Report on the October 15 U. of Illinois Board of Trustees Meeting
Bill Lavicka, Steve Balkin, and Lori Grove, members of the Board of Directors of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, trekked to Urbana, Illinois to talk to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at their monthly meeting. Ms.Grove supplied information about the historical importance of the buildings, which was part of her presentation she regularly gives for the Chicago Architecture Foundation Historic Maxwell Street tour. Particularly cited was the pre-fire construction of some of these buildings, including an early frame cottage built during the Civil War era.
Lavicka and Balkin presented summaries of three reports that proved that saving the remaining whole buildings on Maxwell Street was not just cost neutral but cost saving. At the last Trustees meeting in September, the approval of UIC's plan was held up by Trustee Dr. Kenneth Schmidt to see if more buildings could be saved. At that meeting Schmidt was told more buildings could be saved if it were cost neutral.
Bill Lavicka presented his data, from four independent sources of architects, developers, and engineers, that the cost of rehabbing the remaining old buildings on Maxwell Street was cheaper than new construction and façade additions by a difference $30 per square foot. The construction savings would more than offset the cost of moving 12 additional buildings to Maxwell Street.
Steve Balkin opened his presentation by quoting the signs all around campus about Homecoming: "1867-1999 The Tradition Continues". Balkin said, "Our tradition is at least as long as yours. We want our tradition to continue also. We welcome you to be a part of it." He presented the results of the John Rasmussen's Retail Feasibility Report. The Coalition's D'Angelo - Lavicka plan (saving 32 whole buildings), referred to as the Restore/Move Plan, had lower cost ($9.3 million vs $10.7 million), a shorter time to completion, and a higher return on investment compared to the UIC Facade Plan. Rasmussen only looked at retail on the ground floors. Balkin looked at the space above the ground floors. His study of the loft rental benefits from saving whole buildings in Maxwell Street was an additional $8.8 million income to UIC.
On the positive side, the Coalition members were able to have informal conversations with a few Trustees and received encouragement from some of them that the remaining whole buildings on Maxwell Street could and should be saved. Lavicka and Balkin were told that the financing dimensions of UIC's plans had to be passed because it was etched into stone in the Mayor's new budget. They were told that the Trustees would vote that day to approve the financing dimensions of the Redevelopment Plan but that this did not preclude the saving of the remaining whole buildings on Maxwell Street.
On the negative side, Balkin said, "this whole thing sounded like a replay of 1994 where UIC officials told the Coalition they wanted to save the Maxwell Street Market but that the Mayor's office was calling the shots, deflecting blame on to the Mayor. In 1994, City officials told us they wanted to save the Maxwell Street Market but it was UIC who was the villain."
In 1999, at a high level meeting at City Hall this summer, Lavicka and Balkin were told by City officials that they too would like to see more whole buildings saved but that UIC planners don't want it. UIC Trustees in Urbana are telling us they want to see the old buildings saved but the Mayor's office is the problem. Everyone at the Trustees meeting said that they were doing what they were doing to please Mayor Daley.
While the Trustees seemed friendly, and even President Stukel asked some good questions, the UIC administrators of the old Broski regime were unfriendly and hostile to the Coalition representatives. . The new UIC Chancellor Sylvia Manning even blew up at the Lavicka and Balkin after the Trustees meeting when Balkin asked for a face-to-face meeting she agreed to in an email. Balkin said, "I thought we were going to cooperate rather than have confrontation". Manning replied there is nothing she could do. When Balkin mentioned there was a court case that could be avoided, she accused Balkin and Lavicka of harassing her.
Balkin says, " UIC appears to be run by private developers Richard Stein, Mike Marchese, and Bill Cellini and the remnants of the old Broski regime. They have thoroughly captured Chancellor Manning who refuses to do anything independent of the old Broski regime. That is leadership in reverse! In fact, the Board of Trustees ought to be in control. That was one of things I pleaded for in my presentation."
For more information visit the Coaltion website <www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html> . Contact info for Lori Grove is <lgrove2@uic.edu>; for Bill Lavicka <ph: 312-829-5562>; for Steve Balkin <mar@openair.org>; and for John Rasmussen <publicmkt@aol.com>.
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