Metropolitan Planning Council Is Proud Of What Stewart School Workshops Accomplished

The Metropolitan Planning Council, which led the community input process regarding re-use of Stewart School, today sent this email to participants in the 2014 workshops:

"Metropolitan Planning Council is happy to announce that Chicago Public Schools has chosen a proposal from Morningside Group that takes into account the Uptown community's input while generating the highest bid. These recommendations included:

• Converting the Stewart School building into residential units with enhanced community amenities and public spaces on the western plaza
• Adding retail, café or restaurant space on the ground floor
• Constructing a building on the former parking lot to provide additional rental housing with affordable units

Read more about the process and the proposal for Stewart School.

Thank you for being part of this process and helping shape the future of Stewart School and Uptown. Metropolitan Planning Council thanks Ald. Cappleman and his staff for their leadership and follow-through."

A little link-digging led us to a copy of the Decision made by the Board of Education, which includes that the conclusions drawn from the community input process are required to be part of the deed to the school property.

The City or [Public Building Commission], as necessary, shall include a restrictive covenant in the deed stating that the property must be used as a mixed-use development incorporating all of the following: (1) residential units; (2) retail and/or restaurant space; (3) a community plaza or town square; and (4) one or more of the following community programs: community gardens, dedicated space for a farmers market, community theater space, youth educational or recreational programming or job training. The deed for the Property will include this restriction. Title to the property will revert back to the City of Chicago ... if this restriction is breached without the prior written consent of the Board's Chief Operating Officer.

Good work, all!  You can see the CPS Decision here, and the UU's previous stories about the MDC process and the sale of the school building here.