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Live reporting by Annabel Rocha
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Englewood Gardens affordable housing, Agreement w/ Cook County Land Bank Authority to manage city-owned vacant lots

Annabel Rocha

Good morning, I’m live tweeting through @ChiCouncil‘s Committee on Housing & Real Estate meeting today for @CHIdocumenters. We start at 10 am!

09:46 AM Mar 15, 2022 CDT

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The stream is live, you can watch it here https://livestream.com/accounts/28669066/events/8800236

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Here is a copy of today’s agenda. https://t.co/ACRTQSdMH0

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The meeting is called to order at 10:03 am. Ald. Harry Osterman, @48Ward, is taking roll call.

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We’re getting started with the one public speaker scheduled for today.

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Paul Colgan kept it short and sweet. Moving on to item one.

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Item 1: Loan restructuring and subordination and associated property transfer to RAHF V/5T Englewood LLC for acquisition and rehabilitation of Englewood Gardens residential development.

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Joseph Lewis from the @ChicagoDOH is presenting on the proposed sale of the property.

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Some info on the current and proposed owners https://t.co/ypahf5Nqs1

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The item is moved and will move on to the next meeting.

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Item 2: Sale of City-owned property at 508-510 S Cicero Ave to Workers for Christ Ministries Apostolic Church to be used for parking

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Approved, moves on to the next meeting

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Item 3: Amendment of Municipal Code Sections 2-44-050 and 2-45-040 regarding powers and duties of Commissioners of Housing and Planning and Development

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A substitution to this amendment was emailed to the board. It changes a 3-year, instead of a 5-year time period to work on this project.

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Motion to accept the substitute is moved.

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Maggie Cassidy and Michael Gaynor of @ChicagoDOH are presenting on the The Code Amendment.

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Cassidy says that most of he land that goes into scavenger sales ends up there.

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They’re calling for collaboration between the land bank and the city, essentially saying that they can get more done together than by operating separately. https://t.co/joLqeU1lOW

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Some alderman were confused by this map, thinking that it shows exclusively the land that the city would be looking into obtaining, but it’s not. https://t.co/K3865Oq7YD

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@AldPatDowell3rd asks if alderman currently have to sign off on the what the land bank acquires, but the answer is no.

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She says that this is something they should look into because sometimes alderman have more information on potential buyers who may be unfit or contribute to gentrification.

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Ald. Raymond Lopez asks what would happen if an alderman objects to a land acquisition?

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The reps from @ChicagoDOH say they would be willing to meet and discuss any potential alderman disapproval but he asks again, “what if I object?”

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He says that departments have come into his ward and “swooped in at the last minute” and taken over, leading to bad land/building owners, calling some of the buildings “disgusting”.

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Ald. King says that there used to be communication between the land bank and alderman, and asks why that isn’t the case anymore.

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The say there has been so change to the process.

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The motion is passed to the next meeting.

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There are no more items on the agenda, the meeting is adjourned at 10:57 am.