For immediate release: (8/11/98)
Contact: Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, Steve Balkin, 312-341-3696
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has reneged on their commitment to historic preservation in the old Maxwell Street area. UIC refuses to comply to the adaptive reuse plan to save 36 vintage buildings - - a plan created by City consultant architect Howard Decker for a special City of Chicago Ad-Hoc Committee. The Committee was composed of UIC architects and planners, City of Chicago planning officials, City hired consultant architects Howard Decker and John Vinci, and members of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition. The Committee met in April and May, 1998. A consensus win-win plan was reached.
Maxwell Street Coalition member Steve Balkin said, "UIC has a reputation for making agreements and then breaking them. It happened when they first built UIC and it has happened recently in Pilsen. UIC has regard only for that part of the community connected to political clout. The rest of us, the poor and those with a concern for our immigrant and musical heritage are told to just go to hell."
The last chance to stop UIC is to stop UIC's creation of the Roosevelt-Union Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) for the area. UIC is counting on getting approval of its TIF proposal as a way of getting funding for its plan to demolish the present district. It doesn't want to see TIF funds used to help those businesses that have continued to operate against heavy odds and in the face of the University's attempts to lower their expectations. But the crux of the matter is that a TIF is not needed to develop the area. If the University were not discouraging investment, it would be taking place.
So the Coalition will mount a community effort to stop the TIF. The basis for stopping the TIF is to argue the obvious, but what UIC and Meisrow-Stein, UIC's development partner, do not want city officials to consider: economic and real estate development will occur in the area without a TIF. Chuck Cowdery, a member of the Coalition and Blues historian said, "Maxwell Street has location, location, and location. It is at the nexus of two expressways and is in walking distance to the South Loop and the Chicago River. Dominics just opened a super fancy supermarket nearby. There is a commuter train stop two blocks away from Maxwell Street and the area has a musical history known world wide. It has a sense of place. The only thing preventing development is UIC's buying buildings and keeping them run down and vacant."
Elliot Zashin, another Coalition member said, "I've talked to businessmen in the area and they want to invest to upgrade their businesses and their buildings but UIC has been telling them that it just plans to tear all the buildings down and start over with more upscale businesses.
Bill Lavicka, a Coalition member and structural engineer said, "rehab developers would like to work in this area; they could make money here. The building stock, in general, is sound, suitable for preservation and development. Development would occur here without a TIF."
The Coalition is planning four events to promote community solidarity:
1. Saturday, August 29, Blues Jam and demonstration. Noon, corner of Maxwell and Halsted Streets. Blues great Jimmie Lee Robinson will perform his "Maxwell Street Teardown Blues" and Blues star Ellis Kell will sing his "Muddy's Tears On Maxwell Street". And there will be a big jam session.
2. Wednesday, Sept. 2, 8:00 AM, Prayer vigil before the UI Board of Trustees Meeting, Chicago Illini Union 828 South Wolcott St.
3. Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1:30 PM, TIF Hearing, Community Development Commission, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.
4. Saturday, Sept. 19, Noon, Maxwell Street Heritage Festival, Maxwell Street east of Halsted, featuring art, music, community pride.
For more information about the fight to preserve Maxwell Street and prevent its destruction by the University of Illinois at Chicago, contact Professor Steve Balkin at 312-341-3696 or visit their website <www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html>.
Also read about this in the Delta Snake Daily Blues in their article: UIC Disses The Blues!
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