Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd) asked for a show of hands at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church at 1500 W. Belmont Ave., Tuesday, March 5, at the end of the community meeting about the proposed senior citizen residential building.
More than 100 people filled the room, roughly divided between senior citizens on one side and younger people on the other side. In spite of some differences which were addressed in the two-hour meeting, almost all hands were raised in acceptance of the proposed changes to St. Luke Renaissance senior living apartments.
Nancy Knapp, president of Renaissance Realty and Development Group, presented the revised plan for the project. The original plan placed a 170-unit L shaped building on the city parking lot at the southwest corner of Greenview and Belmont avenues. The building was to include a wing for 85 assisted living residents.
The revised plan calls for a single 7 story rectangular building that fronts on Belmont Ave. There will be only 85 units: 8 2-bedroom units, 43 1-bedroom units, and 34 studio apartments. There are no plans for assisted living facilities.
Knapp explained the restrictions on the units. To be eligible for the 75 percent of the units that will be affordable housing, people must be over 62 and make less than $31,000 per year. There will be no restrictions on the 25 percent at market rate, except the age requirement is still 62. “ I don’t know how anyone can argue with affordable housing. Gentrification pushes many out of their community. Last I heard every one of us has parents so we are all concerned with their welfare and we’re all going to get there ourselves so we all have an interest in this issue,” Knapp said.
Linda, a community resident, said, “Someday I might be interested in living here. I don’t have kids and don’t want to be a burden on my nephew when I get older. That’s the future. We have no problem with the changes,” she said, referring to her father, Ray, who sat next to her. “We still go to church here...I’ve lived here 70 years out of 79 but I was pushed out to Morton Grove. I couldn’t afford to pay the prices. I want to move back,” he said.
After the presentation, it was question time. What concerned the younger citizens and business people was the loss of affordable parking. The 112 parking spaces would be decreased by three, and the plan would put 35 of the remaining 109 inside the new structure.
Sam Samatas of 1400 block of Barry Ave. spoke for a number who had concerns about the project being another land grab and moneymaker for a corporation and not the community.
Knapp answered pointedly that the only reason this project is even possible is because the land is donated. “Sure we are going to make a profit—this wouldn’t happen otherwise. The only way you can build affordable housing is when someone donates land...this is true of the senior housing proposed on the land donated by Advocate at Irving and Western. If this were a totally private sector enterprise you could not build anything other than what the market dictates and that is not senior housing.”
The state and federal funds used for construction of the $24 million project stipulate that the building must be used for seniors for 40 years. “Nothing is forever,” said Knapp.
“Sure, I suppose we could investigate getting the government to foot the whole bill and assure it will always be senior housing but that would mean more restrictions,” said Matlak. “We’d probably have to make it available to people outside of the community and that would defeat our purpose. You know the saying, if you take the king’s shilling you take the king’s rule...and then they can change the rule anytime they want.”
St. Luke Pastor David Abrahamson added, “The Renaissance addresses today’s problems. It’s taken me 20 years to get this far. In another 40, I won’t be here and I’m sure there will be new issues to address at that time.”
By contract, “Ten percent of the rental proceeds and a development fee will go to St. Luke’s to be used for senior services,” said Abrahamson who is seeing his dream materialize. “The unique aspect is that we’ve been talking with St. Joe about providing immediate medical services for the elderly, intergenerational activities with St. Luke’s, and other schools in the neighborhood. Many in our community have been renters for 30 to 40 years and don’t have a nest egg to fall back on...where do they go? Others who have owned property are doing well...the Renaissance provides a place for all of them so there will be economic diversity...and you do not have to be a Lutheran to live here.”
There was little questioning from the seniors. Those present were all very active citizens and obviously enjoyed each other’s company. Walter Oberzut, 79, said, “I have a home of my own but the upkeep is just getting to be too much for me. I like what I see about the Renaissance-being with other seniors and I’m still in the neighborhood. I’ve lived in the this ward 64 years and although I’m not a member of the parish, I’ve seen the things they do and I like them.”
Others wanted assurances put into writing that the remaining parking spaces will not be made into condos. Ald. Matlak, who is on the zoning committee, said the city does not like to restrict itself in perpetuity, but he would investigate changing the parking lot zoning out of residential, which would help.
“We’re going to experiment with diagonal parking,” said Ald. Matlak. “No one can deny that there is a parking problem but we must find new ways to solve it. The city wants to get out of the parking business and has been selling off its lots for years.”
At the end of the meeting, a question came from a tall, fashionably gaunt man in his early 30s who sported a goatee, “Am I to believe that the city is more interested in senior housing than parking spaces?”
Ald. Matlak smiled when he replied, “Yes.”
The Renaissance plan will go to the Department of Planning and construction might begin as soon as December. Occupancy would begin in September 2003.
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