Tuesday, August 12, 2008

In Case You Missed It

courtesy: Fix Wilson Yard.org (click image to enlarge)

Update: And in case you've missed this gem of a video from a few years back, for your entertainment:

87 comments:

  1. Gee, how come ole Pete forgot to mention this? If you go to the Board of Elections and look him up, it's shocking how much money he gives to politicians, Helen included. Pay to play is alive and well in Chicago.

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  2. Didn't our senator heather steans over see a bill against just sort of thing, what's her email so we can all get her on board.

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  3. But didn't Ald. Shiller say that firefighters and teachers would qualify for housing in Wilson Yard. This all just does not make sense. =)

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  4. But didn't Ald. Shiller say that firefighters and teachers would qualify for housing in Wilson Yard.

    Yeah, I'm sure there are a lot of firemen and teachers on the waiting list for public housing or Section 8 vouchers.

    Yeah, surrrrrrrrre.

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  5. Somewhere, someone has a video of her saying just that.

    We've seen the video.

    We just don't know where it is or who has it.

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  6. But I'm gonna have to file it in the same category with the other lies about this project.

    Along with "the financing of the theatres, Target and the housing is inextricably linked - you can't have one without the others" and "Construction will start in 2004."

    Have the alderman and Peter Holsten told one single TRUTH about Wilson Yard?

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  7. This is a problem, What are we going to do about it.

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  8. You didn't think Mr. Holsten would risk his own capital at Division and Clybourn without a plan to relocate some of its neighborhood issues.

    Did you?

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  9. What are we going to do about it.

    Well, we are going to sue the City until we get a mixed-use commercial development with an affordable housing and ownership component. (That is what I would be ok with anyway. I don't know what the official position of the lawyers is.)

    And, let me clarify what a "mixed-use commercial development with an affordable housing and ownership component" means since there seem to be a lot of definitions (*cough* LIES). It should be primarily retail of such a character that it brings a quality retailer/employer to the site and creates critical mass to spur further economic development in this shopping and entertainment district of Broadway/Wilson/Lawrence. The housing units should be MIXED-INCOME (see Holsten's OTHER projects) and of such a character that all of the focus is on developing a successful and enduring mixed-income community.

    "Diversity" should be a principle organizing theme and the developer should have housing appropriate for singles, families and for the aged. There will be a growing demand for low-income senior housing in the coming years. (For ex. Lawrence House is owned by the same people who own Green Dolphin Street. How many people think that they will want to keep running a low-rent retirement hotel as the Uptown entertainment district changes in the next 10 years?) Affordable senior rentals would make a lot of sense here but family housing should be centered around a co-op or ownership model to give an incentive for everyone to keep investing in the community. The families of teachers, cops and firemen and artists will never live there as currently proposed. Much more thought should be put into how we could attract them to this development along with people who may be just getting back on their feet.

    As I mentioned in another thread, Uptown should have a low-income housing community plan (something more comprehensive than "MORE, DAMMIT") created by the variety of community stakeholders. Finally, this should be closely connected to Mayor Daley's pledge to "end homelessness by 2012." (I know, stop laughing...) If Uptown is really serious about doing this then we should be already focusing on a group of men, women and families who would be most likely to succeed in WY and we should be working to get them there. Why shouldn't these people who are currently in programs in the area not benefit from WY but people who were displaced from elsewhere get first priority? Its deplorable.

    Well, I hadn't intended to outline what I think would work at WY but once I started I couldn't stop. Seeing that memo really pissed me off. Uptown is full of interesting people who are both compassionate and pragmatic. These people need to be heard and we need to stop all of the backroom deals. This is why I am against WY even though I advocate affordable housing.

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  10. Did anyone see how old that memo is?

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  11. This is the smoking gun that we've been lied to all along. Of course, we all knew that, but this proves it.

    By the way, how does taking residents from other neighborhoods into Wilson Yard help preserve the neighborhood for current residents? If I were an Uptown resident struggling with affordability and hoping for a place in Wilson Yard, I'd be EXTREMELY mad about this. Helen has betrayed her own constituents.

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  12. RE: Uptownr...You've hit the nail on the head. None of this is about the local neighborhood. It is about city-wide needs and supra-local political activism. Too bad that they discounted how determined and organized this neighborhood has become.

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  13. {headline: Uptown on the way up
    dateline: May 11, 2007
    Reporter: CELESTE BUSK cbusk@suntimes.com

    Context: Holsten, the Wilson Yard developer, says plans are under way to remove the blight from the L stop. The architecturally significant structure will be completely restored on the outside and completely new on the inside.

    "It will be brand, spanking new, so more people will use it," Holsten said. "The more people, the lesser the crime." That project is expected to be completed by early next year. he said.}

    Mr. Holsten's issue with telling the truth is glaringly obvious.

    When it comes to wishful thinking and allowing your words to stretch way beyond what you can actually produce, Mr. Holsten is a natural contributor to the campaign coffers of Barack Obama and Jan Schakowsky.

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  14. {Headline: JV Starts On $225M Cabrini Green Replacement
    Dateline: November 30, 2006 10:46pm
    Source: GlobeSt.com Commercial Real Estate News and Property Resource
    Reporter: Robert Carr

    Context: A joint venture has begun construction on the first phase of a large, roughly $225 million multifamily development that will replace a few Cabrini Green housing projects. The development, dubbed Parkside of Old Town, will have more than 760 townhomes, condos and apartments on an 18-acre parcel bordered by Seward Park and Larrabee, Division and Oak streets on Chicago’s Near North Side.

