Radical Changes to the Plan

The original plan included: mixed-income housing, a movie theater, Target and six developers to assist in the retail, market-rate housing, and entertainment development. The TIF commitment (tax payer subsidy) from property tax payers was $35 million.

The plan has changed to: 178 units of 100% low-income housing (with family housing income ceilings of 21% low income, 56% very low income and 23% extremely low income), no movie theaters, and no confirmation that Target is coming. Holsten Real Estate is now the lone developer and owner of all the low-income housing. The TIF commitment has soared to $52 million, 34% of the cost of the entire project.



View the entire Income Ceiling PDF

More troubling than the low-income ceilings is that there is no income floor. 

From the start Alderman Shiller has tried to hide the reality of the housing she wants to put up at Wilson Yard.  There are enough contradictions between Shiller's public messaging and real intentions to make even Walt Whitman's head spin. First there's this video in which she flatly states "there will be housing of all sorts.  There has to be market rate housing to pay for the other housing." 

In December '04 she was even more specific: "We are not doing CHA replacement housing...It is not housing for very poor people. It is housing for people who work for the city. It is housing for first year teachers. It is housing for police and firefighters." Just four months later Peter Holsten signed a letter guaranteeing first dibs on the Wilson Yard residential units to those on public housing waiting lists and with section eight vouchers.  Are there any policemen or teachers on those waiting lists?

The only completed component of the project to date: a relocated Aldi. Even here there has been significant change for the worse. In the original renderings the Aldi was shown with an entrance located on Broadway, along with windows and other elements that would enhance foot traffic and energize the commercial corridor.

Unfortunately, the actual Aldi was built with an entrance in the rear, and presents Broadway with little more than a brick wall.