Archives for May 2020

By Kayla Kirshenbaum

Just as residents of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood thought things could not get worse, they did.

A public outcry followed the April 11 demolition of a smokestack of a shuttered coal plant, the Crawford Generating Station in Little Village at 3501 S. Pulaski Rd., which blanketed the community with dust.

The plant shut down in 2012 following years of protests about air pollution that posed risks to the health of local residents who live as close as 50 feet away from the plant.  

Hilco Redevelopment Partners, owners of the property, initiated plans to topple the smokestack last September. The firm plans to replace the former coal plant with a one-million-square-foot distribution center. These plans facedongoing protests from environmental groups, public health organizations, and local residents, who argue that the construction of a large warehouse would replace one former source of air pollution with another. 

The demolition, approved by the City of Chicago and the Department of Public Health, sent gray smoke and debris flying through a community that was already struggling under the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Kim Wasserman, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), said that scheduling a demolition in the current pandemic put the health of local residents at risk.

‘Not what you do’ 

“This is not what you do during a pandemic,” she said. “Half of our community is considered essential workers, who are really sacrificial workers. My parents live in the neighborhood and they only had 24-hour notice. For days afterward, they had dust and I couldn’t guide them. We feared the worst.”

The Chicago Fire Department, which provided on-site assistance with the demolition, assured residents in a statement that promised, “extensive dust control and mitigation efforts including watering trucks, water cannons, and direct-drive misting systems.” A post from the department’s official Twitter account documented that the department was at the scene providing support. “CFD provided support on demolition of stack at the old Crawford power generation plant near the ship canal and Pulaski now being cleared for new development. Occurred at 8 a.m. April 11. No problems.” 

Many, however, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Alderman Michael Rodriguez of the 22nd Ward, argued that there were in fact problems that ensued in the aftermath of the implosion. In a statement released on Easter Sunday, just one day after the demolition, Lightfoot apologized for the consequences of a demolition that she had approved. “What happened yesterday was utterly unacceptable and the City of Chicago will never hesitate to enforce its environmental safety regulations to the fullest extent possible when encountering violations like these, big or small,” Lightfoot said. 

Rodriguez added that the blame lies with the contracting company who carried out the demolition. “The finger should be pointing straight at Hilco,” he said.  

Hilco, whose primary demolition contractor was MCM Management Corp., scheduled the demolition despite the ongoing coronavirus global pandemic. 

After receiving a $19.7.million tax subsidy from the City of Chicago, Hilco toppled the old smokestack as part of the plan for the distribution center. CEO Roberto Perez apologized for causing “anxiety and fear,” and pointed a finger at MCM Management Corp. in a cycle of blame that left residents feeling anxious and afraid. 

This was not the first time Hilco left Little Village residents feeling uneasy. In early January of this year, Hilco suspended plans for the plant’s demolition after a worker plummeted to his death at the Hilco-owned site. 

“We are going to ask the company to go above and beyond in assuring workers’ safety as well as the community’s safety,” Rodriguez said in January. “As far as I’m concerned, until that can happen, they should not restart demolition.” 

Not the first incident

The demolition restarted less than one month later, leaving residents in the dark about what safety protocols had been put in place that warranted work to resume. Wasserman, who has been a leader in the Little Village community for 22 years, said the community was still reeling from what happened in January.

“When the worker died there last year, we were told that we would get reports from them and we still have not,” she said. “To be in that same position and not getting basic information is infuriating.”

Rodriguez and City officials had previously assured residents that they would go to great lengths to assure safe conditions for workers and community residents. 

“The Alderman had promised that he would get Hilco to sign off on the Community Benefits Agreement that ensured that the project would not negatively impact the health of residents,” Wasserman explained. “He promised that it would be great for the neighborhood. Hilco was repeatedly told that they had to do certain things, and from day one with this development, there was no protocol in place.”

An essential measure in that protocol was the placement of watering devices that were to have been put in place to contain the debris and smoke. However, it was unclear if any watering cannons and misting systems had actually been put into place after photos from the demolition site’s aftermath did not show any of those dust control systems. 

