Capitol Fax: Willie Wilson cleared, handouts denounced, but will resume tomorrow

The controversy of last month - Willie Wilson handing out cash at a church under the guise of property tax relief - appears to be over. Mr. Wilson who made most of his money owning McDonald's franchises is cleared of wrongdoing and plans to continue his property tax relief for now.

Read more at CapFax

Willie Wilson cleared, handouts denounced, but will resume tomorrow https://t.co/5AEboSlO8T

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) August 27, 2018

Former Jewel store lot at 83rd/King Drive is for sale...

Snapshot by Levois J in March 2018

The lot on 8330 S. King Dr. that formerly housed an old Jewel store and is currently owned by the Park Manor Christian Church is on sale. If I read Worlee Glover's post at Concerned Citizens of Chatham correctly it's for sale for close to $1 million. That's a hunk of change.

I'm excited for whatever plans are in place for this lot. Of course my thought on this piece of real estate is to make it available for commercial development some form of retail perhaps. Then again whoever buys this lot will have their own plan.

Here's a recent post on this lot from this past March. Below is the post from Concerned Citizen's of Chatham with a link to the listing for this property.

What's going on with the Avalon-Regal Theater?

We've talked about the new ownership of the Regal Theater on occasion. And Worlee Glover posts on Nextdoor last month to let us know it's for sale! Whoever made the best offer has probably made it already so who knows if it has never ownership now. Regardless Worlee believes this is a tax sale...

Now I wonder what happened to Mr. Gerald Gary and those investment bonds he had been advertising.

Crain's: House flipping is changing the South Side - for the better

I've been meaning to post this article from Crain's this week. Dennis Rodkin of Crain's discusses how "house-flipping" in some south-side neighborhoods are changing them for the better.

When you think about it better this than a number of homes boarded up. I almost mentioned the foreclosure crisis, however, when that crisis hit that was over a decade ago. Perhaps the house-flipping is another after effect of that economic crisis that usher President Obama into the White House.

Anyway here's a bit of the article:

Ten years ago, a map of ZIP code 60629, a swath of the city just east of Midway Airport, was filled with hundreds of red dots indicating foreclosed homes. Now, thanks to a decadelong wave of rehabbers flipping distressed homes, that same area has homes that have been refreshed and resold.

In 60629, which encompasses parts of Chicago Lawn, West Lawn and Marquette Park, 692 homes have been flipped in 10 years, the most in any Chicago-area ZIP code, according to figures provided exclusively to Crain's by Attom Data Solutions. The data cover about 300 ZIP codes in the region, for 10 years, 2008 through 2017, a period in which more than 41,900 Chicago-area homes were flipped.

Five ZIP codes—four on the city's South Side and one in suburban Bolingbrook (see the chart)—emerged as the epicenters of home flipping, each of them with more than 500 properties going through the process in the past 10 years.

If you see the graphic above we see the zipcodes that include Auburn Gresham, Roseland, and West Pullman are among those neighborhoods with the most homes flipped.

"When you see these houses all redone, you might say, 'I can live here. I can help build this community back'" https://t.co/qgS4YeJDR4

— Crain's Chicago (@CrainsChicago) March 13, 2018

Are there houses in your neighborhood being flipped? Are there houses in your neighborhood worth flipping?

News from the Red Line extension hearing

Rendering of the west option Michigan CTA station - CTA

 I didn't get to attend the recent Red Line extension hearing this past Tuesday at 211 E. 111th St, however, both the Chicago Tribune and DNA Info went. Judging only by the headlines two issues came up during the hearing the dreaded "G" word and eminent domain.

Concerns over gentrification:

Activist Lou Turner, though pleased the project is going forward after decades of discussion, said he also wished it hadn't taken so long and had concerns that some residents may get pushed out by gentrification once the L goes through.

"There could be unintended consequences," said Turner, director of undergraduate and graduate studies in the African-American Studies department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "This area has the largest stock of affordable housing in the city."

Turner said the CTA's draft environmental impact statement on the proposed $2.3 billion project does not address the issue of gentrification, which has driven up property prices by as much as 48 percent in some areas along The 606 trail on the city's Northwest Side. A final environmental impact study is needed to secure federal funding.

"It's a concern, but at the same time I am very happy," said Turner, who like Jones had pushed for the extension with the Developing Communities Project, a group that once included President Barack Obama.

