Quad Communities Development Corporation
TASK FORCE MEETING
MAY 15, 2004
DRAFT—For Review by Participants
Approximately 50 members of the QCDC Quality of Life Planning Task Force met at the
Monumental Baptist Church as part of the ongoing New Communities Program (NCP)
planning process in the quad communities of North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas, and
Grand Boulevard (4th Ward parts only). This was the third session in the planning
process, conducted for the purpose of reviewing the draft community vision and initial
strategies.
INTRODUCTION
Alderman Toni Preckwinkle welcomed all participants and then convened the meeting
with an introduction of James Wilson, who provided an update on current projects in the
QCDC service area by discussing planning and development activities.
Current planning and development issues in the QCDC planning area are:
 The 43rd Street TIF, which had previously only covered the west side of
Cottage Grove, has been amended to include the east side of the street. The
goal is to have the amended TIF in place by the fall, so another community
meeting will be held in June or July.
 MetroEdge will conduct a marketing study that will augment the Cottage
Grove Corridor study that is already underway.
 The groundbreaking for the first phase of construction at Oakwood Shores
(formerly Madden Park/Ida B. Wells) was announced as taking place at 2 p.m.
on May 15th.
 Bringing Drexel Boulevard back to its former prominence as a residential
street with 490-500 residential units being developed along and around Drexel
Boulevard, including Jazz on the Boulevard with 137 units.
 At 47th and Greenwood, Little Black Pearl is nearing completion and Muntu
Dance is under construction.
Beautification Grants
Mary Steward gave a briefing on the current status of the grants, stating that
Requests For Proposals went out six or seven weeks ago. Eleven proposals have
been received. The selection committee is made up of four people, including a
landscape architect. The aggregate grant amount of $20,000 will be awarded on
June 4th and will be allocated amongst the successful applicants. Alderman
Preckwinkle added that Requests for Proposals (RFPs) were sent to organizations
west of Cottage Grove because those organizations are not eligible for the existing
beautification initiatives east of Cottage Grove administered by the Southeast
Chicago Commission.
Employment & Transportation
Jeff Lewelling presented an update on the Job Acccess Reverse Commute (JARC)
grant requested by the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. The RTA has
agreed to reprogram $150,000 of JARC (Job Access Reverse Commute) funds to
the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development along with another $150,000 of
match funds for a total of $300,000. Lewelling indicated that this funding can be
used for employment based reverse commute services such as jitney service.
Slated to take place later this year or early next year, this will be coordinated with
the development of an employment center.
Public Safety
“The main things are organization and communication with police to fix the
problems. Programs fail because people are not persistent.”
Rudy Nimocks
Rudy Nimocks, head of the University of Chicago Police Department, discussed
the extension of his department’s services from 47th Street to 39th Street and from
Cottage Grove to the lakefront. The department is in the process of getting
acquainted with the neighborhood and Nimocks encouraged residents to call the
department with their problems and to include the department’s telephone number
on burglar alarm system call lists. This helps with data analysis so the department
can get a feel for the neighborhood. When asked if calling the University police
instead of the Chicago police would affect the number of city police dispatched to
the area normally, Nimocks responded that U of C police and Chicago police
monitor each others’ calls, though U of C police have better access than Chicago
Police do.
Cautioning that it takes a while and improvement won’t be seen overnight,
Nimocks stated that in working with Commander Stanley of the Chicago police
on drug trafficking prevention, they have seen some success between 63rd and 64th
streets. Additionally, there have been some collaborative efforts with the DEA to
prevent drug trafficking.
Harold Lucas asked Nimocks if the U of C police had looked any deeper than
drugs considering that the University of Chicago has studied gangs for 30 years.
He also wanted to know how the study could be used to address the issues of turf
war today. Mr. Nimocks responded that these are complex issues that take a lot
of effort and resources. They don’t have a lot of resources and are doing things
“piece by piece.” When asked by the scribe Lisa Riley to further clarify his
concerns, Lucas replied that he wants the police to stop planning around the
criminalization of black youth and to put more resources into social programs and
youth development.
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“We have a really unique opportunity to look at other models and change
things.”
Task Force member
It was suggested to Mr. Nimocks that the police and the public safety committee
look at how other areas have addressed the same issues of public safety and model
QCDC’s after those that have been successful. One model in particular that looks
promising is the program set up by Coretta Scott King in Atlanta.
THE PLANNING PROCESS AND VISION STATEMENT
“We can do all the planning in this room that we want, but if we don’t get feedback from
the community, we’ve missed the boat.”
Ray Bentley
The Planning Process
Giving an update on the planning process, NCP Director Ray Bentley stated that
the QCDC Task Force is at the visioning and initial strategies stage. The
subcommittees have met and developed strategies and the purpose of the next
meeting (the charette) will be to put strategies, projects and programs on the table
and discuss them. The subcommittees were encouraged to meet at least two more
times prior to the charette to detail their strategies. Jeanne Lindwall of Camiros
reminded the task force that while some projects might be accomplished in the
short term and others over the next five years, the emphasis is to come up with
projects that will really make a difference.
Vision Statement
Previously, Ms. Lindwall had taken vision statements composed by
subcommittees at the last task force meeting and consolidated them into one draft
vision statement that would reflect everyone’s concerns. When the vision was
presented to the task force for discussion, participants stressed that wording be
changed to reflect the task force’s position of being inclusive of all people: i.e.
low-income, all races and those who may have various health issues.
There was also concern regarding the wording around education, employment, the
arts and youth. It was determined that the vision would be enhanced to cover all
of these concerns. (See attached revision – page 8).