Wasserman believes that the thick gray smoke covering homes and cars told a different story. “We’re still waiting for information on the [watering] cannons,” she explained. “I didn’t see any water equipment. What equipment did they have out there? What water was put out there? We want to see the emails, the communications, the permits. We want to see for ourselves what happened out there.”

For many members of the Little Village community, empty promises from City officials and dashed hopes of new protocols that prioritize the health and safety of its residents is a long-standing tradition.

‘Structural racism’ 

“This is basic structural racism,” Wasserman said. “The only way to rectify this is to change the structural issues and procedures that caused this.” 

Little Village residents, already suffering hardships stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, feared that the demolition may have caused lead in water-pipe service lines to contaminate residents’ drinking water. 

“When the smokestack fell, it shook homes,” Wasserman said. “Some of the pipes [in those homes] still have lead in them and it’s possible that folks now have lead in their water. These are things that the City should have anticipated.”

For people already struggling to get masks and food to residents who are unable to leave their homes, this intensified the already existing hardships the community has been suffering through during the pandemic. 

“On top of trying to help our people get masks, get food, and survive, now, we are also having to get bottled water to people who live closest to the site,” Wasserman said.

In celebration of Earth Day during the week of April 20, more than 70 cars driven by members of local environmental groups, community organizations, and residents traveled to City Hall in hopes of stronger environmental laws for the future. 

“There are a lot more people who are paying attention,” Wasserman shared. “Folks want to see reform.”

Wasserman hopes that Mayor Lightfoot uses this moment as an opportunity for that reform. “I really hope the mayor understands that there is an opportunity here to fix this fundamentally,” she said. “I would hope that she recognizes this as an opportunity to work with black and brown communities to drastically fix these fundamental issues and do some reflection. There are problems and we need to fix them.” 

Wasserman is concerned about City officials paying lip-service to these fundamental issues without any change taking place. To those officials, she said, “Your actions speak louder than your words. You have an opportunity to do more than just talk about it. You have an opportunity to fix this problem.”

For Hilco, log on to hilcoredev.com or call (312)796-6564. For LVEJO, log on to lvejo.org or call (773) 762-6991. Call (773) 762-1771 to reach Rodriguez’s office.

By Bonnie Jean Adams

Chicago welcomed 59.5 million visitors in 2019, with a little more than 34 million staying at least one night in hotels. The city was expecting another banner year with returning conventions as well as tourist and business traffic. When the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis happened, however, almost everything ground to a halt. Organizers postponed or canceled conventions and other events scheduled through at least June.

The number of people visiting Chicago, compared to this time last year, has dipped considerably. Between March 1 and 28, 2020 hotel occupancy is down 63% from 2019 and room demand is down 62%. Revenue per available room, a key revenue and performance success metric, is down 66%, from $108.36 last year to $36.41 in 2020, according to data provided by tourism group Choose Chicago via research firm STR.

“Occupancy is in the single digits at most hotels across the city, if they’re even still open,” said Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA). “We’re getting more hotels each day deciding to suspend operations altogether. It doesn’t make financial sense to continue fighting the fight when you’re losing money every day.” 

While the coronavirus crisis has affected businesses negatively and delayed construction for some, West Loop/Fulton Market construction continues. 

In November 2019, the Chicago Plan Commission approved construction of the 16-story Standard Hotel. The 259-room structure, a venture by New York-based DDG and Chicago-based Marc Realty, will be located at 1234 W. Randolph St. It will include a second floor garage but no other parking options, raising concerns among neighbors about a possible surge in traffic in the already congested area.

Developers scheduled construction to start in late spring after reducing the hotel’s size from the 23 stories and 289 rooms specified by the original plan. The hotel also will offer a rooftop pool and bar, restaurant, and public plaza.

Two blocks east, Chicago-based North Park Ventures is planning a hotel and office development at 800 W. Lake St. The 19-story, 265-foot-tall tower will provide an on-site garage with limited spaces, valet parking, and an off-street drop-off area. If all goes to plan, those leading the 800 W. Lake Street project hope to welcome guests in April 2021.