    The redevelopment is part of the $1.5-billion CHA "Plan for Transformation," which has torn down high-rise public housing towers and replaced them with similar mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods. The high-rises that made up Cabrini Green once housed 35,000 people, but only about 1,500 people remain.}

    Pay close attention to that last sentence.

    Take a drive or a bike ride down Clybourn from North Ave to Division. You will see plenty of wide open land that is an ideal location for mixed income development that is ALREADY in Holsten's own back yard.

    This is a city wide issue. Wilson Yard is likely the relocation zone for former residents of Cabrini Green.

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  15. OK, please correct this neophyte if she's wrong, BUT...I believe I read in the local media several years ago that Holsten was considered a "good" manager of low-income residential properties because he insists on drug and criminal-background screening before renting out a unit, and makes residents sign a pledge to stay out of trouble while living there or else face immediate eviction. I suppose these rules didn't pass muster in the courts, right?

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  16. Helen Shiller is against background screening so long as people in market rate housing don't have to undergo similar measures in order to be housed. She is against anything that comes close criminalizing poverty. As long as she is Alderman, I highly doubt background checks or other such measures will be part of the WY package.

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  17. Gayle,
    This is the interesting thing- back in the early 1990's I was living in this dump of an apartment on Jarvis Ave (right next to the el)when the building was sold to Holsten. And I have to say how great it was that it was bought out by Holsten.

    New locks were bought for all outer doors (we had major problems with drunk homeless men who would piss in the stairwells and sleep there through the night), broken windows were fixed as well, and heavy drug users were kicked-out too. The guy next to us was freebasing when we thought there was a dead person inside because of the stentch that was right outside his door. Every day I would come home from work and someone else was getting kicked out for not paying rent or what ever reason it was for them to get kicked-out.

    After my female roomate and I left- going back to see the building has been rather shocking because it's in much better condition then when at the time we had left.

    So I too am conflicted with all the "poo-pooing" about Holsten. Mind you (and all who read this) I'm on No ones side here- but I did see first hand at the positive actions when Holsten bought that apartment building. I feel the only thing now is to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best!

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  18. "By the way, how does taking residents from other neighborhoods into Wilson Yard help preserve the neighborhood for current residents? If I were an Uptown resident struggling with affordability and hoping for a place in Wilson Yard, I'd be EXTREMELY mad about this. Helen has betrayed her own constituents."

    So true

    Not only that but most people that have the section 8 vouchers already have place to live. So what's the point of them getting first priority?

    And most neighborhoods that build new developments give their residents first priority. Why is it any different here?

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  19. you are looking way to much into this memo. All it means that as a condition of Holsten getting LIHTC for the property, which everyone here knows about, they will rent these units to the folks on the waiting list, instead of just opening up to those who qualify based on income. I'll explain further, developers like Holsten get tax credits for building rental housing for low to moderate income people. In exchange for the tax credits, the developer must keep rents below market levels for 15-30 years on a portion of the development. To qualify the residents must have a income no greater than 50% of AMI. (My details might be off a bit, but this is generally how the program works).

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  20. edward2nd wrote: "I feel the only thing now is to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best!"

    Uh, no.

    Fortunately not everyone in Uptown is as passive as you about this.

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  21. Holsten is applauded for his mixed-use projects, with home ownership, clearly-defined rules, and drug testing.

    With 100% low-income, with no possibility of ownership, and with no drug testing... I'm not optimistic.

    Look at how well (cough) our CHA scattered-site buildings function, despite rules and drug testing.

    Now multiply that by two towers of over 150 units. With people from all over the city (and if there are gang affiliations, new turf to be fought over by the various gangs imported into Uptown).

    It scares that hell out of me. What a money pit, and what a disaster for the folks living there.

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  22. Um, before we attribute anything to this letter, can it's authenticity be verified? Was it filed with some governmental agency (fed, state, city)?

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  23. they will rent these units to the folks on the waiting list, instead of just opening up to those who qualify based on income.

    How is what you are saying different than what others are saying, Brian? Holsten has to rent to people meeting the income requirements in order to get his tax credits. Right. But he has additionally agreed to give preference to people who are on the list created by the city public housing authority. That means that there might be a family out there renting in Uptown who just experienced a divorce or a disability (or what have you) who will likely not be able to gain housing at WY even if they meet the income criteria because they haven't been able to secure a spot on the very long and very hard to get on waiting list. As we are reminded time and time again by the COURAJ-ers, this family will likely be displaced from their current home because they don't have the money to keep up with the raising rent. And don't forget that this is Chicago. Any chance that some of the people on the list got there because they are "somebody who somebody sent"?

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  24. Well Sheridan Lark- good for you then!

    I'm NOT being "passive" about this. I just think that Holsten is a pawn while Daley & Shiller have thier way. I guess I was writting to fast and didn't mention that "keeping our fingers crossed" with the fixwilsonyard lawsuit. SO SORRY!

