Courtesy of Indivisible Chicago Northwest Side

Area residents and small business owners gathered at Six Corners earlier this month to protest 45th Ward Alderman James Gardiner’s decision to kill a proposed plan to bring senior housing, an Aldi grocery store, and additional modern retail space to the area. This shovel-ready project, which emerged from two years of significant public input from the local community and neighborhood associations, would have been the first building block to begin rejuvenation of this struggling area.  Alderman Gardiner held only one public meeting about this project, attended by approximately 300 residents. Over 75 percent of those present expressed support for this project. Notably supporters included many local business owners who depend on increasing density and foot traffic to survive. The Alderman claims to have held an undisclosed number of closed-door meetings with residents to gather input on this project, which swayed his decision, but no public account of those meetings has been provided. This project would have added over 260 new residential units, created over 50,000 square feet of new retail space, increased the annual property tax revenue for this property by $1.5 million, while creating over 500 union construction jobs and 200 full-time positions once complete. The developer planned to invest $130 million into this community – without seeking any TIF funding. Neighbors and local activists are calling upon Mayor Lightfoot to expedite reforms promised during her campaign.