December 3, 2008 -- BREAKING NEWS: WE HAVE FILED THE LAWSUIT Fix Wilson Yard issued the following press release this morning:
click here
For more information, please visit our new press materials page where you can find PDF files of two press releases we have issued today, as well as other materials. And don't forget to come to our party tonight at Nick's Uptown where you can learn more details about our lawsuit and what's ahead.
Now more than ever we need your help. You can make an online donation here or email us about volunteer opportunities.
Fix Wilson Yard E-Newsletter November 20, 2008
Major Announcment Coming at Nick's Uptown
Fix Wilson Yard will be hosting a party at Nick's Uptown on December 3rd. There will be an open bar, and some major news announced!
We hope you can make it, and please take a moment to download our
flier to pass along to neighbors and email to friends.
Remember to Sign Our Petition! In little more than three weeks, over 1,800 people have signed our petition but we need more! Below is the text of the petition, and you can sign it
here
Fix Wilson Yard Petition
Wilson Yard, located at the corner of Montrose and Broadway, is the largest parcel of undeveloped land on the North side of Chicago. It sits in a prime location a half mile from Lake Michigan in the Uptown neighborhood, an area that has seen much positive change over the past decade but which now teeters between socio-economic progress and stagnation. Its future lies in our hands. The current Wilson Yard redevelopment plan centers on a failed housing model, funded in part by a whopping $52M in tax increment financing dollars, that will erase our past progress and become a new slum for Uptown. It must be stopped. Here's why.
Radical Changes and Promises Ignored Uptown residents were promised mixed income housing, a movie theater, a big box store and street level retail. Over the years the plan has changed dramatically as four of the five original developers abandoned the project, leaving only Holsten Real Estate Development, who primarily develops low income housing. Whereas the original redevelopment plan envisioned a vibrant commercial and entertainment district, we are now left with a plan whose defining characteristic is a failed low income housing model.
Failed Housing Model The commercial and entertainment components at Wilson Yard have taken a back seat to 178 units of 100% low income housing which cover more than 60% of the site, with family housing income ceilings of 21% low income, 56% very low income and 23% extremely low income. This plan recreates the failed housing model of the CHA projects currently being torn down all over Chicago: two towers of densely packed low income units which serve only to warehouse the poor. Residents of this failed housing model will be easy prey for the gangs and drug crews that terrorize Uptown today.
24% of all housing in the Wilson Yard census tract is government subsidized. In addition, over 5,500 units of low income housing - one of the highest concentrations in the city - surround this site. The Illinois Housing Development Authority and the CHA refuse to fund the development of subsidized housing in census tracts that contain over 20% low income housing. So why are we paying for it?
Irresponsible Use of Taxpayer Dollars The TIF commitment for Wilson Yard has soared to $52 million, over 33% of the cost of the entire project. Instead of spurring economic development and increasing city revenues, this investment of taxpayer dollars will actually impede commercial growth and decrease property values. Additionally, the construction cost of each low income unit is now higher than the going price for many condos on the private market in Uptown!
Fix It! We demand that the City of Chicago and Alderman Helen Shiller halt the current redevelopment plan at Wilson Yard. Should there be a new plan, any use of taxpayer dollars must include complete transparency and guarantee the following:
- a project that honors proven urban planning principles and upholds Uptown's diversity
- a competitive process to identify the highest and best use for the TIF property, and
- a vibrant commercial district that will spur economic development in Uptown
Wilson Yard will define Uptown for generations to come. We hold you our elected representatives accountable. Do not fail to support us in ensuring a positive future for this important development.
Please take a moment to
sign! October 27,2008 Shiller and Holsten's Latest ManeuveringsConcern has arisen in the Uptown community regarding the alleged progression of the Wilson Yard development as described in recent Crain's articles. Regardless of any of these articles, the Fix Wilson Yard organization has a litigation plan which in no way is altered by these reports.
Prior to the financing article, the Fix Wilson Yard group had decided to temporarily cut back on our public presentations and place 100% focus on finalizing the lawsuit. The lawsuit will be filed within the next 30 days.
The City of Chicago has been put on notice that Fix Wilson Yard intends to file a lawsuit against the City for several violations surrounding the Wilson Yard Redevelopment Plan. Please be aware, the existence/non-existence of a big-box retailer or financing for the development in no way alters the focus of our litigation.
We believe that the recent activity by the City and Holsten is a direct result of the strength of our impending lawsuit and the strength and unity shown by the Uptown community against this development. Fix Wilson Yard is monitoring the situation closely and will take any actions necessary to counter any developments as they arise. We appreciate your continued support during this brief period of "public" silence. Please know we are continually hard at work to secure the vibrant future of Uptown. We promise to keep you updated on the status of the lawsuit and how your support will be needed.
Sign Our New Petition! The original Wilson Yard petition was a huge success, garnering over 3,000 signatures. However, its language is over four years old and not reflective of the situation at Wilson Yard today. So Fix Wilson Yard has drafted a new petition and we need your signatures and those of all of your friends, family and neighbors throughout Chicago! Please click
here, and don't forget to pass the link on!
