Meeting Summary
On Monday, June 20, Neighbors of West Loop (NOWL) hosted a community meeting on the rapid pace of development in the West Loop. Specific topics included an overview of NOWL, the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus, the NOWL Neighborhood Plan, and an open discussion.
If you could not join the meeting yesterday, here are the presentation slides and the agenda:
NOWL President Larry Gage welcomed the attendees and introduced NOWL, an organization made up of resident volunteers from the four wards that make up the West Loop. He described the mission and goals of the organization, as well as the committee structure and our desire to engage more of the community in improving quality of life in the West Loop.
NOWL Development Committee Chair Matt Letourneau described the committee’s efforts to disseminate information about proposed developments in the West Loop and to gather resident sentiment about these projects. Matt also introduced the new NOWL membership structure, listing the benefits of being a NOWL member.
Eleanor Gorski, Deputy Commissioner with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, presented the recently adopted Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus. She noted that it is part of an overhaul of the City’s bonus program that will provide increased funding, in particular for underserved neighborhoods in the city.
May Toy, Chair of the NOWL Green Space and Parks Committee, reviewed the results of a survey on development issues in the West Loop. In general, respondents had a negative response toward increased building height and density. They also prefer that a larger portion of funds collected through the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus for developments in the West Loop stay in the neighborhood.
Sam Tenenbaum, member of the NOWL Development Committee, expanded upon the results of the survey, noting that the City and residents of the West Loop do not appear to be on the same page on many development issues. Sam emphasized that development projects should be appropriate for their surroundings and not be based on the highest or most dense building nearby.
NOWL Vice President concluded the formal presentations by outlining a new initiative, the NOWL Neighborhood Plan (NNP). Through this plan, residents are invited to participate in corridor committees that will discuss and prioritize development concerns like building height, parking availability, and green space. The recommendations of this plan, which will be reevaluated annually, will serve as guidance to the NOWL Development Committee as they evaluate new development projects across the West Loop.
Open Discussion
Several questions were posed during the open forum at the conclusion of the presentation:
- The audience posed questions about zoning parameters and decisions related to zoning changes. NOWL is planning to hold informational sessions on topics like “Zoning 101” as part of a forthcoming NOWL Neighborhood Knowledge Series.
- NOWL was encouraged to consider businesses as part of the NOWL Neighborhood Plan. Businesses will be encouraged to participate in development of the NNP.
- A question was raised about who controls the 10% of the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus that is applied within the development’s community. Nicole Wellhausen, Legislative Aide to Alderman Danny Solis, responded that the alderman with jurisdiction over the development site had control over the spending of the funds.
- Members of the audience asked if they could participate in the NNP corridor committee meetings if they were not able to attend tonight’s community meeting. Bob Aiken explained that residents who missed tonight’s meeting can still attend the focus group meetings. They can also forward their comments to info@neighborsofwestloop.com.
- Dave Mooney, Chair of the West Loop Community Organization (WLCO) Development Committee, described his organization’s efforts to follow development in the West Loop and added his support to NOWL’s efforts to shape development in our community.
- Armando Chacon, President of the West Central Association, also spoke in support of volunteer organizations like NOWL and WLCO and encouraged collaboration, a sentiment echoed by members from each group.
- One audience member asked about the distinctions between the various community groups in the West Loop. Bob Aiken provided the following summary:
- The West Loop Community Organization is a delegate agency of the City of Chicago that includes business and resident members.
- The West Central Association, also a delegate agency of the City, is a chamber of commerce focused on promoting businesses in the West Loop.
- Also a delegate agency of the City, the Randolph Fulton Market Association promotes business and property owner interests in the Fulton Market area.
- Neighbors of West Loop is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to strengthening the voice of residents in the West Loop.
- The meeting concluded with a call to action on the part of the presenters and members of the audience.
Next Steps
Attendees were invited to become members of NOWL and get engaged with the organization through committee membership, serving on an NPP corridor committee, or another NOWL volunteer opportunity.
By: NOWL Development Committee Chair, Matt Letourneau
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2016