Developers in both cases expect many guests and employees will use public transit or ride hailing services, rather than driving.

Officials want traffic plans

Alderman Walter Burnett Jr. of the 27th Ward and Noah Szafraniec, supervising zoning plan examiner with the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD), said they share residents’ concerns about traffic congestion and that, before the City signs off on the project, both developers must create a solution addressing the traffic issue. Burnett and Szafraniec want a detailed plan that covers valet parking and other traffic the hotels would bring in. 

The City’s planning department contemplated buildings rising 20 stories or higher when it created the Fulton Market Innovation District in 2014. Several residents argue such developments strain the neighborhood’s infrastructure. Developers have built four hotels in the Fulton Market community since 2014, with another seven hotels in various stages of development and planning. 

“Fulton Market is a big draw now,” said Nate Sahn, senior vice president at CBRE Hotels. “It’s also an area that historically didn’t have a lot of hospitality there. Builders will gravitate there because of that.” Brokers and analysts believe the area needs hotel development to support increase numbers of corporate offices and retail businesses opening in the area in recent years. This transition accelerated in 2013 when Google announced its Midwest headquarters would move into a redeveloped cold storage building in the neighborhood. That trend has continued with the arrivals of corporate offices for McDonald’s and Glassdoor.

The cranes are not going anywhere, said Rebecca Thomson, regional vice president of Coldwell Banker Real Estate. “The trend to see headquarters move downtown for this live-work-play concept — no signs indicate that’s going to change,” she noted.

To reach Burnett’s office, call (312) 432-1995. For CBRE Hotels, log on to www.cbrehotels.com. For more on Coldwell Banker, log on to www.coldwellbanker.com. For the DPD, call (312) 744-3653. For the IHLA, log on to www.illinoishotels.org or call (312) 346-3135. For more information about Marc Realty, log on to www.marcrealty.com or call (312) 884-5400. For North Park Ventures, log on to www.northparkventures.com. 

By Rick Romano

Switching attention to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) indefinitely postponed a public hearing on the controversial MAT Asphalt plant at 2055 W. Pershing Rd.

Plant opponents, who had hoped to air their complaints at the hearing originally scheduled for March 23, said the delay to focus on the pandemic health crisis could strengthen their environmental justice concerns argument. The plant is running on a temporary operating permit.

A notice of cancellation by the IEPA noted the agency “plans to reschedule the hearing for a later date when a better assessment of the COVID-19 situation is known.” Rescheduling may take several months, as notice of public hearings requires a 45-day lead time.

In a March 26 memorandum, IEPA hearing officer Jeffrey Guy said the IEPA will hold the hearing at a “future yet undetermined date” and “The State of Illinois will continue to take proactive steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Illinois residents as this situation develops.”

A grassroots group of McKinley Park area residents formed Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ) after MAT established the plant in 2018. The group alleged the plant exceeds emission standards while producing an unpleasant smell amid smoke that affects the park and nearby homes.

Although 2019 statistics are not yet available, IEPA 2018 statistics show plant emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic material fell well within the limits of an original temporary permit.

In a statement, N4EJ said, “Although our organization and community was organizing in preparation for this hearing for months, we understand the necessity of canceling the hearing due to the public health crisis, and we always support actions that are taken to protect the health of our community”

Anthony Moser, N4EJ board member, said governmental actions to contain the coronavirus have “shown what we are capable of when we are serious about protecting public health. The coronavirus has mostly amplified the dynamics. If you can close a school, you can close an asphalt plant.”

Linking coronavirus and alleged public health dangers from industry, a number of local elected officials, health care experts, and an environmental group representative sent or endorsed letters to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Governor JB Pritzker.

Citing the the U.S. EPA’s March 26 decision to suspend the nation’s pollution regulation infrastructure, the letter noted, “Your leadership the past several weeks has ensured that the State of Illinois is doing everything in its power to stop the spread of COVID-19.” The letter also noted, “We urge you to use your executive powers for our respiratory health and that of our residents as we fight to survive this pandemic with our families unbroken.”

Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward), State Senator Tony Munoz (1st District), and State Rep. Theresa Mah (2nd District) endorsed the letters, which alleged pollution by several companies in the city.

“Yes, MAT Asphalt is one of those,” said Sigcho-Lopez, “We should not be waiting to address this. We have so many people in our area suffering from asthma and other issues.”

He said, as of mid-April, the mayor and governor have not responded to the letter.

“I know they have a lot of issues they are dealing with,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “We hope they can address this soon.”

Munoz said coronavirus “has underscored the issues with unregulated pollution,” noting the effect on a neighborhood’s quality of life.

Mah said she supports residents opposing MAT Asphalt as well as the broader issues in the letters.

“I firmly stand with the neighbors and had planned to be at the March 23 meeting,” Mah said. “Then everything else happened. I’m really concerned about MAT Asphalt. I live in McKinley Park, and I have an office there.”

MAT Asphalt owner Michael Tadin Jr. said he looks forward to a public hearing.

“I really wanted the meeting to take place,” he said. “I wanted the opportunity to show that we are complying with the EPA standards.”

Tadin said his plant is operating well within legal environmental standards and with new technology far below similar, older plants in the region.

“I want everybody to be healthy,” he said. “We need to get rid of COVID-19 and get the economy running.”

N4EJ’s Moser said, “We don’t want the economy to open without solving this. What good is economic recovery if it shortens your lifespan?”

For the Illinois EPA, log on to www.epa.illinois.gov or call (217) 782-3397. To contact MAT Asphalt, call (773) 577-7000 or log on to www.matasphalt.com. For N4EJ, visit www.n4ej.org.

By Ivette Sandoval

Whitney M. Young Magnet High School named its new athletic complex for alumna and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Last year, before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Obama had been touring the country to promote her memoir, Becoming, and one of the stops here in Chicago was her alma mater, Whitney Young. She visited the school on two occasions, the first to a larger crowd and the second to speak to 20 female students. Whitney Young’s principal, Joyce Kenner, took the latter opportunity to share the news with Obama that the school administrators would name their new athletic complex in her honor.

Michelle Obama’s sculpted arms were the envy of many when she was in the White House, and with her athletic build she motivated many to get fit, including children, through her “Let’s Move!” national fitness campaign to help fight childhood obesity. Even though Obama did not participate in any sports at Whitney Young, Kenner thought that, because fitness was such an important issue for Obama, naming the athletic complex for her would be a fitting tribute.

“After the conversation with the 20 young ladies, I told her that we would love to name our new athletic complex after her, and she just smiled,” said Kenner. “She seemed so humbled and so honored that we would even think about doing something like that.”

Construction of the athletic complex cost $4.3 million. The complex includes artificial turf baseball and football fields, a track, fencing, gates, bleachers, and new lighting and scoreboards. Kenner said the school’s football, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, and track and field teams will use the complex.

The athletic complex also will welcome the community to use its amenities.

“I think it’s great that this facility will be open to the community to use because I live just a few blocks away and have children that will benefit from having this much needed green space,” said Armando Chacon, real estate professional, West Loop resident, and president of the West Central Association.

He is excited about the new athletic complex, as he feels this was a “long overdue” project and a boost for Whiney Young’s sports teams.

“It’s more than fitting to be named after Michelle Obama since she is an alumna, and she’s not only adored by the community but is one of Whitney’s great success stories,” Chacon said. 

Michelle Obama always loved fitness. “She is very physically fit, and prior to becoming first lady, she used to work out at the same gym as my husband, and he would tell me stories about her carrying kids up the stairs on her shoulders,” said Kenner, adding that motivating others to work out and eat a healthful diet was a priority to Obama when she was first lady.

Obama graduated from the school in 1981.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds were used to pay for the project, according to the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.

For more information, call Whitney Young at (773) 534-7500.