October 17, 2008
Latest Redevelopment Plan Amendment - Step In The Wrong Direction Last week, in apparent violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act, our Chicago City Council snuck through a major amendment to the Wilson Yard Redevelopment plan. Alderman Shiller gave no advance notice to her constituents and when pressed her office staff offered only this bare statement, calling it a "technical amendment that saves 4 million in TIF money done at the request of the banks invested in TIF notes that result in 4 million in savings."
WRONG! As members of Fix Wilson Yard discovered when we obtained the amendment, and as reported by
Crains Chicago Business this week, the amendment does no such thing. The major change in this amendment is the city giving up its right to stop paying developer Peter Holsten in the event he defaults. You read that right. Taxpayer exposure goes up, and accountability for Alderman Shiller's favorite developer goes down.
The latest shameful maneuvering by our elected representatives makes our lawsuit more important than ever.
Meetings and Fundraisers On Monday, Oct 13 Buena Park Neighbors sponsored a Fix Wilson Yard meeting at Imperial Towers. Once again the room was filled to capacity and the same concerns and questions were echoed from our neighbors living on the lake. "Why were we lied to?" "I'm afraid to walk north or west of my building" "Why don't we have a commercial district like other communities?" Those of us at FWY have a renewed commitment knowing that everyone, even those along the lake have the same desire for a safe and balanced neighborhood.
Reminder - Halloween Hoedown at Chase Park This Sunday! Remember to round up your family this Sunday and join Fix Wilson Yard for a big ol' Family Halloween Hoedown!
- Sunday Oct 19th from 1pm to 4pm
- Chase Park, 4701 N Ashland
- Activities will include a cowboy sing-a-long, campfire story telling, build your own caramel apples, pumpkin painting, and much much more.
- $30 suggested donation per family - 100% going to Fix Wilson Yard
Come Drink With Us at Driftwood! Thursday, Oct 23 we'll be hosting a fundraiser at Driftwood (1021 W Montrose) from 7-9pm. $15 donation at the door with some fun drink specials including $2.50 Miller Light Bottles and Smirnoff Vodka Cocktails. We hope you'll join us and have some drinks for a good cause!
October 7, 2008
Fix Wilson Yard E-Newsletter October Edition
What's Our City Council Up To? Late last Friday afternoon the City snuck in this
supplemental agenda for the City Council's finance committee meeting on Monday Oct.6. On this agenda - a "proposed ordinance concerning the authority to amend a redevelopment agreement" for Wilson Yard! Note that the agenda for yesterday's meeting was submitted at 4:30pm on Friday afternoon, in apparent violation of the Illinois
Open Meetings Act. You can read more about this at
Uptown Update.
Rest assured our lawyers are on this.
Meetings A reminder that the next Fix Wilson Yard community meeting will be held tomorrow October 8th at 7pm at
Buena Pointe Tower on the 2nd Floor. Space and chairs are limited, so come early and bring a chair if you can.
We will also be making a presentation at the Buena Park Neighbors General Membership Meeting on Monday October 13, at
Imperial Towers. For more information on the Buena Park Neighbors organization, visit their
website.
If you are interested in hosting a meeting for 15 people or more, please
contact us.
Media Coverage The media coverage continues! On September 17, Molly Phelan of Fix Wilson Yard was interviewed on
Outside The Loop on WLUW 88.7. You can listen to Molly's segment
here by scrolling down to episode #104 or you can read about the segment
here.
Lawsuit Update Our lawyers are busy finalizing our complaint and researching additional counts to bolster the lawsuit. For reasons of legal strategy we are limited in what information we can share at this moment, but we hope to be able to offer a more detailed update soon!
Fundraising Update The fundraiser held at Nick's Uptown on September 25 was a success! There were over 100 attendees who came out to support Fix Wilson Yard and to learn more about the community efforts.
The next fundraiser will be held on Sunday October 19 from 1-4pm. This time it will be fun for the entire family because Fix Wilson Yard is throwing a Halloween Hoedown at
Chase Park! You can find a downloadable poster advertisement
here. We encourage you to print it to post in your buildings and give to family and friends. This family fundraiser will include pumpkin and face painting, a cowboy sing-along and storytelling, and a build-your-own caramel apple station. Suggested donation is $30/family. We hope to see you there!
October 1, 2008 We have scheduled another general Fix Wilson Yard presentation for Wednesday October 8th, 7pm, at Buena Pointe Tower (4350 N. Broadway) on the 2nd Floor. Space and chairs are limited, so let people know to come early and bring their own chair if possible (as well as their checkbooks!).
September 22, 2008 Last Friday Molly Phelan of Fix Wilson Yard was interviewed on
Outside The Loop on WLUW 88.7. You can listen to her segment
here (scroll down a little to episode #104). Many thanks to Outside The Loop’s hosts, Mike Stephen and Andy Hermann. You can learn more about their show and listen to past episodes in their archives at their website,
www.outsidetheloopradio.com.
September 15, 2008 Fix Wilson Yard is excited to announce that we will be holding a fundraising event at Nick's Uptown (4015 N Sheridan) on Thursday 9/25 from 7:30 - 9:30. Tickets are $30. We will have an open bar and an auction for a pair of 10th row tickets for Tina Turner's Chicago show on October 3. Please email if you have any questions.