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  25. Saskia hit it on the head. The mentioned "waiting list" has nothing to do with Uptown Residents who are being priced out. There may be a FEW Uptown residents on that list, but most of them are former public housing residents from other neighborhoods where public housing has been demolished.

    Anyway, I'm sure Helen doesn't care, because she only wants to cling to power through demographically controlling the neighborhood. She doesn't care if the people currently live here or not. What a fraud!

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  26. humphries... are you saying Holsten is actually just uprooting people from division/clybourn to here so he can put in fancy condos and commercial real. over there?

    ~Making money on both ends and looking like he's actually helping the poor. Rich tend to F-over the poor historically. Problem here in Uptown is Shiller and Holsten have everyone believing that we (condo owners/concerned citizens) are the rich and the ones screwing them when in fact it's the wolves in sheeps clothing Shiller/Holsten themselves.

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  27. I believe I read in the local media several years ago that Holsten was considered a "good" manager of low-income residential properties because he insists on drug and criminal-background screening before renting out a unit, and makes residents sign a pledge to stay out of trouble while living there or else face immediate eviction.

    I read the same story. in fact it was included in my "new tenant" package when I moved into one of the buildings he owned on Winthrop near Hollywood back in the late 80s/early 90s. The story appeared in the Reader but not sure if you can find it in their archives. But when I moved in, there was no plege I had to sign when I moved in, but the building was adequately run (management living on premises, recycling, even a place to leave items you no longer wanted but other tenants might be able to utilize). That being said, I don't know about other buildings he's managed/owned.

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  28. Yes, uptownpits. And just wait until more of the nasty attacks start coming. At one time I was very, very hurt by accusations of hatred and racism and it worked to shut me up. Why? Because I really care about being socially conscious and about injustice. I think that is how a lot of the so-called lakefront liberals have gotten trampled over for so long. We kept being patient and tried to be openminded and had faith that our civic leaders were doing more than just giving lip service to this "diverse community" stuff. But the patterns became too hard to ignore. Now they can throw whatever names they want at me because I see how I have been made a fool of by being willing to look inward to search my own conscience. So many of us are waking up to our betrayal. Through years of practice, I know what to expect and I am ready for it.

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  29. Three things.
    1. Saskia, I like your vision for the WY site, and am really glad you shared it, though I'm honestly not sure how many more condos the area needs (I live on Agatite and it seems every condo building has had units for sale for the past 18 months). Figuring out a way to attract quality commercial seems key (and a shared interest) - I guess the question is how to do it.

    2. I'm glad to hear of others that have had positive experiences w/Peter Holsten as a property manager. He is well-respected in those arenas. He also does own/manage an entirely low-income high rise development, Hilliard Homes, at State/Cermak. There is one senior building and two family ones - which are partially public housing, which WY wouldn't be. It has background checks and drug testing for all residents and seems generally well-functioning and is beautifully well-maintained.

    3. I think that the state gives extra points in the tax credit competition if developers sign the type of statement prompting this post.

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  30. Well, that answered my question if formerly displaced people will receive first crack at Wilson Yard.

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  31. Brian - point is, if this letter is authentic, then Shiller lied through her teeth about what Wilson Yard was supposed to be. She assured us it was a 'mixed income' community. I know, I went to one of the first public meetings at Truman College about this a few years ago when I first moved here. And heard it out of her mouth. When she was questioned by attendees what she meant by 'mixed income' she reiterated the 'teachers, police officer, fire fighters scenario.' However, the majority of those professions wouldn't qualify to live at WY based off of the acceptable income ranges that are now public knowledge. SHE LIED. Period!

    Holstein was there, and he WAS asked about screening people because yes, typically they DO screen people. That's when the uproar from the Shiller plants started screeching about 'Why don't they screen YOU? and the usual accusations of racism and classism flew, all while Shiller sat there smirking in her chair. Holstein gave some basic answer about best efforts being made to ensure the building would be safe and secure for residents and the community, but he did not respond to inquiries on the specific plans for how they planned on ensuring that.

    Concerned Citizen - I don't see where Saskia recommended more condos at WY - just a mixed income community. You know, where some units are for low-income, some are at normal market rates for families, etc. You know, that plan that Daley is supposedly 100% behind and that is why the projects downtown were torn down?

    If this letter is real, then this is really scary. I've seen video interviews of those who are still in Cabrini Green. There are some who are there because they grew up there, consider it home and think its unfair to be forced to leave, and there are those who didn't qualify for the new CHA housing that was built (mixed income style) nearby due to drug/crime issues, or refusal to make a good faith effort to work. I saw a whole special on it on CLTV that discussed the new CHA apartments that were built, and focused on a few families that had moved into them. If the residents from Cabrini Green that don't qualify for alternative CHA housing because of a criminal lifestyle, or refusal to work, yet they are accepted by WY because WY doesn't screen people, and just accepts them because they are on a list-then this is terrifying for Uptown. All of the growth it has struggled for the last 10 years will be gone within a year or two of WY grand opening.

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  32. Obviously if the developer is being shady, then it should be exposed. But, this strikes me as the sort of thing that may qualify as the developer "jumping-through-hoops" to please the government, which I imagine, in this instance is primarily the Alderman's office. It doesn't reflect well on the developer if he is aiding in some sort of mis-direction, but something like this guarantee doesn't (IMHO) seem like something the developer would want, but that the government would force/demand.

