Parker has been a fixture of the Lincoln Park community for more than 125 years. That said, we do not take a change like what has been proposed lightly. Since Parker purchased its buildings on Belden, the 43rd Ward has held Parker accountable and required the school to engage in a robust, thoughtful, and stringent community process. Between 2022 until this year, our office was unwilling to permit Parker to present at a full community meeting because, in our opinion, the then-plan did not bring sufficient benefits back to the community. After Parker agreed to two major community benefits earlier this year, we agreed to host a community meeting on the proposal. As described further below, these community benefits were (i) a $2 million investment in affordable housing at the building they own at 2236 N Clark, and (ii) a covenant that the building Parker owns at 317-325 W. Belden will be multi-residential housing for at least 30 years.
The community meeting in March assisted our office’s process, through requiring Parker to present the updated proposal broadly and opening up a transparent and public online feedback forum. Through this process, we collected open-ended input from hundreds of community members over the course of a month. During the feedback-logging period that concluded on May 10th, we received 620 responses, with 470 from verified 43rd Ward residents. A majority of those respondents indicated they were in favor of both the proposed expansion and the addition of athletic field lighting. In response to the feedback we collected, we entered into a negotiation with Parker that yielded significant changes to the proposal. As a direct result of those negotiations, Parker has revised their proposal and increased its commitment to enriching our local community and ensuring that the expanded campus will offer tangible benefits to the larger neighborhood.
I want to extend a sincere thank you to the neighbors who took the time and energy to engage with this process. Whether by attending a community meeting or submitting feedback through our portal, your thoughts, feedback, and conversations allowed us to enter negotiations equipped with perspectives from the community and empowered us to push for a proposal that addresses the needs of the neighborhood. Thank you to the many community members who helped us craft a comprehensive “Plan of Operation” that Parker will be legally bound to. This newsletter outlines just a few of the commitments made by Parker (click here to review the whole plan) that their zoning will be contingent on when it is voted on by the City Council Committee on Zoning.
Community Investment
My office has always been deeply committed to advocating on behalf of our local public schools, and it was essential to our office that any proposal put forth by Parker provide a demonstrated benefit to students attending other schools in the neighborhood. Through this process, we have pushed Parker to evolve its engagement and investment in those schools. I am proud to share that following our negotiations, Parker has committed $500,000 over time in direct and unrestricted support to Lincoln Park High School and Abraham Lincoln Elementary School (as the local public schools serving Parker’s location) for use at the discretion of each school’s principal. This financial commitment by Parker to support other schools with student, supply, and maintenance needs throughout the year is the first of its kind for a K-12 school in Chicago.
Preservation and Affordable Housing
Another key issue during this process has been the proposed usage changes of two residential buildings acquired by Parker in 2020. After careful negotiation, we’ve secured a groundbreaking commitment from Parker to keep the property acquired at 317-325 W. Belden as a multi-family rental apartment building for 30 years. Additionally, we’ve secured an agreement that should the City consider an exterior landmark at such property, Parker will not oppose it. In an effort to preserve the historic nature of the neighborhood, the school has also accepted a requirement to architectural salvage before any demolition of its W. Belden properties begin, and they have committed to reuse historical materials in the new buildings.
I am especially proud to share that following our negotiations, Parker has also committed to a 100% affordable housing project through conversion of its existing administrative building at 2236 N. Clark. into seven studio and/or one-bedroom units. This commitment is made possible through the contribution of the $1.5million building, and a cash contribution of $500,000 for renovations. These units will be prioritized for first responders and public school teachers who qualify under Chicago’s affordable housing income requirements (which as of today, will be eligible for those making $50,000 - $70,000 per year). This commitment puts the Clark building back on the tax roll and ensures that Parker will offset some of the expansion’s reduction of market-rate apartments with affordable housing units (as specifically defined by the Chicago Affordable Requirements Ordinance), increasing the community’s ability to serve those with a demonstrated need.
When we began this process, there was no commitment from the school to historical preservation or to affordable housing. There were very real concerns from members of the community about the changing neighborhood and the loss of residential space on W. Belden. These additional commitments from Parker were essential to the success of the proposal, and we’re hopeful that the resulting compromise speaks to those concerns.
Field Access and Environmental Impact
Another key aspect of the feedback process has been concern related to the installation of DarkSky-certified athletic field lighting on Parker’s campus, and whether that will cause light pollution and impact the residential properties near the field. After careful consideration, we are satisfied that requiring Parker to meet the “DarkSky” certification standards of lighting in their fixtures ensures that there will be minimal light spillover nor will there be impact on the environment or wildlife.
In addition to their commitment to ensure that the installation of the field lighting will have minimal environmental and neighborhood impacts, after negotiation, Parker has agreed to shorten the permitted timing of the lights to 6:30am earliest and 9:00pm latest, with a policy that all lights remain fully off anytime the field is not in use. Additionally, Parker agreed to our request that athletic field, gymnasium and auditorium access be available for student activities at no cost for area public schools to ensure that youth across our neighborhood can benefit from the field improvements. As part of this agreement, any external usage of these facilities will be kept exclusively for youth activity, not for private use or revenue generation. These commitments reflect my office’s commitment to ensuring that Parker remains integrated with the broader community and continues to engage with its neighbors in meaningful and beneficial ways.