And then of course the properties CTA would need to purchase to build the extension:

Under the east option, the CTA elevated structure would be built east of the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way from 99th street to 118th street. This option would affect 260 parcels, including 106 buildings, 90 of which are residential, officials said. Under this route, more single-family residences would be affected, officials said.

Under the west option, the line would run west of the Union Pacific Railroad from 99th street to 118th street. This option would affect more commercial and industrial properties, some 205 of them, officials said. About 46 would require building demolitions; 26 are residential.

Those homes and business owners would be compensated, including for moving costs, under federal regulations.

Roseland resident Aaron Mallory discovered his four-unit building could be demolished under the extension.

“It’s an investment property, so I have mixed feelings,” he said.

Mallory said he doesn't want to lose the building, but he also supports an extension of mass transit.

By next year it's said we'll know which option east or west the CTA will pursue as their preferred routing. That way any property owner will brace themselves for the impact. Thus anyone in the way would have to move.

If you want to know more about this project click this link.

DNA Info: Pride Cleaners, Chatham 'Architectural Icon,' For Sale

Photo by Lee Bey

This is actually old news, but worth noting. This modernist design gem could be yours for $650K. If you had that much cash what would you like to do with it?

This building @ 558 E. 79th St had been built in 1959 and DNA Info provides some more history:

Pride Cleaners opened in a thriving community with many other black-owned businesses, but it's no longer black-owned. It's now on its fourth owner, who could not be reached for comment.

Sixth Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer said he appreciated the legacy of the cleaners and admired the building's design.

“It was an architectural gem at the time,” he said. “It always had a distinctive look.”

Bey said that the dry cleaners had a Space Age look, which stood out on a strip that was still reminiscent of the 1920s. It was the “angled concrete hyperbolic paraboloid roof and free-standing marquee-like electric sign” that made Pride distinct from other businesses in the area.

Neighborhood resident Worlee Glover said when Pride Cleaners left black hands, it was just a part of the Chatham business corridor's transformation.

The area was once a “thriving community with businesses that people wanted to use,” Glover said. “Now it’s a bunch of businesses the community doesn't want.”

Lee Bey's forte has often been architecture. He added this considering the Chatham neighborhood:

Fortunately, the building is being marketed as an active, stable business and not a teardown, according to the listing brochure from Matanky Realty, meaning Pride Cleaners could continue to be preserved under new ownership.

But it's a thing that shouldn't be left to chance. Now is a good time for the city to step in and seek protected landmark status for Pride, its sign, and critical portions of the interior. The protections would make sure the building is safe from demolition and would help insure alterations would be in line with Siegwart's vision. It would also draw attention to Chatham's overall wealth of modernist residential and commercial architecture.

Our own Worlee Glover would like to see this as a clothing store or another dry cleaner. Perhaps this can be a welcome center to promote Chatham's architecture and history. Just one idea and consider that the Pride Cleaner's sign is used as inspiration for Chatham's branding

The Chicago Neighborhoods

Chicago Bauhaus

What is going on at Shedd School

See the ivy growing over the windows at the closed Shedd School. Vegetation growing over the windows to the kindergarten classroom and across the way over the windows to the auditorium. At least the rest of the property appears to be well maintained as the grass is cut.

DNA Info: South side Dominick's site owner claims he's not blocking new tenants

71st/Jeffrey Dominick's by Eric Allix Rogers/flick

In this recent DNA Info article we finally hear from the owner of the development at 71st/Jeffrey where since last year a space that was once home to a Dominick's store has remained vacant. Many in that part of the city wants to see another grocer set-up shop there however that has taken more time. The Dominick's grocery chain had shut all of their locations down last December.

The owner of Jeffery Plaza said he is trying to replace the shuttered Dominick’s in his mall as quickly as possible and rejected Ald. Leslie Hairston’s (5th) and other city officials' claims that he is blocking tenants from moving in.

“We want to fill up the space as soon as possible at a cost that is justified,” said Shervin Mateen, CEO of Cannon Commercial.

At a Tuesday meeting, Hairston told South Shore residents that Mateen “only cares about his profit,” and was not cooperating with leasing the former grocery store at 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard.

On Thursday, Mateen, speaking from his office in Los Angeles, said he was “shocked and puzzled” by Hairston’s comments.