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  33. The projects didn't work in the 1960-90's what makes you think there going to work now. I'm all for mixed income, this is not a mixed income development.

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  34. Does Uptown really need more housing on what should be Uptown's main retail corridor?

    What does Uptown have lots of? Housing...
    - 5600 units of subsidized housing,
    or 36% of the housing surrounding
    Wilson Yard

    What does Uptown lack?
    Retail...
    - Why doesn't Uptown (in Ward 46),
    have any vibrant retail streets
    with shops, cafes, clubs? Look
    what happened on Southport when
    it was moved to another ward.

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  35. dacutestmama
    the point is more people to VOTE for her! If you're already poor and here chances are you're on her side. Hence, she has nothing more to gain from you.

    ~concerned citizen Hillard Homes are 349 units affordable housing and 305 units public housing..It is a model for MIXED INCOME. housing. Not to mention they are right in the Mayors back yard. We should be so lucky!

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  36. A small p.s. to my comments on what WY should be. I do acknowledge that our housing density is high in Uptown generally and that the two census tracts surrounding WY have a high % of poverty households. I wrote about housing mostly because making it all commercial is a highly unlikely outcome given the current players involved now. I could be wrong but I was going for the most likely "best outcome" given the interests currently involved.

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  37. farrell-
    I thought saskia's vision included homeownership opportunities as well as rental units for people with a variety of incomes, which I assumed meant condos. I apologize if I was incorrect.

    Also, I think it is generally hard, given fair housing laws, to prioritize new housing for residents from a particular geographic area - but I don't know for sure. (And am not saying this should be the case, but have heard other community groups that want to build housing for their community have run into it as a problem).

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  38. The letter is the result of a Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). It is legit.

    If anyone has video or documentation which shows Wilson Yard as planned as "mixed-income", "market-rate", condos or the "teachers, police officer, fire fighters scenario" - please contact info@fixwilsonyard.org with the information.

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  39. {are you saying Holsten is actually just uprooting people from division/clybourn to here so he can put in fancy condos and commercial real. over there?}

    What do you think? Holsten isn't a fool. He'll trudge through the swamps of HUD regulations if it he has to in order to enrich the value of his properties and those that surround it.

    Park Place was financed by JP Morgan Chase. They threw a lot of money at Holsten and they don't throw a lot of money at a HUD project unless there is something in it for them.

    {~Making money on both ends and looking like he's actually helping the poor. Rich tend to F-over the poor historically. Problem here in Uptown is Shiller and Holsten have everyone believing that we (condo owners/concerned citizens) are the rich and the ones screwing them when in fact it's the wolves in sheeps clothing Shiller/Holsten themselves.}

    I'm a little surprised to see Holsten holding hands with Shiller on WY. The 46th isn't a friendly place for any developer to do business. So why is he is even involved in Wilson Yard? I have to consider his motives.

    My biggest issue is these developers, the firms that get the business, and the bankers that finance the transactions, almost all live in the suburbs. The 46th ward is their Oriental Ave, Vermont Ave, and Connecticut Ave, and they all live on Boardwalk. If the capital is coming from the 46th and flowing out into the suburbs, that's bad for every single resident of the 46th.

    If these eagles want to swoop into the 46th for some easy kills, we might as well provide them with a little resistance.

    I can tell you this. Holsten and Shiller need all the COURAJers they can get. When a 5 person COURAJ rally gets VIDEO coverage on CLTV, every tax paying resident of the 46th should pay attention. There is acute interest in the 46th ward from many people that don't live here, nor want to live here, but want to get their mitts all over your property tax revenue.

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  40. Ok I been cool, calm & collect reading everybody comments.

    uptownpits~ why do you think we "poor" low-income people are on Helen side? How told you that. So because am poor hence am with Helen and I would vote for her LOL. OK. So chance or your rich I mean well off your with James Cappleman and live in a condo. Your comments really turn me off from supporting you. I have you know that I don’t care at all for Helen or COURAJ. I think will get a shirt with all 3 of you on than I can bring you all together to be unity as one. Every single thing I say on this blog is what I believe not what Helen tells me she is not my mother. Do you think am so poor I can not think for myself. Now I know you don’t talk to anybody that lives in low-income in uptown because if you did you would have not wrote what you did.

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  41. North Magnolia,

    Could you look over your post and fix the typos and then repost it? I am interested in what you have to say, but am having trouble reading it.

    I love how one generalization is rebutted with another. Poor for Shiller, Rich for James. So who does the middle class vote for? I vote for the person not building an eyesore of housing in walking distance to my house. Any takers?

    I think this letter is showing a screwing over all spectrums of class.

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  42. Could you look over your post and fix the typos and then repost it? I am interested in what you have to say, but am having trouble reading it.

    Well, even with the typos I can read it. I get the gist of what she is trying to say and she's right. Some people have asseumed that all of the poor are Shilleristas automatically. She's saying it's true. At least in her case.

    I love how one generalization is rebutted with another. Poor for Shiller, Rich for James.

    She's not generalizing so much as being sarcastic. She's merely saying that if people assume she supports Shiller because she's "poor", then why can't she assume the other poster will vote for Cappleman because he or she is "rich". She makes a good point.

