Plan Commission

On this morning’s agenda:
1. Sale of city-owned land at 4346 S King
2. Sale of city-owned land at 4841 N Lipps
3. Disposition of city-owned land at 1702 N Monticello, 3331 & 3724 W LeMoyne, 1138 & 1142 N Christiana, and 2341 W Erie to L&MC Investments, LLC

1. Proposed amendment to PD #138 to allow animals services as approved use.
2. Proposed construction of 4-story mixed use building at 2317 N Clark with 2350sqft of retail and 35 DUs.
3. Proposed site of new Park District HQ at 48/Western, an 88,000sqft recreation facility.

1. Proposed amendment to PD #1339 at 2017 N Mendell to allow for special use of a Cannabis Craft Grow license, an accessory Dispensary, as well as Cannabis Processor and Infuser uses.

The meeting will begin shortly.

Plan Commission member and UIC Great Cities Institute director Teresa Córdova is beginning today’s meeting by taking roll call. Commissioners Searl, Osterman, Sposato, Villegas are absent.

Minutes from last month’s meetings are approved. Alderman Villegas notes his presence and concurrent attendance in another Budget meeting at this time.

Item 1, the proposed use of animal services by Montrose Clarendon Partners, LLC, at 4407 N Clarendon, is being deferred to the October 15th meeting of the Plan Commission.

Public comments: a resident of Jefferson Park is here to comment on the negotiated sale of public land at 4841 N Lipps. She asks to allow the purchase of this firehouse by the foundation that owns the Copernicus Center, an important cultural landmark in Jefferson Park.

The president of Copernicus Foundation is here to implore the City to accept his group’s offer of $300,000 for this property. The current proposal is for the City to sell the property to a Mr. Timothy Pomaville for $1.

He is committing to restore the original firehouse facade and open a brewpub in the building.

A representative of Carpenters Local 58 is here to tell the Commission that he attempted to file FOIA requests with City Hall to obtain RFPs (Requests For Proposal) sent out by the City re: the firehouse property.

He is surprised that this negotiated sale is being brought up for approval seemingly without an RFP. His group has been inexplicably stalled in trying to find more any info about this process. “It should be a more open and democratic process!”

Motion to approve the negotiated sale is brought forth, but Commissioner Tunney would like to hear from someone at DPD about the due diligence that was done going into this sale. The property has been vacant for 10+ years.

Jim Wheaton, Director of Chicago Community Land Trust, is here to speak on the history of the building. This building has been City-owned since its construction. The proposed buyer filled properly filled out an application for negotiated sale through DPD in September 2017.

In June 2018, the developer paid for the City to have the building appraised. The appraiser gave it a value of $208k contingent on asbestos and lead-based paint removal.

In March 2019, a Phase 2 environmental scan was performed and found extensive lead and asbestos exposure within the property. In spring 2019, fmr. Alderman Arena held a public hearing and issued his letter of support for the developer’s intentions.

Last summer, Lakefront Brewery expressed interest in relocating some of their operations to this property, which would have required a zoning change. This June, there were internal reviews conducted within DPD.

Numerous reviews were conducted between June and August, and multiple public notices were issued in July and August. The Zoning Amendment was approved at the last City Council meeting in September after the application window had closed.

The City had received applications from the Copernicus Foundation and Carpenters Local 58 in as of August.

Wheaton: “There was no request for proposals (RFPs). Those are not required in negotiated sales.”

Commissioner Novara reiterates that no RFPs were submitted. Public notices were given to open up the process to the public for application for negotiated sale.

The developer offered the appraisal price, but without remediation, the value was essentially $0, so the City agreed to sell the property for $1.

Alderman Gardiner (45th Ward) is here to speak on behalf of his constituents. He voiced concern to DPD Commissioner Maurice Cox about the financial implications of the sale of this property. He’s not opposed to this project but doesn’t want taxes to be raised in lieu of this $.

Alderman Tunney would like to know why the City doesn’t use the RFP process for negotiated sale. Jim Wheaton says that RFP is just not a part of DPD’s process, but that fmr. Alderman Arena’s letter of support was a major factor in getting this sale pushed through.

Wheaton also notes that the developer is a for-profit entity that will generate sales and property tax revenues. The other two applicants were non-profit, so the financial implications long-term are positive for the City.

Commissioner Novara notes that this applicant paid for a third-party appraisal according to DPD process, and because the building was determined to be an environmental hazard, its value was completely offset.

Alderman Tunney: whether or not the owner of this property is a non-profit, if they have a for-profit venture such as the Polish restaurant proposed by Copernicus, they would still be paying real estate taxes on that portion of it. Is that a correct assessment?

