situation: Woodlawn Central would create more housing and tax revenue for Chicago as a whole long-term... But in Woodlawn, it would quickly contribute to our increasing property values, property taxes, and rents. Moreover, its apartments would not be affordable to most current Woodlawn residents, even with the jobs the hotel and retail would create. (I live in Woodlawn and chair the boards of two affordable apartment buildings here, both of whose property taxes have doubled in the last couple years.) Woodlawn’s median household income is $32,000, and 75% of residents are renters. To comply with the Affordable Requirements Ordinance, about 19 of the new apartments would be affordable for families making $48,000 or $67,000 a year (40% or 60% of Chicagoland’s “Area Median Income”). But most of the apartments would be luxury, seemingly trying to compete with newer towers in Hyde Park and South Loop. After a lot of evasion, a Woodlawn Central representative told me that the 80% of apartments that are market-rate would rent for "up to $4,500 a month." Damn. Presumably that's for three-bedroom apartments on higher floors; studios, one/two bedrooms, and apartments on lower floors would be less. The high rent is no surprise. Apostolic’s community history is as mixed as it is long. For instance, it is hard to forget how it and the University of Chicago wanted to demolish Grove Parc, a 504-apartment subsidized complex. (This led to the creation of Southside Together, which forced Apostolic to sell Grove Parc to the nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing for preservation and redevelopment.) Today, Woodlawn Central is a for-profit LLC wholly controlled by Apostolic and led by its pastor's son. It would build on land leased long-term from Apostolic. These issues aside: Chicago needs more housing. We especially need apartment buildings, which are better economically and environmentally than the single-family homes that developers have been selling in Woodlawn for over $500,000. I just wouldn’t call Woodlawn Central “development without displacement.” I am not naive; this vote will likely pass. But we middle- and working-class Woodlawn residents risk shooting ourselves in the foot when we propose improving Woodlawn by making it less affordable for everyone but ourselves. Whatever your opinion, if you live in the area, vote by April 29 online, by phone, or in person! |
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