    But bottom line, yeah, they would do well to make that place at least mixed income. As I've said before, that area is pretty much Uptown front door. If the proposed set up (along with the Salvation Army or whatever it is across the street) is the first thing folks see when they enter Uptown, you can forget about quality retail stores. You'd be lucky if Family Squalor, er Dollar sticks around.

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  43. PS: Look at the retail options for Holsten's "North Town Village" and "Park Place". The retail WAS ALREADY THERE. Seward Park was already there.

    The Dominicks at Clybourn was there. The bank was there. The public library branch was there. The armed forces recruiting center moved in.

    There isn't one Holsten development that has BROUGHT retail development with a mixed income housing development. And WY isn't even mixed. It's low, very low, and extremely low income.

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  44. North Magnolia,
    Stay calm and collected,because without voices from all sides(regardless of typos..please ignore that statement.)we will find no solutions.I have been bullied by certain folks on here,and it's hard to come back.There are people with ideas for success whom are willing to engage in adult,non-aggressive,change seeking,conversations.Try to focus on what you and those individuals are debating,I have found that works best.In my disgust I tend to forget my goals,and that serves no one,not me,and not UPTOWN.kEEP ON SPEAKING FROM YOUR HEART,NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW HOW ANY MORE!

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  45. With all do respect MOTS no one assumed anything about her. She "assumed" to fall in a generalization. If she is poor so be it, but no one new that until she posted it. If she voted for Helen no one new that until she posted it. Pro or Con we live in a land where people can have views.

    I may never understand how people get so offended on here through post that are blanket anonymous statements of feelings.

    MOTS your so close to excepting personal responsibility. I see in your post from the months past that your evolving. I'm starting to see in your writing that you understand it's not a war against the housing you were raised in, but an open dialogue to set the standards of what we will except from our "leaders" in Uptown.

    Oh FYI, just because we pay a mortgage doesn't make us "rich", hell I would venture to say the "poor" people have more cash than I do.

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  46. Murray says s/he is surprised that Shiller and Holsten are "holding hands." For those of you who never saw it or who don't remember, the UU already did an expose on their relationship.

    "When Holsten met Helen"

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  47. As a wise Confused man once wrote: "Let he who hath never posted a mis-spelling or grammatically incorrect sentence cast the first stone."

    This is a blog, not an English class. I screw up things all the time. For example, I won't point out Chip's incorrect usage of "do" when he meant "due."

    Oops, sorry :)

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  48. thanks confused.

    please read the post. It wasn't so much a grammar infraction but the sentences were chopped. I really wanted to understand her post, but come one. Spelling is one thing but to butcher the whole language is another.

    "I think will get a shirt with all 3 of you on than I can bring you all together to be unity as one."

    What?

    "So chance or your rich I mean well off your with James Cappleman and live in a condo. "

    What?

    "So because am poor hence am with Helen and I would vote for her LOL."

    Huh?

    I really want to understand this womans view, but come on, at least try. All I asked was for her to repost it after proof reading it a bit.

    Now I am confused.

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  49. I sorry I wrote it soo fast. I did not check for mistakes.

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  50. If you folks on here do not understand how Helen wins elections, then there is no hope.

    She has homeless folks bussed in from other parts of the city and then has them registered as residents of Uptown. With the offer of free food, etc., she literally buys the election.

    If you do not think she will try that again in FULL force with the upcoming election, you are all naive.

    I think it is extremely important that we have a legal team available prior, during and after the election to offer both challenges to residency and sue if need be afterward.

    We truly cannot have Uptown elections bought anymore, particularly from our alderman that lives in ANDERSONVILLE..

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  51. I was looking at Targets 10Q(Quarterly Financial Statement - June 2nd, 2008)and found this disclosure. Is Target putting up any money for this development?

    Does this help the situation at WY? Probably not...(page 34 of 36). All this info can be found on Targets website under financial statements.

    Store Expansion Plans

    Our future growth is dependent, in part, on our ability to build new stores and expand existing stores in a manner that achieves appropriate returns on our capital investment. We compete with other retailers and businesses for suitable locations for our stores. Local land use and other regulations applicable to the types of stores we desire to construct may impact our ability to find suitable locations, and also influence the cost of constructing and expanding our stores. In addition, the construction of new stores in fully-developed urban markets is generally a more time-consuming and expensive undertaking than developments in suburban and ex-urban markets.

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  52. ~N.Magnolia~
    I don't think it's a big secret what demographic is the foundation of Shillers supporters.
    I'm for Capplaman generally that was right.

    I just wish I was Rich

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  53. readed it the best you can sorry!

    the main thing was:

    What I was typing was that you can't think because people living in low-income and are poor they will just automatically vote for helen. Do I think because your well-off and you live in a condo that you would vote for James Cappleman no.

    Am not going to repost the other post because I don't care what you think of my mistake. And it is soo many mistakes. I understand why you could not read it. I can't read it to, now that's a shame because I wrote it. I Love all those mistake. I think my head was somewhere else. LOL

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  54. There's no point in ripping on other people's grammar on this site. It's just sounds snobby.

    I think we all recognize that posting on the internet isn't the same as writing a collegiate term paper, and informality is the rule.

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  55. "the point is more people to VOTE for her! If you're already poor and here chances are you're on her side. Hence, she has nothing more to gain from you."

