Here's the link to the livestream if you're craving some background noise to your midday activities: livestream.com/accounts/28669…

And the agenda for today's meeting. The 15 members appointed by Mayor Lightfoot are gunna talk about TIF districts in Woodlawn, the 47th/Ashland TIF Redevelopment Project, Ogden/Pulaski TIF Redevelopment Project Area, and 47TH & King Drive TIF project.

chicago.gov/content/dam/ci…

The first agenda item regards the sale and redevelopment of a lot at 700 E. 63rd St. in the West Woodlawn redevelopment project area, in Jeanette Taylor’s ward. 20th ward to Friend Health Title Holding Corporation.

Friend Health, a low-income health care provider, is looking to build its new headquarters in Woodlawn, and asking for $8M in TIF funds.

hpherald.com/news/local/fri…

City of Chicago Financial Planning Analyst Aaron Dorsey is going over the plans. https://t.co/wymoUp3uAX

Vernita Bachus CEO of Friend Health is saying that this new clinic will brings deeper access to medically underserved communities. Friend Health is not affiliated with the University of Chicago. Friend Health already serves 40,000 ppl, 96% are Black and Latino.

She says the new clinic will expand their scope of services to pediatric care, dental, behavioral health, and women's health care. "We've outgrown our headquarters on 55th and Cottage Grove. This will address long standing health disparities on the South Side."

Alderman Jeanette Taylor is on the line, she says she’s excited for this project to come to her ward.

Power will be the general contractor for the construction of the clinic.

They anticipate 60-70,000 users once this clinic is built, and 233 permanent jobs. Some of those positions will come from the 55th and Cottage Grove location, but most will be new positions.

DPD Commissioner Maurice Cox says, "I'm just trying to hold back my elation. Something exemplary is happening here that needed to be stated for the record."

The health clinic is African American owned, the building was designed by African America architect Moody Nowlan, it's being constructed by an African American owned contractor. "I hope this is a sign of what we can expect for development on the south and west side," says Cox.

Cox also says that this sets a great precedent. "Instead of a developer coming to the city to buy land for a parking lot, this is the first neighborhood scale parking lot for commercial space. This is truly equitable transit oriented development."

I’ve always appreciated Maurice Cox’s love of architecture as well as equity in these meetings, and just had a realization. I’ve been watching a lot of Star Trek TNG during the pandemic, and I gotta say, he kind of reminds me of Jean Luc Picard in temperament and in hair style. https://t.co/LC5NW5yn52

He also mentions that the proposal is only asking for 20% of the total cost of funding from the city. "Often it takes a larger public subsidy to make something like this happen. I hope this will be the model for south and west side," says Cox.

The agenda item passes with lots of well wishes and excitement.

The next agenda item is to request authority to advertise a Request for Proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of the property at 1515 West 47th Street in the 47th/Ashland Street Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Area.

This is just a request to have a series of community meetings in Jeanette Taylor's 20th ward residents, to get their input on this new development. Commissioner Cox mentions that this is not a standard practice, "Chicago is trying out a whole new way to do development."

It's an unprecedented format to have a community process before the RFP is even released. "I am convinced that residents should be full partners in development. This is a pilot & an experiment. As people understand the nature of development they can hold developers accountable."

City Planner Sonya Eldridge is going over the proposals that residents will be able to give feedback on. https://t.co/KfEHkmYx5m

Alderman Jeanette Taylor says shes excited about development that happens with the community. "Too often we have development that happens with no regard for what residents actually want and need."

The item passes.

The next agenda item is a request to acquire the property located at 3410 West Ogden Ave (on Ogden and Trumbull, 2 blocks from the 10th District Police Station).

This city owned empty lot lies within the Ogden/Pulaski Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Area.

