Outside of a vacant lot blocks away from the upcoming Obama Presidential Center, Chicago organizers met in opposition to a luxury hotel that has been proposed for 6402-20 S.Stony Island Ave. near the site.
“We cannot have a hotel until we have the protections for everyone who lives in this neighborhood, all the Black people who live in this neighborhood. We will not be pushed out,” said Dixon Romeo, executive director of housing advocacy group SouthSide Together and member of the Obama Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) Coalition. He spoke at the start of today’s press conference at the vacant lot on 6430 S. Stony Island Ave.
The call-to-action continues the decade-long fight for South Shore and Woodlawn residents demanding housing protections with the arrival of the Obama Center, which is expected to open next year. The press conference is also a direct response to a rezoning application filed by Allison Davis, a veteran developer and a friend of former President Barack Obama, for a 26-story luxury hotel.
Originally planned to be discussed by the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on April 15, the matter has since been stricken from the meeting agenda, according to organizers who planned to rally outside of City Hall. The application has yet to pass through the Chicago Plan Commission.
According to Noah Szafraniec, assistant commissioner for the Chicago Plan Commission, the applicant must address comments and concerns related to the standards of the Chicago Zoning Ordinance and Planned Development. Then, the item will be placed on the hearing agenda for the Plan Commission. Szafraniec didn’t specify those concerns and comments.
The possibility of a luxury hotel opening in the area drew ire from members of the Obama CBA Coalition, who have long called for members of the Chicago City Council to agree to an housing ordinance that prioritizes residents living near the Obama Presidential Center, which would include the preservation and creation of more affordable housing. City Council approved the Woodlawn Housing Preservation Ordinance in 2020, but has yet to ensure housing protections for South Shore, which has seen increased buying activity from private developers in the past three years.
Organizers say the development of a hotel does not prioritize residents who are experiencing poor living conditions, evictions, and a lack of city support; instead, it ignores the issues residents continue to face while private developers look to make a buck.
South Shore resident Philon Green says he was evicted from his apartment at Jackson Park Terrace in November after he claims the management company increased his $835 rent to $1,300 without providing upgrades.
Green’s experience mirrors that of other residents in South Shore who have complained about the conditions of the buildings managed by private real estate companies, one of which was the subject of a lawsuit filed by the city this month.
Addressing the question of how the proposed hotel could potentially bring jobs to the community, organizers pushed back, saying that the jobs would not be for them.
“Who gets the job? We’ve seen throughout the last 10 years, and we’ve seen throughout the history of the city of Chicago, there are a lot of promises,” Romeo said to the crowd. “There are promises to bring people back; CHA [Chicago Housing Authority], their promises to make sure people get employment with certain projects, and then later, we’ve been kicked out the neighborhood.
Romeo added that even if the community was employed by the hotel, the wage would not be enough for the rising rents and housing costs happening in the area due to the upcoming Obama Center.
“They’re not trying to give us the jobs,” said Romeo. “And even if we do get them, it’s not going to be enough to offset the increase in rent.”
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