ChicagoTribune | “We have a sense of urgency about this project (and) when we started,
we wanted the public to know we would break ground as soon as
possible,” said Michael Strautmanis, the vice president for civic
engagement for the foundation. “But we also knew there were some things
that were not in our control. We insist on going through the process
with integrity and without rushing.”
Before the presidential center can be built, the federal government
will review its impact on Jackson Park, which is on the National
Register of Historic Places, and evaluate the project’s environmental
effects. Any impact that the review highlights will have to be resolved
before construction can be allowed.
There have already been two
public federal review meetings. A third was scheduled in June, but then
it was delayed until July. Now it has been delayed until late summer,
according to the city of Chicago’s website.
The federal review
process has to be conducted because of Jackson Park’s historic status
and because it involved closing and expanding major streets.
The
news of the delay comes just a day after activists gathered on the South
Side at a meeting to discuss placing a community benefits agreement
proposition on the February ballot.
“We have a new window of opportunity before the next
election to protect the most vulnerable people in our community,” said
Parrish Brown, an activist with the Black Youth Project 100 Chicago
Chapter, in a written statement. “We’re gathering to make sure Mayor
(Rahm) Emanuel and the local aldermen do the right thing, or we’ll have
to elect people who will.”
The coalition wants an ordinance that
would require that 30 percent of all newly constructed housing near the
presidential center be set aside as affordable housing. They want a
property tax freeze for the longtime homeowners closest to the site and
an independent monitor to make sure local residents are hired to work on
the project. In addition, they are now calling for a community trust
fund and support for the neighborhood schools.