Actually, the city owns all of those parcels except for the one outlined in yellow. The DPD sent out an acquisition letter to the owner and have not heard back. https://t.co/Erbd49dtn5

City Planner Brian Hacker is going through potential plans. Studio Gang is the speculative architect. I’m not sure who the developer is or what it will be, but someone thinks there’s a money making opportunity here. Hacker says, “there will be mixed income housing, potentially.” https://t.co/xnSHW3MWmP

I'm really not a fan of Studio Gang. Back in 2015 when thousands of people were protesting the police murder of Laquan McDonald and the city's cover up, Studio Gang got city and grant funding to use design as a way to "build trust between civilians and police."

This was one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen in my life. How are people supposed to feel safe when they're under a militarized police occupation? studiogang.com/project/polis-…

Based on their past work in North Lawndale, we can imagine that this new development spearheaded by Studio Gang will involve an even deeper expansion of police infrastructure into the neighborhood.

studiogang.com/now/neighbors-…

City Planner Hacker said that there has already been a rigorous community process, but I'm curious what that was, how many people attended, and how people feel about the CPD and the 10th District especially.

It passes. The next agenda item is a request to acquire the properties in South Chicago located at 8840 S. Commercial Ave, 8844 S. Commercial Ave, 8850 S. Commercial Ave, and 8854 S. Commercial Ave in the Commercial Avenue Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Area.

Another city planner mentions that there’s already substantial neighborhood infrastructure within a mile of the properties: Pilsen Health Center, two grocery stores, and a Coculas Restaurant. https://t.co/Mjin64g8Ch

The alderman isn't on the call, but the concerned commissioners are assured that it has his blessing. This seems to bring up a lot of the old school alderman on the commission who have been used to aldermanic perogative their entire careers.

Back in the day, nothing would move without the alderman's approval.

Good thing Jorge Perez, chair and host of the meeting, is from that neighborhood, and has something to say about it. “I'm very excited about this. There's a saying that goes: we have nice things in South Chicago, they’re just located in Northwest Indiana.”

"They’ve added close to 250,000 sq feet of retail in NW Indiana, and it’s 5 minutes away. Sometimes we also say, 'We have nice things in South Chicago, they're just located in Hyde Park.' We desperately need investment in this area.

He wants the CDC to conduct a study on retail leakage and see what kind of use is there a demand for.

Perez also says, on record, mind you, that Cocula’s has the best tortas and tacos in Chicago and that "that's the reason why we chose this location, because of the restaurant across the street."

The proposal passes. The next agenda item is requesting the authority to advertise and issue a Request For Proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of the property located at 449-51 East 47th Street in the 47TH & King Drive Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Project Area.

The redevelopment is in the Bronzeville neighborhood, and the proposal, just like the one in Woodlawn, is simply a request to begin a series of community conversations. How does the @ChicagoDPD get the word out about these charettes?

So sorry for these grainy photos taken with my cell phone. It just happens to be the quickest way for me to share this info. https://t.co/BWpLMhvcU3

The city planner's brief presentation is followed by a long silence. No one has any questions, except for Latasha Thomas, again distressed by the absence of the alderman.

DPD Chair Cox assures them all that he has a monthly meeting with all the alderman to update them on development in their ward. "Before a proposal gets this far, it’s already had the blessing of the alderman. We've been shaping the RFPs with their full consent."

But without a formal letter or verbal blessing from the alderman, some of the commissioners still feel nervous. Latasha Thomas wants there to be more formalization--"I was alderman for four terms and I’m telling you, you need to do something about that."

Without further discussion, the chair takes roll call and a vote but the call cuts out right at 3:08pm. I feel like this department takes the Open Meetings Act very seriously (more seriously than others), and this is the result of a tech issue.

The only other agenda item was 'adjournment', but the commissioners didn't have a chance to go through the ceremony.

My take away from the meeting: TIFs are so hated because, while they're meant to help underserved neighborhoods spur new development, they're applied unequally, benefiting rich and gentrifying neighborhoods almost exclusively.

I'm excited to see real community conversations before anything gets built, contracts going to Black architects, and more health clinics. I don't trust Studio Gang in North Lawndale, & look forward to seeing what West Siders have to say about their private development plans.

We'll see if TIFs can actually be used equitably as the recession and community needs deepen.

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