Wheaton: 81% of Copernicus’ income comes from the rental of their facilities, according to their application. They listed 5 PINs in their application, only one of which pays property taxes, and it is a parking lot.

Wheaton: Their 2018 form 990 only showed $7,700 in revenues. They did not provide evidence of ability to pay for remediation on the building. Given the impact of the pandemic on festivals, their revenues can’t possibly be intact for this year thus far.

Wheaton: They did provide us with a bare bones construction proposal, but they did not provide a timetable. The application form with DPD does not ask for that, but it was specifically listed in the public notice and they did not provide that.

Commissioner Lyons wants to know if there are any proposal for affordable housing uses on this property by the current applicant. Mr. Wheaton says that all rents will be affordable at or below 120% of the area median income.

Noah Szafraniec is here on behalf of DPD to field questions.

Ald. Tunney: is this property landmarked or preserved in any way?

Jim Wheaton: This question came up during review. This is not an orange-rated or landmarked building. The developer has agreed to restore the facade as much as possible, but it is not protected.

More information from the @Suntimes available here:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/9/15/21438801/city-defends-taking-10-offer-northwest-side-firehouse

And another story on the brewery planning on operating in this building:
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/06/29/after-years-of-waiting-lake-effect-taproom-plans-may-get-ok-next-month/

NOTE: These news stories name the brewery as Lake Effect and the sale price as $10, not $1, details that may have been miscommunicated throughout this virtual Plan Commission meeting thus far.

Alderman Maldonado (26th Ward) is here to support the disposition of the lots mentioned in Agenda Item #3 in the above tweets.

Motion to approve the negotiated sale of property at 4346 S King and the disposition of lots mentioned in Item #3. Both items are approved unanimously.

Motion to approve the negotiated sale of the firehouse.

Commissioners Lyons and Tunney vote no, but the motion passes and the firehouse at 4841 N Lipps is approved for the $10 sale.

Next up is the proposal for the mixed-use building at 2317 N Clark. Their application is available here:
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Agendas/cpc_materials/09_2020/2317_N_Clark_LPO_Application.pdf

Land use maps, elevations, site plans, renderings, and more detailed information is available in this presentation:
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Agendas/cpc_materials/09_2020/2317%20N%20Clark%20CPC%20LPO%20ppt%20-%20DRAFT.pdf

Tech support has logged on to assist DPD Commissioner Cox, and the meeting has abruptly gone off the air.

#Thisis2020 #CHIdocumenters

The meeting has returned in the middle of the presentation on 2317 N Clark. Atty Nick Ftikas is speaking on behalf of property owners.

Motion to allow the proposed use of this property. The motion is passed.

The next item heard will be the proposed Park District HQ in Brighton Park at 48th and Western.

John Molloy from DPD is here to give the following presentation:
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Agendas/cpc_materials/09_2020/Draft%20Park%20District%20596%20PD%20CPC.pdf

CPD filed their PD application on April 7th and has hosted six community meetings thus far and has one more follow-up planned for this Fall. Project narratives in English and Spanish were made available to residents as well as bilingual flyers and mailers.

Based on community feedback, CPD added a Teen Center to the Fieldhouse.

20 locations were considered for a this new HQ and settled on this former industrial site at 48th and Western.

CPD says this site selection will provide transformative value for the Brighton Park community, an area in need of open outdoor space. They have begun environmental remediation in accordance with IL EPA standards.

The site is adjacent to the Western Orange Line and multiple arterial bus routes. It also abuts James Shields Middle School and the Western Boulevard park thoroughfare.

The Park District is proposing changing the zoning district to a POS-1 and then applying for a Planned Development (PD) for the site.

John Ronan, site architect, is describing how the site is organized around the cylindrical HQ building, reflecting the widening green path style of the central Western Avenue Boulevard.

A new traffic signal will be installed at Western and 48th Place, and crosswalk improvements will be installed along the site on 48th Street.

204 parking spaces will be installed, and over 100 bike parking spaces are proposed. None of them will obstruct the public way.

A pedestrian context for the proposed HQ building. POV looking WNW from the main entrance on Western Ave. https://t.co/ByCnXp162s

The office space of 56,000sqft is a mix of open workspace and closed rooms. The building is designed to make employees feel as if they’re working inside a park. A public, open entryway runs through the building and will be populated with greenery, centered on a courtyard.

Here is an aerial perspective of the proposed building looking NE towards the Loop. https://t.co/drNDavnoRI

The playground areas accentuate the massive expansion of green space offered in the park surrounding the HQ site. Interactive sculptural water features will provide an experience unique to this park.