Mateen said the company is currently in negotiations with four grocers to take over the space, including Ultra Foods, but first needs to convince Dominick’s to give up or pay out on its lease, which runs through May of 2015.

“No matter what other decisions we want to make, they have to approve it,” Mateen said. “They have the keys to the site.”

Representatives from Cannon said they are working with Dominick’s parent company, Safeway, to give up the space, but the company has been moving slow because it is currently being bought by Albertsons.

A representative of Safeway was not available to comment.

EVENT: GCA property tax exemption workshop

Apologize in advance because this does seem to be late notice. Many of you may have gotten a robocall from Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore advertising this workshop. A flyer for this event is posted below and the date and times for this event is below as well.

• Tuesday, February 25, 2013
  Crerar Presbyterian Church
  8100 S. Calumet
  Times 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM & 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
  There is free parking available

DNAinfo: Terminate Chatham Taxing District With $550K in Unspent Funds, Mayor Says

Photo by Wendell Hutson

I suppose this is news we can use. That is news about the TIFs that exist on this side of town:

If Mayor Rahm Emanuel has his way, the 89th state Tax Increment Financing district would become the eighth TIF to be terminated during his tenure.

The Chatham TIF has $550,000 remaining in its pot and is set to expire in 2021.

But at a November City Council meeting, the mayor said he supported a proposal to terminate the TIF, one of 154 in the city, because it had achieved its goal of providing funding for public infrastructure in the area, and there are no pending projects that need TIF assistance.

“If a TIF district succeeds in meeting its objectives before it's set to expire, it should be terminated,” Emanuel said in a news release.

He added that the TIF was created in 1998 to jumpstart the redevelopment of a 38-acre industrial site in the South Side community.

The 143-home Chatham Club residential development at 90th Street and Indiana Avenue was among the projects that benefited from the TIF.

When this TIF is abolished, we have an idea of how much money goes where. TIFs are designed to use property taxes to redevelop blighted areas:

Peter Strazzabosco, deputy commissioner for the city's Department of Housing and Economic Development, said if the Council votes in favor of the proposal, $109,000 would go back to the city, while Chicago Public Schools would get $293,000. The Cook County Forest Preserve, Water Reclamation District, City Colleges of Chicago and other governmental bodies would also get money, but Strazzabosco did not have specific figures.

Razing VS Rehabbing: What Makes More Sense

Over the past week I have seen a number of tweets from RAGE (Resident Association of Greater Englewood)  about property. RAGE  current service area include the Greater Grand Crossing portion of the 6th ward and will cover more when the boundaries move further west to include a portion of Englewood. The tweets look at the current state of property in Englewood/Greater Grand Crossing. There were examples of great Queen Anne style properties as well as dilapidated multifamily brick structures.

Over at Crain's there is an editorial piece that questions whether rehabbing a property or properties on blocks or areas with large number of dilapidated properties is the best use of money or is a better and higher use of money to raze blocks and start over and give those property owners who have maintained there properties a chance to recoup their investments.

The editorial was based on an article Crain's ran last week on the foreclosure crisis. Here is an excerpt from the article

Nine buildings are boarded up in the 5200 block of South Wood Street in Back of the Yards. Mary Washington's home might have become No. 10.

Unable to make her $1,425 monthly mortgage payment, Ms. Washington was facing foreclosure on the two-story shotgun house that she and her late husband bought in 1985. Earlier this fall, she says, she worked out a trial loan modification with her lender that lowered her payment to $617 and allowed her to keep the property.

“I thought about giving up, but everything I had and have I put into this house,” she says. “I would have had nowhere to go but the sidewalk.”

Foreclosure and board-ups are a part of life today on the street that Ms. Washington, 73, says was “just beautiful” when her family moved there from the Cabrini-Green housing project on the North Side.

Read the complete article at http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20131109/ISSUE01/131029913

So what do you think?

GCA Special Event: Own a Home or Condo? Register Your Deed & Title to Avoid Becoming a Fraud Victim!

On Sat. Nov. 9, 2013, you can meet Cook County Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarbrough & key members of her executive staff to discuss property and recording fraud at Crerar Memorial Presbyterian Church located at 8100 S. Calumet from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. This event is free and discusses fastest growing property crimes according to the Recorder of Deeds office. Want more info please refer to the flyer below.

