November 2002 Media Tips - Metropolitan Planning Council

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November 2002 Media Tips

November 2002 Media Tips: MPC Endorses 1000 South Michigan Development, Riverdale Rolls Out Employer-Assisted Housing Program, Illinois State Legislators Pledge Support for Education Funding Reform, MPC Assesses CHA Plan for Redevelopment

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MPC endorses 1000 South Michigan development
Since its designation as an historic landmark district, the downtown street wall of Michigan Avenue has been the subject of intense discussion.  A newly proposed mixed-use project for 1000 South Michigan is the first to satisfy the stringent development guidelines imposed by landmark designation. The Metropolitan Planning Council recommends speedy approval of the project, which will be a valuable addition to the corridor.


The thoughtful planning and design of 1000 S. Michigan conform to a number of recommendations found in the City’s zoning bonus system.  Features include a green roof system to lessen the energy needs of the building and upper-level setbacks to ensure more sunlight at street level.  The plan also reduces traffic impact by guiding vehicles exiting the building to bordering streets, while simultaneously ensuring that loading docks are out of view from surrounding sidewalks. Additionally, the use of terra cotta in the design of the building wall complements the architectural history of Michigan Avenue.


The project will also help promote economic development by creating jobs, during development and construction and with the 37,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.


Contact:  Peter Skosey
Vice President, External Relations
312.863.6004 or pskosey@metroplanning.org 


Riverdale rolls out employer-assisted housing program
Employer-assisted housing (EAH) is gaining momentum in the Chicago metropolitan area.  Riverdale, a community of nearly 20,000 people just 23 miles south of the Loop, is the latest to offer EAH to its employees.  Riverdale Mayor Zenovia Evans, co-chair of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Housing Task Force, has been a leader in the effort to promote EAH.  Riverdale will partner with the Regional Redevelopment Corporation, a local nonprofit organization with experience in homeownership counseling and home rehabilitation.  The Riverdale EAH program aims to help five employees buy homes in the Village by offering $5,000 toward down payment and closing costs.  Eligible employees may access up to an additional $5,000 of state matching funds.  All participating employees will benefit from credit counseling and homeownership education provided by the Regional Redevelopment Corporation.


According to Mayor Evans, EAH is a way to encourage investment in the community. “Our village does not have a residency requirement for employees,” she said,  “so we hope the program will encourage municipal employees to live in Riverdale. EAH is a positive incentive; a win-win situation for everyone.”  The Village hopes its EAH program will serve as an example for other south suburban employers.


Contact:  Samantha DeKoven
Housing Associate
312.863.6021 or sdekoven@metroplanning.org


Illinois state legislators pledge support for education funding reform
A bipartisan group of 58 state representatives and senators -- including Senators Bill Peterson (R-26, Long Grove), Kirk Dillard (R-41, Hinsdale) and Senate minority leader Emil Jones (D-14, Chicago) and Representatives Susan Garrett (D-59, Lake Forest) and Jerry Mitchell (R-73, Sterling) -- added their names to the Network 21: Quality Schools for Stronger Communities pledge. Signers commit to implement quality and accountability reforms, and increase state resources to provide a $5,500 foundation level in order to ensure that every Illinois child receives an adequate education.


Network 21 is a broad-based coalition of more than 45 education, business, labor, civic and civil rights organizations, founded on the premise that there must be adequate resources to provide a high quality education for every student in the state. This means increasing the state’s share of the education-funding burden and reducing the over-reliance on local property taxes to fund K-12 schools in Illinois, which create significant disparities in educational opportunity between property-poor and property-wealthy school districts.  Critical to Network 21’s campaign are quality and accountability reforms that will ensure resources are deployed effectively and efficiently to enhance student outcomes.


Contact:  Leslie B. Lipschultz
Network 21 Education and Tax Policy Manager
312.863.6008 or llipschultz@metroplanning.org


MPC assesses CHA plan for redevelopment
The latest in MPC’s series monitoring the progress of the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation, “Examining the Chicago Housing Authority’s Redevelopment Strategy,” focuses on issues that will determine the effectiveness of the redevelopment plan.  These include timing, land availability, decision-making and financing.  The report looks at six sites:  Lake Park Crescent and Jazz on the Boulevard (North Kenwood /Oakland); Henry Horner, Rockwell Gardens and ABLA Homes (Near West Side); Madden Park/Ida B. Wells/Darrow (Douglas and Oakland).


The goal of the CHA’s Plan for Transformation is to develop public housing in mixed-income and pedestrian-friendly communities that are neither isolated nor insulated from the city as a whole.  This means ensuring that new public housing development addresses and works to mitigate the historic causes of racial, economic and spatial segregation.


Contact:  Robin Snyderman
Housing Director
312.863.6007 or rsnyderman@metroplanning.org

 

 

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