Ald. Fioretti, Solis ask for City Council intervention in Roosevelt Square
By Susan S. Stevens
A proposal before the Chicago City Council, if passed, would require Roosevelt Square developer Related Midwest to upgrade new buildings planned along Taylor Street and pay further attention to what community groups want on the site of the former ABLA Homes.
Aldermen Daniel Solis (25th) and Robert Fioretti (2nd) on July 19 introduced a measure that seeks to have the developers bow to critics of the construction already completed. Passage is expected, because the full City Council generally votes for what an alderman wants in his or her own ward.
“Basically what we are calling for is in line with what the citizens want there,” Fioretti said.
The University Village Association took its longstanding concerns about Roosevelt Square to the new Alderman. In response, he and Solis, whose ward also includes part of the site, introduced the amendment.
Fioretti said he plans to call a meeting in August with developer Related Midwest, formerly called LR Development Co.
Related Midwest plans to attend. “We really want to work with the Alderman and the community,” said Mike Kelly, director of sales and marketing for Roosevelt Square and a resident of the area for 15 years.
“We will try to give the neighborhood a better look,” Kelly said, but cautioned, “There just is not a ton of money” to spend on items such as storefronts.
Chris Provenzano, executive director of the UVA, said he hopes representatives of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and others concerned about the project will attend Fioretti’s meeting. The Alderman said the invitation was open, but he was not certain who would attend.
The community groups' members feel Related Midwest's Taylor Street architecture is "bland looking" and claim it does not blend with existing buildings east and west of Roosevelt Square. They also object to concrete block and vinyl siding used in construction and to utility poles carrying wires rather than having buried lines.
Fioretti and Kelly agreed with the UVA about the need for improving Taylor Street facades.
“We are trying to move it along so there is not such a vanilla appearance,” Fioretti said. “I want a vision” that extends the length of the business district.
“I know we need to spice up the Taylor Street retail component,” Kelly said. “We have every intention of working this through with the Alderman.”
The phased development project currently is in Phase II. Fioretti had attempted to negotiate Phase II changes earlier but learned he was elected too late to affect that work. The next stores are not scheduled to be erected before Phase III.
The UVA is particularly concerned about the commercial area along Taylor Street. “We would like to see the standards raised for Taylor Street,” Provenzano said. “The architecture does not fit. They could have modified the facades at very little cost.”
He also objects to the ten to 12 foot gaps between buildings, calling them underused space and wondering if they will be used for parking.
“Many of the issues are not new to us and others in the community,” Provenzano said, noting some of the same criticisms have been expressed since the developer announced its original plans for the Roosevelt Square development.
Unlike other areas where CHA projects and mixed-income housing are being developed, the former ABLA Homes site is in an existing community whose residents’ objections should be heeded, Provenzano said.
“We want the very best product for the community, and we feel they can do better,” Provenzano said. “We feel they can do much better.”
Ninety percent of Roosevelt Square is in the ward where Fioretti replaced Ald. Madeline Haithcock earlier this year in a runoff election. About ten percent of the project is in Solis's 25th Ward.
“Fioretti brings in a breath of fresh air, at least,” Provenzano said. “He is willing to listen.”
Kelly said about 98% of the for-sale units in Phase I have been sold. About 40 reservations have been made for units in Phase II, which he began marketing in mid-July. Construction was projected to start in early autumn after demolition of Riis School.