Last Thursday the Chicago Journal published an editorial by our own Molly Phelan. You can read it
here.
September 9, 2008 Our latest newsletter is out. To read it click
here.
August 12, 2008 Welcome to the 1st edition of Fix-Wilson-Yard e-news. Our goal
is to keep interested citizens updated on the latest Fix-Wilson-Yard
legal updates, meetings, and fundraisers.
Fix-Wilson-Yard Meetings We have two meetings to announce:
Thursday, August 14, 7 pm
Buena Pointe, 4350 N. Broadway
Monday, August 18, 7 pm
Soggy Paws, Leland & Racine
If you'd like to host a meeting for 15 or more people, please
email info@fixwilsonyard.org
Meet the Legal Team Representing FWY are two leading law firms with expertise in different
areas of law. Davis McGrath is a boutique firm with experience in Tax
Increment Financing (TIF) Issues, while Ramsdell & Associates focuses more on land use litigation (Ramsdell & Associates is most recently known for having defeated the Chicago Park District, the City of Chicago and the Latin School in the Lincoln Park soccer field debacle). Both firms are leading attorneys in their respective fields and the combination of their strengths gives this community the broad range of talents needed to cover this case in depth without any one attorney facing an uphill learning curve and additional cost
to the FWY legal fund. They have the utmost confidence in our case and have offered their services at greatly reduced hourly rates.
Fundraising Success! With no fanfare and only three community meetings, the donations are flowing in. We have now raised more than $20,000.
We seem to have hit a good nerve with the announcement of Fix-Wilson-Yard. People know Wilson Yard is the turning point for either making or breaking Uptown's future. While we are thrilled at the early enthusiasm, we know we are still far away from reaching the estimated six-figure sum we will have to raise to see this suit through trial. So please visit www.fixwilsonyard.org and make your donation today!
Tell Me More.... If you're new to Uptown and want to learn more about the history, details, and just how the Wilson Yard TIF has radically changed since its beginning, visit www.uncchicago.org and click on the Wilson Yard link. Scroll to the bottom and read up. You can also sign up for UNC E-News for more detailed information.
TIF Tidbits A recent downstate court ruling now empowers Chicago taxpayers to sue
the city for TIF abuse. The Reader article, Three Million Lawsuits Oughta Do It, gives taxpayers a light at the end of the dark, long TIF-tunnel. To read the entire article,
click here
August 8, 2008 In response to questions posed by some concerned Uptown citizens, Fix
Wilson Yard wanted to provide some background and insight into our
organization and mission.
The Fix Wilson Yard organization evolved as a grass-roots effort by dedicated volunteers in the Uptown community. For years, many of us have been diligently tracking the direction of the Wilson Yard redevelopment, and involved in actions focused on creating a project that was desired by the entire community.
Recent developments have made it clear that the most viable way to stop the current Wilson Yard Redevelopment Project is through legal action.
Despite years of trying to work with the public officials to develop a
responsible use of taxpayer dollars, they were not willing to listen.
This summer, without announcement, they began pre-construction
preparation, leaving us no choice but to start the legal battle.
After a lengthy and diligent search for appropriate counsel, Fix Wilson Yard chose two different law firms: one which specializes in fighting
municipalities on Land Use issues, the other in Tax Increment Finance
(TIF) issues. Both firms are leading attorneys in their respective
fields. Rather than choosing one attorney who is an expert on one issue
and would have to spend endless hours of research (and the FWY’s legal fund money) to properly educate themselves on the other laws, we chose the best in both fields. They have the utmost confidence in our case and have offered their services at greatly reduced hourly rates.
There is some confusion regarding the organization which is leading this
cause. The founding members of Fix Wilson Yard are involved in several
organizations throughout Uptown, but we have come together to take on
this important challenge. Since the organization itself was formed
quickly, we have not yet finalized its not-for-profit status.
Graceland-Wilson Neighbors Association (GWNA), which has not-for-profit
status, has offered itself to collect donations for the legal fund
until Fix Wilson Yard's paper work is finally approved.
Within the last 45 days, Fix Wilson Yard has conducted three neighborhood presentations regarding Wilson Yard. Despite limited advertisement, these meetings were all standing-room-only and raised a significant amount of money. However, Fix Wilson Yard is still far from the estimated six figure invoice it will have to pay to see this suit
through trial. As with any large endeavor, this is a process which will evolve as it moves forward. We anticipate being able to offer more
specific information on our legal grounds soon. However, information
regarding the law suit must be tempered with strategy as well as
concern for the attorney-client privilege. We are concerned community members, just like you. We understand your concern and caution regarding this endeavor. Still, the time is now. The flawed Wilson Yard Redevelopment Plan was not going to wait for the people of Uptown to raise all the money required to pursue this greatly needed law suit. Wilson Yard was not going to wait for more legal decisions to come out which highlight TIF abuse by municipalities. Wilson Yard was
not going to wait. We couldn’t either. Can you?
Check out ways you can help us fix Wilson Yard!
