By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
The group that identifies itself as VOCAL, The Voters and Owners Coalition Against Landmarking, is spreading the word about their efforts to stop the process of landmarking the two Lincoln Park areas currently under consideration for such a status change. The first area is the RANCH community comprising the area from the Racine Ave. to Armitage Ave. to North Avenue to the Chicago River to Sheffield Ave. The second neighborhood under consideration is the Sheffield Historic District that runs from Fullerton Ave. to Willow St. and from Sheffield Ave. to Halsted St.
The group is headed by attorney Dee Grant who acts as its chairman. Grant has urged property owners who oppose the landmarking by neighborhood—rather than by individual site—to express their feelings to Ald. Vi Daley (43rd) and Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd), in whose wards the proposed districting lies. Grant reports that she has had positive feedback from Ald. Matlak who has held several block meetings where residents have overwhelmingly given him negative feedback. At least three blocks have been eliminated from landmarking consideration, according to Grant.
Her experience with Ald. Daley has been less definitive. According to Grant, Daley has provided a mixed message on the subject of landmarking in her ward. Grant is quick to add that Daley has certainly cooperated with the VOCAL group in holding meetings to hear the concerns of the residents. She has scheduled several block meetings to listen to neighbors who are concerned that their rights in their properties will be impeded by the efforts of the pro-landmarking groups.
Inside contacted Ald. Vi Daley’s office and, though she is out of town, her spokesman Chuck Eastwood set the record straight. Ald. Daley has not proposed landmarking and she has encouraged the block meetings to get a feeling for the way residents view the issue.
According to Eastwood, "No individual building has been identified as being worthy of landmarking designation though many properties would contribute to a landmarked district."
VOCAL has issued an invitation to the RANCH board asking that they hold a meeting to present the RANCH position, which seems to favor the landmark designation, but as yet there has been no response. One thing is clear: RANCH has opposed the ability of homeowners and developers to buy multiple lots and construct what they characterize as McMansions. VOCAL has stated that this control, which they agree would be desirable, would be possible through alterations and exceptions within existing zoning ordinances. According to Grant, "Landmarking isn’t designed to stop building large houses—that’s controlled by zoning. Landmarking is to preserve architecturally significant buildings, not whole neighborhoods.
"The impression I’ve been getting from Daley‘s office," Grant continued, "is that they’re listening too hard to the landmarkers. They seem to have a preconceived notion that landmarking would be a good thing without taking the economic impact of the designation into consideration.
"The landmarkers are a little hypocritical. The neighborhood was on the verge of becoming a slum when present owners started moving in. Those people made the character of the neighborhood what it is now. If it was still like it had been 30 or so years ago, none of them would want to live here."
Grant urged interested neighbors to visit the VOCAL Web site at vocalneighbors.blogspot.com. |