EVENT: Property tax assessment appeal forum

I wish there was some advance notice on this as this event is expected to take place tomorrow Monday @ Greater Salem Baptist Church - 215 W. 71st. St. to commence at 6:00 PM. It's hosted by Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers and with 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer as a co-sponsor of this event. Info provided by the Greater Chatham Alliance. Please refer to flyer below.

What should be at 87th & Vernon?

On Saturday, morning I was on my way to meet up with a friend and I walked by this building on 87th & Vernon. It has been used as a parking lot of sort over the years and it was recently reported that cars were towed from former gas station/auto shop that has fallen into disrepair and ultimately abandoned.

The snapshot that I took of this building caused a bit of a stir on the blog's FB page. This building is marked with a red X which denotes demolition or condemnation  Worlee chimed in that this building is expected to be demolished in the future and Dunkin Donuts is possibly eyeing this spot for a location for their chain. For some even this was a bad idea as one commenter noted their objection to a Dunkin Donuts coming to this spot. Another comment suggest a children's activity center.

As a matter of fact Worlee had on his blog talked about this building as being one of the eyesores that is expected to be cleared in Chatham. Still when an eyesore is cleared the question should pop into anyone's head. What should be located there?

So that's the question for the lot you see above. What would you like to see at the corner of 87th & Vernon?

REMINDER: February 5th event with the Cook County Assessor

We posted about this event January 15th. It's being heavily promoted by the Greater Chatham Alliance and will take place February 5, 2012 at Whitney Young Library - 7901 S. King Drive - from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Refer to flyer below for more details!

Sun-Times: County edges closer to buying up vacant, foreclosed properties

A Cook County land bank was mentioned in an open letter from 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer back on January 15. Do you believe this to be a good idea in communities that have suffered as a result of the real estate crash and the current recession?

What is being dubbed the nation’s largest landbank — an independent agency set up to acquire vacant land and foreclosed homes and commercial property in Chicago and the suburbs — moved one step closer to setting up shop Tuesday.

The Cook County Board’s finance committee signed off on creating the new landbank – in hopes of cleaning up neighborhoods and returning abandoned property to the tax roles. Because the finance committee’s membership is identical to the full County Board, the measure is expected to sail through final approval during Wednesday’s meeting.

County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, credited with taking the lead on the measure, said the cash-strapped county government wouldn’t have to fund the landbank. Instead, the roughly $15 million in seed money needed during the first three years of operation will likely come from local foundations and grants.

The money will be used for anything from hiring staff to purchasing property to rehabbing or demolishing it.

We learned that as far as this proposal goes the Greater Chatham Alliance has some reservations about it believing there could be serious repercussions for south side neighborhoods if there is little community input on such a program. What do you think?

SAVE THE DATE: February 5th event with the Cook County Assessor

A special tax event with the Cook County Assessor's office to take place at Whitney Young Library 7901 S. King Dr from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM on February 5th, 2013. Information courtesy of the Greater Chatham Alliance. Refer to flyer below!

The former Williams Clinic

View Larger Map

What you see above is a Google Streetview of the former Williams Clinic located at 408 E. Marquette Road. It was operated by a family of Black doctors and it seemed they offered a number of services at this clinic including a dentist and a pharmacy. In fact here's an obituary for one of the Williams brothers who originally founded the clinic.

Recently I drove by and it hits me that the clinic is close to the motel near Marquette Road & King Drive that had been recently demolished thanks to the activism of a local minster Corey Brooks - who incidentally was interested in succeeding Jesse Jackson Jr. for the 2nd congressional district seat. In driving by, on that motel property was a rendition of how the new community center Brooks hope to build would look.

Then it also hit me, I wonder if Brooks might find a way to thrown in some health care services at his future community center. Indeed perhaps he could find a way to take over the Williams Clinic property which is currently a church.

I do wish to know what happened to Williams Clinic. My dad used to patronize their practice back in the day and continued to do so until it appears that the Williams family were no longer involved in that business. I'm not entirely certain when they closed but surely someone could fill in some details.

BTW, this post is going into some unfamiliar territory as far as a particular issue such as health care. Medical services are necessary no matter your income level and this area around the former clinic is considered low-income. The question to ask here is whether or not it's possible for an independent clinic such as this could exist today. Would the economics of health care today keep independent medical professionals from operating?

