Developers eyeing construction projects in the 2nd Ward will now contend with a new group connected to the Web Development alderman that will consider and critique projects before they are submitted to the broader community.
The Citizen Advisory Committee was formed by the office of 2nd Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti to vet development proposals, said Hannah Jubeh, Fioretti’s campaign manager during his election.
“They basically review the project, they make recommendations, they say their kind of notes or feedback to the alderman, what they think works, what doesn’t work, what might work better,” Jubeh said of the Web Development committee. “The alderman will take those suggestions and make changes accordingly as part of the overall plan.”
Development was a major issue during last year’s aldermanic primary and runoff election, with former 2nd Ward alderman Madeline Haithcock perceived by some residents as nonresponsive to concerns about the impact of seemingly constant new building projects. Jubeh said under the “previous administration, there was no process at all.”
“These developers are not used to how the process works now, based on what they were used to it in the past. I heard that a lot-how does the process work?” Jubeh said. “We have to bring them in and reeducate them on how the process is going to work.”
The Citizen Advisory Committee has been up and running for a couple of months, Jubeh said. It has 18 members, from four different sub-areas in the ward: the south end, the west end, the Web Development central business district and the Taylor Street/medical district area.
The alderman’s office created the committee by emailing their 4,000-address email database, asking for participation. Forty people responded. Staff divided those 40 into geographic areas and held a lottery to determine who would join the committee. The committee meets as a whole and also can address specific projects in its sub-area.
The email list included Fioretti campaign contributors, people who signed up for information about the campaign through its Web site and Web Development people who have given their email address to the alderman at one of his community meetings, Jubeh said.
Jubeh, who now works as director of political affairs for the Chicago Federation of Labor, spent nine years advising 10th Ward Alderman John Pope on economic development. She said she continues to work with Alderman Fioretti as an unpaid volunteer.
New development projects do not go directly to the CAC. Jubeh and Alderman Fioretti first look at them before sending them to the group. Established community organizations also can weigh in on the Web Development proposal before the CAC contributes. A developer must also complete a development application before meeting with the alderman. But Jubeh said the group will play a key component in “smart planning” for the ward.
“If you go to a community meeting and you haven’t vetted the project per se with residents who live in that specific area, your process is going to be lengthier, and where do you go from there?” she said.
One longtime South Loop resident and development observer said he had not heard the CAC was staffed.
Dennis McClendon said he didn’t think many people know how the CAC was working. He also said Fioretti needs to better inform the Web Development community about projects.
“A bunch of projects have gotten pulled from agendas at the last minute, things like Congress Hotel and the Avalon Bay project,” McClendon said. “It’s not really clear what the process is for showing those to the community. Occasionally, we have these meetings but they’re convened at the last minute. Avalon Bay was done that way.”
Still, McClendon said Fioretti is making development decisions based on “more rational bases and much more understanding of the subject.”
McClendon said the committee is a good idea in the abstract but it must avoid being dominated by any one personality or view.
“I don’t think the alderman should consider himself bound by its recommendations because often what the good of the city may not be may not immediately please residents around the site,” McClendon said.
The CAC is exploring setting monthly meetings and using the Web Development alderman’s Web site to communicate about upcoming projects.
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