    Uptown pits
    Is the you're and you directed towards me directly? Or are you trying to stress a point?

    Because first of all you know nothing of my financial status. And to base anyones income on who they choose for alderman is just plain ignorance. Truthfully I don't care for Shiller or this Cappleman guy! I don't see where any one of them has done anything for me or my family!!

    It seems as if some of you type without even thinking!!

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  56. Katharine-
    "What does Uptown have lots of? Housing...
    - 5600 units of subsidized housing,
    or 36% of the housing surrounding
    Wilson Yard"

    I'm sure uptown has lots of other things besides housing. BUt in my opinion not enough because there are still so many people who don't have anywhere to live.

    "Look
    what happened on Southport when
    it was moved to another ward."


    I'm unsure of what happened. Can you please explain what happened.

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  57. MOTS your so close to excepting personal responsibility. I see in your post from the months past that your evolving.

    No, that's not "evolving". My viewpoints have always been the same. it depends on what I'm responding to. I've never been 100 percent one way or the other.

    And not sure what you mean by "the housing I was raised in". When my family moved to Chicago we lived briefly in Robert Taylor in the '60s, back when nearly everyone there had a dad that went off to work in the morning (my father worked downtown in Xerox'corporate offices), the buildings were clean and well run. After a few years we moved to a single family home in a quiet treelined street, then another after that. I currently make a pretty decent salary working in the communications department of DCFS and live in an apartment in Edgewater. So I'm not sure what you mean by "the housing I was raised in". If my sympathy for those in more dire straits makes it seem as if I'm one of them, then I guess I did a pretty good job of displaying empathy. Talk about assuming things about people...

    And I never said you were "rich". My placing the words in quotation marks was meant set that word apart and emphasize that that is how some people perceive you because you are able to afford and qualify for a mortgage. That's not my specific viewpoint.

    Just to clarify...

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  58. She has homeless folks bussed in from other parts of the city and then has them registered as residents of Uptown. With the offer of free food, etc., she literally buys the election.

    Which is why i previously said that concerned people here should seriously consider filling the rolls of the local election judges to go over those registration forms with a fine toothed comb.

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  59. MOTS your so close to excepting personal responsibility. I see in your post from the months past that your evolving.

    Oh, and it should read "YOU'RE so close to ACCEPTING personal responsibility. I see in your POSTS from the months past that YOU'RE evolving."

    You know, since we're correcting grammar and all...

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  60. {I'm sure uptown has lots of other things besides housing. BUt in my opinion not enough because there are still so many people who don't have anywhere to live.}

    dacutestmama: There is housing in Uptown that is already built that is available for leasing. There is housing all over the city that is already built and available for leasing right now.

    The real question is, if there are people in Uptown in search of housing, why aren't they trying to move into the existing housing that is available to them RIGHT NOW?

    Do you think Uptown needs to increase the percentage of subsidized housing? If so, why in Uptown and why not in a neighboring community with a much lower percentage of subsidized housing?

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  61. NO I do agree that there is a lot of subsidized housing in uptown. And I do agree that subsidized housing should be distributed all over the city, and suburbs. Some suburbs have very very few subsidies available, which I don't agree with. However, I do feel that no more condos should be built here either. I think there should be more nice apartments for those who don't qualify for subsidies but can't quite afford to own. Or those who may qualify for a subsidy and afford market rent but either don't want to live in subsidies apartments or simply isn't far on the waiting list or can't get on.

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  62. The real question is, if there are people in Uptown in search of housing, why aren't they trying to move into the existing housing that is available to them RIGHT NOW?

    I can not speak for people that do not have anywhere to live because I've never been in that type of situation before and hopefully I will never be in that situation ever.

    However. There may be alot of factors of why they don't seek housing outside of UPtown. One possibility could be that they don't know about these outside places and what they have to offer. How could you obtain something that you don't know exist? If these such places do exist it's the responsibility of the caseworkers, social workers, mentors, and leaders of Uptown to let them know about this. SOme people don't know how to find out certain information. They aren't assertive enough to walk into a helping agency and ask question and get information. Most of us are fortunate enough to have extensive formal education behind us. But what about those who are uneducated?

    Some people may indeed know of these places. But maybe their confort zone is in uptown. My family has lived in the same apartment complex for 23 years. I know what it's like to even think of moving somewhere other than what you are used to. I know so many people around here. I know pretically where everything is. Sometimes people can not adapt to change. Especially those with certain mental illness. A change in environment may cause more turmoil in thier than what's it worth.

    It's easy to say why don't they just do this and just do that when you are not them or have never been them. Every single person have their own unique situation and thinking process. So it's almost impossible to answer questions that don't directly relate to one self.

    I honestly would like to know where these places are that are ready NOW! Because this useful information should be passed onto others. If I had this information I wouldn't mind sharing it with those in need. The problem is it's too many people out here that know of these things and don't share it with the people that it will benefit. But I don't understand why not?

    Please share this information with me so that I can pass it on. I hate to see homeless people. Not because they bother me, but their situation does. And no one wants to be in a fu**ed up situation.

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  63. {I honestly would like to know where these places are that are ready NOW! Because this useful information should be passed onto others.}

    I found the information in the library.

    I'd like to be able to find this information in my alderman's office.