Woodlawn Wonder: Race, Real Estate and The Bank Of America

It was in the news recently that Bank of America takes better care of foreclosed properties in white areas than they would in Black or "minority" areas. Here's a story from the Tribune:

A national fair housing group has added Chicago and two other cities to its complaint charging that Bank of America Corp. takes better care of foreclosed properties in white communities than those in predominantly minority neighborhoods.

The inclusion of Chicago, along with Milwaukee and Indianapolis, brings to 13 the number of cities included in the National Fair Housing Alliance's complaint originally filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in September involving eight cities. Two other cities were added earlier this month.

The Washington, D.C.-based alliance, a consortium of private, nonprofit fair housing groups, alleges that the lender "has a systemic and particularized practice" of handling foreclosed properties differently depending on race and color, and the practice has occurred at least since 2011.

Meanwhile in commenting on this story the Woodlawn Wonder at her blog  - I Hate My Developer - offers her 2 cents:

Yesterday the Chicago Tribune reported that Bank of America has been accused of taking better care of foreclosed properties in predominately white neighborhoods than they do in minority neighborhoods.

Oh boy here we go.

Topics of race and racism are always incendiary.

Nonetheless, when I do discuss issues of race with people I don't know (which I rarely do), I take an emotionless position. Instead of ranting and raving about institutional and casual racism I discuss facts.

Most commenters on this story were saying that the issue was not about race but rather one of return on investment (ROI) or sound business principles.

You should read the rest of her posting, so now we go down the road of race in talking about foreclosure in "minority" communities. She had the right approach in not allowing emotion to enter into a discussion such as this. This became a racial discussion when she only noted that foreclosed properties should be properly secured, but there are those who think such properties would only be broken into in many minority areas.

All the same, many in this area have seen the effects of foreclosure. We've covered squatters although I could drive around certain neighborhoods and note all the boarded up properties that are seen on this part of town. To be sure, I'm not entirely certain if vandalism is an issue.

Still all the same, any property that doesn't have anyone living on the property - especially a foreclosure - should be properly secured. There shouldn't be an argument on whether that should occur in a "minority" community or not.

What say you?

This Week's Important Events In the 6th Ward

There is a lot going on this week in the ward. There are important events where important information will be disseminated and some fun events for both children and adults. Some of you state you never see Alderman  Sawyer, so here is your chance to support your community and speak to the Alderman about your concerns.

Tuesday
July 17, 2012
6:30 pm
Chesterfield Community Council Meeting with CHA Section 8
Tuley Park
90th King Drive
www.chesterfieldcommunitycouncil.org

Tuesday
July 17, 2012
6:00pm
Bi-Monthly Meeting
Kelly Library
 6151 S. Normal Blvd
http://ragenglewood.org/

Wednesday
July 18, 2012
10am-3pm
City of Chicago Resource Fair
Grand Crossing Park
7655 S Ingleside



Wednesday
 July 18 2012
 6:30pm
Hyde Park Township Tax Appeal Forum
South Shore High School
1955 E 75th St
 FREE

Friday 
July 20, 2012
8 pm
Capt. America
Myering Park
7140 S King Drive
Free (Refreshments will be available for sale
Park District Security will be present

Saturday
July 21, 2012
11:00am
Monthly Meeting
St. James Lutheran Church
8001 S. Michigan

Saturday
July 21, 2012
10am
Taste of WVON
Lorraine Dixon Park
87th Dauphin
Free
www.wvon.com

The following events are on-going through the end of July

 
Tuesdays
July 10,17,24,30
Dusk(6:30 pm)
Movies on the Grazz
Chicago State University
9501 S King Drive
  www.csu.edu
FREE
 
Wednesdays
July 11,18,25
5:00 pm
Jazz on the Grazz
Chicago State University
9501 S King Drive
  www.csu.edu
FREE 

Wednesdays 
July 11,18,25 
10:30 am 
Kids Rule Movie Day 
ICE Chatham 14 Theater 
210 W. 87th Street
 http://www.icetheaters.com/images/Kidsrule/KidsRule2012.jpg 
$2.50 (FREE Bag of Popcorn) 
 
Saturdays 
July 7,14,21,28 
8:00 am 
Zumba 
ICE Chatham 14 Theater 
210 W. 87th Street 
http://www.icetheaters.com/