Uptown residents met with city aldermen and developers Thursday, Nov. 29, to discuss the proposed redevelopment of the closed Goldblatt’s department store at Broadway and Racine streets and the nearby Leland Hotel, 1207 W. Leland Ave.
Backers of the plan, which blends commercial space with condominiums, look forward to increased foot traffic and consumer spending in the area. Preservationists vehemently oppose the demolition of the Leland, once known as the Plymouth Hotel.
Of the 37 residential condos planned, eight (four one-bedroom, four two-bedroom) will be “moderately” priced at $155,000. Of the remaining 27,700 square feet, over half may house a Border’s bookstore.
Although proposing to remove the south building (Plymouth Hotel), Dennis Harder of Wheeling-based developer Joseph Harder and Associates promised “to replace it with a compatible design.” Of late, Freed and Associates has been developing shopping centers, mostly in the suburbs, and plans to donate $1 million to aid in the
Leland Hotel project.
The renovation of the Leland Hotel is being planned by the Century Place Development Corporation, a new non-profit
organization, which purchased the property in May 1999.
Andrew Geer, vice president and executive officer of Century Place, told the audience he “is excited to be a part of a significant impact on what has been a problem area.” He said the organization bought the site “with a goal to preserve the historic nature, while keeping it affordable for low-income residents.”
Century Place has already invested $450,000 into the Leland for major maintenance, including two new boilers, new plumbing, bathroom upgrades and a future class-A fire system, previously absent, according to Geer.
Similar to Century Place’s development of another SRO (single room occupancy) at 4250 W. North Ave., Geer found that no kitchen or private bathroom leads to a transient lifestyle. The present 175 SRO’s in the Leland Hotel will become 133 larger, more livable units by adding kitchenettes and updating bathrooms.
Century Place’s sister organization, Chicago Health Outreach, will provide “intensive case management and social services,” Geer said.
Geer also said he plans to provide employment services and possibly a computer lab for residents to access job listings and create resumes. By doing so, “we will stabilize the building and the tenants therein,” Geer said.
Larry Hyatt read a statement from COURAJ (Community of Uptown Residents for Affordability and Justice), which supports money going to the Leland “as long as they maintain (the property) and keep it affordable.” COURAJ also believes that the city should work with Century Place independent of the Goldblatt’s renovation, as “condos make it hard for low income people to live in the community,” Hyatt said.
Rosa Hamilton, co-chair of the Organization of the NorthEast (ONE), pledged her group’s support of the Leland Project. ONE would also back the Goldblatt’s renovation as long as 30 percent of the units were made affordable—costing no more than $140,000—instead of 20 percent, she said.
Also, condos must have two bedrooms and the new businesses must work with the community, Hamilton said.
Hamilton also urged the city Department of Planning and Development to work with small businesses for stabilization and strengthening during the transition.
“We must also calculate what is meant by ‘affordable’,” Hamilton pleaded, “$150,000 is absolutely not affordable.”
Rick Addy, nearly 16-year owner of the Book Box, looks forward to welcoming Borders into Uptown. “I think it will be good competition, and there will be no more empty buildings,” Addy explained.
Proprietors of the Green Mill and Saxony Liquors sent their approval to the meeting with Addy in the form of written thumbs-up.
Martin Tangora, decked out in shoes and a jacket purchased at Goldblatt’s, called demolition of the Plymouth Hotel “unnecessary and foolish,” and urged the crowd not to believe that the building cannot be fixed.
“I want to see a report from a structural engineer that says the building must come down,” Tangora demanded, while also noting, “we have no guarantee from Borders, only a letter of intent, which is maybe good for a cup of coffee.”
Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) said that “to maintain our diverse community, we must also be diverse economically.” She also called the meeting “paramount…to hear each other and find ways to live without fear of each other.”
“We must also lose the assumption that poor people worsen a community,” Shiller urged, “and subsidized housing must stop being a code word for poor people.”
Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) gave examples of two other neighborhoods that have successfully incorporated similar additions. “We can accommodate ‘bigger box’ development—just look at Bryn Mawr, they have,” Smith said. She also used Andersonville as an example, where “businesses new and old continue to complement each other and flourish.”
With regard to the demolition of the old Plymouth Hotel, Smith said, “We must make an aggressive statement to move forward.” Under her vision of “transit-oriented development,” purchasers of condos would have to make
“a commitment to use public transportation.”
The public will next have a chance to voice opinions on this redevelopment at the Community Development Commission Hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. The CDC will vote on the project and send a recommendation to the City Council, which will make the final vote.
The meeting will take place at City Hall, 121 N. La Salle St., in the City Council chambers on the second floor. For a seat on a bus to the hearing, contact Jennifer of ONE at (773) 769-3232.
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