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  64. When compared to the rest of Chicago, Uptown has less than half of the rate of homeownership. We need more condo conversions and not less. Let the other neighborhoods deal with getting more rental units. That's not Uptown's problem for now.

    Life is all about adapting to changes. People who can't adapt will have problems that they will need to face. If they don't know where housing exists, then they have more problems than anything any of us can do for them.

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  65. Got to love the condo haters. Hey, condos are just apartments that are individual owned in a building where as an apartment complex is owned by one corporation or individual.

    Not all condos in Uptown are owner occupied.

    Some lower income people live in condos believe it or not all over the country and City.

    To make a statement that all condos are occupied by rich people or by rich owners is false.

    Got to love the ignorance Helen Shiller and company spreads.

    And the WY units will cost more per unit that almost all of the condos in Uptown cost to build.

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  66. So I might add ok no more condos then no more Apartments that would be fine with me.

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  67. holy moley said...
    When compared to the rest of Chicago, Uptown has less than half of the rate of homeownership. We need more condo conversions and not less. Let the other neighborhoods deal with getting more rental units. That's not Uptown's problem for now.

    I'm more concerned right now with the effects of The Homeownership Obsession and that we haven't seen the bottom of it yet.

    Incidentally, the mortgage interest deduction is the government's biggest housing subsidy, and disporportionately benefits upper income homeowners.

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  68. The Soul of Murray Humphries

    I agree this information should be available in the Aldermans office. However it's hard to get information from them without being cursed out. I called once and asked for a number to an agency in Uptown and they, well he told me he wasn't the damn directory and that I should look in the phone book.

    So even if it is available there, it wouldn't help much! Sad to say, but true.

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  69. God I love America. If you think it's wrong to own a condo then don't own a condo. If you are able to buy a condo and want one, go for it. If you want a condo but can't afford one, then take the slow steps to eventually buy one. For me it meant a lot of personal sacrifice for many years so that I could afford one.

    Whining about it didn't set me in the right direction to get a condo. Demanding that someone do the work for me didn't work either. And yes, I love the tax deduction. I also know my property taxes pay for the many social services in Uptown. So be glad I own a condo.

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  70. {However it's hard to get information from them(46th Ward Office) without being cursed out.}

    I hear ya. That's why I'm left with little choice but to work for improving my neighborhood with one hand while the other works to change the leadership.

    I can only dream about what two hands working on the same project can accomplish.

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  71. 'Dacu' and 'Kenny' are concerned about the lack of
    low income housing in Uptown. Seriously?

    Nothing you say, seems to ring true to me, in my
    humble opinion. Uptown, is a social services experiment gone terribly wrong.
    I've lived on Malden for 17 years, and the ground zero
    areas, in terms of 911 calls, crime and gangs, squarely
    falls upon the buildings that house no/low-income
    housing.
    Again....that is why the Wilson Yard 'project' looms
    large, and sinister for most people.

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  72. I think there should be more nice apartments for those who don't qualify for subsidies but can't quite afford to own. Or those who may qualify for a subsidy and afford market rent but either don't want to live in subsidies apartments or simply isn't far on the waiting list or can't get on. -dacutestmama

    This would be housing for people with steady jobs and a good employment history but not much capital for a downpayment and not much extra left over each month. (I.e., Grocery store workers, waitstaff, artists, social service agency employees...) It is these people that Uptown is losing and has lost. However, WY will do nothing to address their situation because they make too much money to be on the public housing or section 8 list and because Holsten can't reserve the housing for current or recently displaced Uptown residents. These basic facts are being entirely lost in the discussions that are happening in this community. WY is all about the flawed CHA "plan for transformation" and about affordable housing activism. As usual, Uptown is the physical location where supra-local politics gets played out. Wouldn't it be nice if the people who live here (ALL THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE) ever got a voice in what is happening?

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  73. Saskia said...
    This would be housing for people with steady jobs and a good employment history but not much capital for a downpayment and not much extra left over each month. (I.e., Grocery store workers, waitstaff, artists, social service agency employees...) It is these people that Uptown is losing and has lost.

    But people like that – like me – well, we shop at stores like “Family Squalor,” not the kind of “quality retail” people seem to be clamoring for. And a lot of those people, including some really cool, freaky artists, musicians and waitstaff and social workers were evicted from a rather large rental apartment building on the NW corner of Lawrence and Kenmore several years ago because it went condo.

    So I never really understood the “Artists’ Residence Housing” thing of 2004. It was like “we don’t care if you get evicted because your apartment went condo, (that’s the market, the one we worship) but really, we do care, because we’re marching for the government to give you a new place to live.

    Give me a fucking break.

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  74. sorry 'kenny', but 'saskia' is right on.

    WY is clearly, in it's present form, a disaster
    in the making.

    Everyone is concerned about the basic welfare of
    the community's citizens, but I don't think Uptown
    needs yet another 'refugee camp'.....which studies
    show, Wilson Yard could be a petrie dish of crime in the making.
    The only solutions I can offer up, is support 'fix wilson yard', and try to come together, and report
    crime more.

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  75. Starck Mad said...
    sorry 'kenny', but 'saskia' is right on.

    WY is clearly, in it's present form, a disaster
    in the making.


    I never said it wasn't. I merely questioned the tactics of the bein pensant liberals in the hood, who weep and march for the plight of firemen and artists even while same are losing their homes to condo conversions.