This project scores 115 points on the Sustainable Development matrix. 100 points are required for new Planned Developments.

This policy can be referenced here:
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/sustainable_development/chicago-sustainable-development-policy-update.html#:~:text=The%20new%20policy%20allows%20development,to%20fit%20the%20project's%20characteristics.&text=New%20construction%20projects%20are%20required,the%20scale%20of%20the%20renovation.

Park District Superintendent Mike Kelly is giving his full support behind this project, citing the need for green space and play areas in this part of the City and the need for the CPD to have a park-integrated headquarters.

This project will employ 350 construction workers, at least 50% of which will be Chicago residents. The District is committing to contracting 26% minority-owned businesses for the project as well.

Commissioner Flores echoes Supt. Kelly’s sentiment. She grew up in the area and attended Shields and is excited to have this project come up in this community. She does note that she doesn’t see any Latinx firms involved as of yet. Brighton Park is 83% Latinx.

The District notes that the leader of the design team is a Latino resident of the neighborhood.

The project was financed by $8.65 million in TIF funding to purchase the land, and the full scope of the project will be financed through the sale of the former CPD property and other funding that the Supt. is not yet ready to disclose.

The project is currently out to bid, so the District’s budget capacity is under wraps for now.

The District is looking at an aggressive timeline, hoping to finish bidding soon and begin construction this winter. Completion is targeted for 2022.

Teresa Cordova is encouraging DPD and DOH to ensure the revitalization resulting from this project does not contribute to gentrification and the displacement of the Latinx community surrounding.

DPD Commissioner Cox ensures that this development will be in line with the Invest South/West standards and will not contribute to gentrifying their neighborhood. He encourages the architect to correct the renderings to better reflect the character of the neighborhood.

Motion to approve the Park District HQ project is passed unanimously.

The next item up for consideration is the application for amending the planned development at 2017 N Mendell to allow for cannabis-related uses.

**For any other Chicagoans wondering where Mendell St is, it’s a small corridor just north of Cortland and east of the Armitage/Ashland/Elston intersection. It runs parallel to the river.

Emily Thrun from DPD is here to give the following presentation about the site:
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Agendas/cpc_materials/09_2020/Final%202017NMendellCPCPresentation%209-10-20.pdf

The application for the PD Amendment can be viewed here:
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Planning_and_Policy/Agendas/cpc_materials/09_2020/2017NMendell_FiledApp.pdf

The Cannabis Craft Grow license has yet to be approved by the State, and there is no timeline provided on that. They are seeking to get the use approved when that Cannabis license (including an accessory dispensary) is eventually issued.

The building’s shell is completed, but the interior would need to be renovated to accommodate the cannabis tenant. Estimated cost of that renovation is $20 million and would create 200 temporary jobs and 50 permanent jobs.

Alderman Burnett: Is there a social equity component to the craft grower?

Michael Ezgur, atty for building owner: Yes, all applications for craft growers at the state level right now require a 51% social equity ownership stake.

Just to clarify, the change being debated today is JUST to add this permitted use to the original language of the PD. If the Craft Grower is approved for licensure, they must still obtain a special use through the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Motion to approve this proposed amendment to PD #1339 is approved unanimously.

DPD’s Emily Thrun will now provide an update on the Fulton Market Planning Efforts.

Most recent changes in Fulton Market was in 2019 to remove the Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) east of Ogden.

According to the most recent infrastructure study, 23 blocks were missing sidewalks in this area, 33 corners were ADA non-compliant. Multiple full block sites were identified for development opportunities, providing up to 60,000 jobs.

Short-term priorities include upgrading the above, adding Divvy stations, and improving Metra crossings. Long-term, bike lane and street network infrastructure improvements are highest priority.

The area south of Lake Street has seen 3,600 residential units added or currently under construction. CTA saw a 5.6% increase in ridership at the Morgan station YoY between 2018/19.

Current market conditions are difficult for hotels, restaurants, and building owners in the area, but DPD’s Small Business Resource Guide and the closure of two roads in the district for expanded outdoor dining have helped alleviate some pains.

CDOT is currently studying a major overhaul of the Lake Street CTA corridor and the feasibility of a new Metra infill station in the area.

DPD is also now considering residential uses north of Lake Street within the Fulton Market District.

Alderman Burnett: Get ready for the big comeback in the City of Chicago. This area has been so resilient in the face of COVID-19, and I want to see that resiliency spread to neighboring communities.

Teresa Cordova adjourns this meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission at 1:02PM. Thanks for following along with #CHIDocumenters! DM for questions or corrections 😀

Please join us for next month’s meeting on Thursday, October 15th at 10:00AM.