CHICAGO, IL - On a cold, damp Saturday morning, about 100 Logan Square residents huddled under umbrellas, calling on Mayor Richard Daley to convert a city landmark vacant for 20 years into an affordable housing complex. The rally, held next to the Illinois Centennial Column in the heart of Logan Square, was aimed at stopping the development of an arts center at the Morris B. Sachs Building at 2802 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The city's Department of Planning and Development plans to recommend the building be converted to retail space, a community arts center and 28 housing units as proposed by Brinshore Development in north suburban Northbrook, department spokesman Pete Scales said. The department chose Brinshore's proposal because it offered more than two dozen affordable housing units and was less expensive, Scales said.
Brinshore's proposal would cost about $10 million compared with the $18 million proposal by Humboldt Park Social Services and Heartland Housing Inc. to create 47 units of affordable housing with caseworkers and financial counselors, Scales said. Scales said the department would work with the two agencies to find another place for an affordable housing project.
At the rally, residents argued that an arts center could be developed at a different location and the building would be perfect for low-income residents who rely on public transportation. "The Sachs building is at three main intersections that all have buses, which would reduce the need for residents to have a car," said Lissette Castaneda, 23, vice president of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association. Last year, the city acquired the six-story Sachs building, which has been vacant for 20 years except for a shoe store on the ground floor.
If the City Council allows the proposed arts center to go through, Daley would miss an opportunity to bolster his 10-year plan to end homelessness, said Logan Square resident Ellen Ray, 25. "We really feel like this building is crucial to the success of that plan in this community," Ray said.
Source: Chicago Tribune