    Pay attention.

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  76. she still makes more sense.....

    we ALL should 'pay attention'

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  77. Starck Mad said...
    she still makes more sense.....

    we ALL should 'pay attention'


    How nice for you, that your "attention" and "sense" need not include that of modest means.

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  78. hmmm......

    not buying it kenny.

    you can achieve what you strive for.

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  79. Starck Mad said...
    hmmm......

    not buying it kenny.

    you can achieve what you strive for.


    Ahh, the perpetual justification for low wages,
    "just work a little harder." But you see, there are always people like me, people who are firemen and artists and teachers, even people with college degrees, who work hard and contribute to society but will never earn the money to be able to afford a $500,000 condo.

    Perhaps you need to open your mind a little to what I'm saying.

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  80. Uh, Kenny. The wonderful rental you mentioned on Lawrence & Kenmore before it went condo was a drug haven with tons of crime. I am delighted it went condo. On the NE corner of that same block is a low income housing that was once for seniors and is now quickly becoming housing for the mentally ill. On the SW corner of the same block is another low income high rise for the mentally ill. One block east is low income housing for Asian seniors and across the street from that is the men's REST shelter. Just south of the REST shelter is a low income high rise.

    Heading north on the corner of Kenmore & Lawrence is a CHA scattered site and a Voice of the People building. Heading south on that same corner is a scattered site CHA and then there's Habitat for Humanity housing that's one block south of that. Heading one block west of Kenmore & Lawrence you get 4848 Winthrop, another low income high rise and a block south of 4848 is more scattered site CHA housing. One block west of the scattered site CHA housing on the 4600 block of Winthrop are 3 shelters and one block west of those 3 shelters is a nursing home for the mentally ill. One block north of the nursing home is 1207 Leland which is more low income housing with some set aside for the mentally ill. Across the street from 1207 is the Darlington. One block west of the Darlington is more scattered site CHA housing, and one block north of that CHA housing is more scattered site CHA housing. One block west of the CHA housing at 4700 Magnolia is some JPUSA housing, some HUD housing, and the Miriam SRO that has a number of active prostitutes. I apologize for not mentioning a few other CHA high rises and SRO's in the area, but I think I made my point.

    Kenny my man, are you getting the picture when we mention enough is enough? I think we're covered on providing housing for the less fortunate. Now whine about something else that has you victimized, you poor little thing.

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  81. I am not sure what a “pensant liberal” is but I guess that is me. Kenny, we are actually making the same points but we come out differently in the end. During the first furor over Wilson Yard, I was a renter and had much the same opinion as you. I just thought "tsk...tsk"---here we go again with the usual anti-affordable housing backlash. But Uptown is bizarroland and things are often not as they appear. I have gotten quite an education in the intervening years and this hippy-dippy artsy-fartsy latte-lovin' non-profit liberal who also shops at Family Dollar & Village Discount (Mondays!!!) is intensely critical of our current state of affairs because it is running counter to what it will take to be a successful mixed income community.

    Poor people can benefit from living in a mixed income community because middle class people aggressively fight for all the stuff you see people griping about on these boards: better city services, higher quality schools, safer and cleaner public areas and better commercial (which can also increase job opportunities for local residents). Of course there is always a risk that as property values rise that poor people will be displaced, services/businesses for them will disappear and that as schools improve (such as through magnet programs) the poorest kids won’t always see an increase in their opportunities. However, Uptown has a long and illustrious history of protest and a number of entrenched institutions that have always made me believe that the least fortunate among us will not be forgotten. I used to be much more bullish on Uptown’s prospects in this regard before I fully understood the self-loathing behind the ways the Shilleristas want to deal with economic diversity. Now what I see are zero-sum games and middle class residents becoming bitter and distrustful. If there is a superconservative backlash I wouldn’t be surprised. These are good people who are being ignored and treated vindictively. People will only keep their hearts open for so long under these circumstances. If any neighborhood had a good shot at being a terrific diverse community I thought it was Uptown. These days I am not so sure…

    I am sorry you lost your home, Kenny. But what could have been done to stop it? Uptown is not an island and most property owners are not interested in running low-rent properties forever. For most landlords it was the default position. I would be really interested to know how you think Uptown could work within this market model that we are stuck with and make this a place where artists, waiters and young teachers can live? Right now I see rejecting a mixed income model at WY as moving us even further along in the path of what a staffer at R.E.S.T. once called a “dumbbell” shaped community---lots at the bottom & lots at the top with few in the middle.

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  82. Kenny, you are whining about the wrong people. The high taxes due to the pay to play politics and money-guzzling TIFs have made Chicago a more expensive place to live. You can thank Daley and "your" alderman Helen for making the problem worse. There has never been a TIF that Helen didn't like, including the LaSalle TIF. She has also sold out and fully embraced Daley's kind of politics.Let's hear it for term limits.

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  83. kenny said...
    Incidentally, the mortgage interest deduction is the government's biggest housing subsidy, and disporportionately benefits upper income homeowners.
    I agree. The mortgage interest deduction is the single largest benefit to owning a home. But I don't understand how it unfairly benefits upper income homeowners. I benefits all homeowners equally. You deduct 30% of your mortgage interest, regardless.

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