Concerned Citizens of Chatham: Bridge to nowhere coming to Chatham?

Worlee opines on a proposed project - a one-way bridge at 85th Street - which was at first necessary for the expected traffic for the Walmart in West Chatham in order to ease the congestion on 87th Street. Now he's concerned there's more traffic coming from the new development from Rev. Charles Jenkins' Legacy Project.

In addition a charter high school - expected to be a Concept school - has been approved to be housed in the development located at 8522 S. Lafayette Ave. It was reported recently of course that Rev. Jenkins is to be a landlord to this school and also noted was his connections with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Worlee also notes in light of this new development:

This application comes in light of the fact that 10 years ago taxpayers footed the $35 million bill for Simeon Vocational High School which will be less than a half mile away. Also within a two mile radius there are four high schools available. Harlan High School, which is a STEM school, Simeon Vocational. Robeson High School, and Perspectives Calumet High School, which is a charter high school. The only logical reason this school was approved was to reward one of the mayor's African American pastor buddies. His buddy Pastor Charles Jenkins has attempted to build a church campus on this site for several years and now that he has a source of revenue that  helps make this a bankable project.

In any case what say you?

The Legacy Project is a GO!

[VIDEO] In the vid above Pastor Charles Jenkins of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church discusses the donation of property located at 8522 S. Lafayette Ave. was donated to his church for their plan for redevelopment. That property vacant for a period of 11 years was once the HQ for Johnson Products Company and later Soft Sheen after their acquisition by L'Oreal.

Here's a press release and an excerpt:

The 14.5-acre site will be the new location of the church and a mixed-use development project, which promises to enhance the social fabric of the community holistically, marking a major milestone in a broad vision for the property at 8522 S. Lafayette Ave.

The irrevocable, landmark multimillion-dollar donation comes from the foundation of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., an Oklahoma City-based national arts and crafts chain that has contributed to faith-based initiatives nationwide for many years.

"I offer my sincere gratitude to the Green Family for their unparalleled generosity to Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and our work in the city," Pastor Jenkins said. "We are excited about this huge step and other amazing friends and partners who are already joining us on this meaningful and impactful journey to serve inner city Chicago."
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The mission of the Legacy Project is to build people and community by focusing on personal growth, job creation, education, youth development, healthcare, economic development, and community empowerment.

Plans additionally call for renovation of the 229,000-square-foot office building to include a school, health and wellness center, a center for youth programming, a casual dining restaurant, as well as construction of up to seven retail stores at an estimated cost of $26 million.

"The church is committed to working toward reducing unemployment, crime and violence, raising resident morale, and providing hope to the community overall," said Pastor Jenkins. "This donation is the first I have heard of in this community and one of many examples of God blessing our effort and dedication to serving Chicago."

Want to learn more about this project, you may go to the official Legacy Project website. Here's a Sun-Times story.

Proposed hotel on 76th & state - meeting TONIGHT!

Found this info from flyers found yesterday...

Tonight, CAPCC is hosting a meeting which includes a proposed hotel on State street, between 76th & 77th, next to the gas station.

There was a lack of information of this meeting on the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council blog, despite the fact that CAPCC President Keith Tate is also the chairman for sub-area I, where this takes place.

The enclosed flyer from the Michigan Indian Association details some of the issues the community may have with the project. These include the fact that the developers are elderly gentlemen. One of them owns the Barbara Ann motel.

Certainy one other issue would be the location. While it is located by the Dan Ryan (which is good), and not too far from the 79th street El Station, the lot is situated between streets, with a gas station taking up any entrance form 76th, making it a bit harder for cars to enter the proposed complex.

Is this a good move? Already, there is the Legacy Project slated for 85th & the Dan Ryan. There's been talk about adding a hotel as part of a proposed development (including Wal Mart) in Alderman Beale's 9th ward.

Even the CAPCC blog has suggested a hotel at 79th & State!

Certainly the initially proposed Legacy project sounds like a good idea (i.e. that it is more than just a hotel, but also convention site, church & entertainment center), but how about the others?

Look for a future blog entry on hotels & motels (including a comparison of North Side & South Side). There are obvious problems and dangers, but also some potential benefits if planned correctly.