UPDATES FROM SUBCOMMITTEES
Representatives from each subcommittee briefed the task force on what their
subcommittees have accomplished and devised since the task force last met in its entirety.
Housing, Safety & Infrastructure Subcommittee
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This subcommittee met on April 27th, confirmed a vision and identified several
strategies to further the vision including:
 Canvas the area with flyers that contain information regarding beat meetings,
the Explorer program, Youthnet and CAPS.
 Encourage formation of more block clubs, distribute information .
 As in commercial districts, hang banners and also have decorative benches,
garbage cans and street lighting.
 Meet with owners of buildings that qualify to accept low-income tenants and
encourage them to keep their buildings accessible to low-income residents
after their tax credit status expires.
 Because low-income housing is threatened and some is substandard,
community land trusts should be investigated.
 Drexel Boulevard will be the focus of beautification efforts such as sculpture
competitions, planters, flowers and decorative lighting.
During the question and answer session, the point was made that some developers
are federally subsidized and one task force member asked if there were any
accountability agreements with these developers to make the community better
and help the existing population. The reply was that groups do work with
developers on accountability agreements and some are represented on the task
force and subcommittees.
A question was asked regarding the length of time one-third principle would be in
place (1/3 market rate, 1/3 affordable, 1/3 low-income). Though the goal is to
keep it like that forever, under city of Chicago affordable housing laws,
subsidized developers / owners can’t take affordable housing out of market for a
period of 30 years, but after that time frame, they are no longer obligated.
Suggestions made by task force members included having potential neighbors
come into the community and meet with stakeholders before they move in and
that all subcommittees should be represented at such meetings.
Education, Health & Religious Institutions Subcommittee
Rebecca Janowitz stated that the subcommittee hasn’t yet gotten into the meat of
all of its assigned issue areas during their May 8th meeting. The representatives
from this subcommittee said that they have developed their own working groups
that will report back to the subcommittee. One such group focuses on Health.
For the task force meeting on May 15th, the discussion was focused on education.
The committee will begin visiting different schools in the area on Tuesday, May
18th. Rebecca Janowitz and Olga Turner presented the group with a matrix that
showed demographics and test scores of the local elementary schools. Test scores
were noticeably higher at those schools considered magnet, charter or small.
State Representative Lou Jones currently has legislation to create neighborhood
attendance areas in charter schools. This legislation would allow the
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neighborhood to be the attendance area for the charter school, instead of the
attendance area being citywide as it is now. As Donahue Elementary may reopen
soon as a charter, task force members were urged to support this legislation.
Robinson School is a K-8 school, though it originally opened as a K-3. As there
has been an influx of small children into the neighborhood, the subcommittee
would like to see Price reorganized as a K-3 again and have the older children
moved to Price, which has the room.
Commenting on the recent unflattering news coverage of Dyett High, Olga Turner
stated that the community should not let the numbers dictate failure.
“The fact that Dyett has 10 Merit Scholars and 25 members of the National
Honor Society is proof that we can’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
Olga Turner
The committee is working on gathering information for the high schools in the
area and will report back to the task force upon completion. A task force member
suggested that the committee work with the colleges in the area as well.
Community Enrichment Subcommittee(Formerly Youth Development,
Empowerment/Employment, Community Supports & Religious Institutions)
The main focus of the committee, which met on May 12th, has been to come up
with specific resources that would focus on issues revolving around the youth of
the community. Initial strategies include:
 Develop programs and processes that focus on youth and young adults and
offer them alternatives
 Integrate technology more fully into the lives of youth
 Partner with the Park District and other organizations in the community for
recreational programs
 Reorient the youth so that they are able to combat the negative forces that
reside in the community. Create an opportunity whereby they’ll understand
that they have other choices besides ones that place them at risk.
Suggestions regarding entrepeneurship programs and civic programs were made.
A suggestion regarding separating employment out from the subcommittee was
also raised.
Commercial Development, Entertainment, Arts/Cultural Programming,
Heritage Tourism Development Subcommittee
This subcommittee met on May 8th. One goal of this subcommittee is to keep the
same vein of inclusiveness that flows through the vision statement. For
commercial development, they need to determine which areas of the community
are appropriate for larger retail businesses and which ones are better suited for
smaller ones. The committee also plans to reach out to the community and seek
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input. They also think that it’s important to look at other communities that have
experienced success and try to model themselves after those communities.
While not wanting to appear exclusive, the committee also believes that the
designs of new commercial developments need to be chosen carefully. For
example, a community full of strip malls will not work. They want studies to be
conducted regarding the impact of bringing large retail chains to the community
and their potential affect on other businesses.
When the issue of set-asides was raised in the context of protecting established
businesses from imminent domain resulting from new commercial development,
it was stated that the issue has been discussed for many years and that it will
require a great deal of work on the part of Alderman and other officials.
The importance of youth programming was discussed in terms of enhancing the
success of the Hope VI projects in the area. Programs for youth that get them
actively involved in all of the community planning efforts were viewed as
deterrents to anti-social behavior.
CLOSE OF MEETING
The meeting closed with Ray Bentley informing task force members that the community
meeting will take place on June 12th and will include two separate visioning sessions—
one for adults and one for youth. It was suggested that King and Dyett high schools be
contacted for help in involving teens in the process. The format of the next meeting was
discussed and Ray concluded the meeting by passing a sign-up sheet for those interested
in working on a potential subcommittee for youth.
The dates for the next two task force meetings were also set. They will occur on
Saturday, July 17th and Saturday, August 21st.
Direct comments to:
Sonya Malunda
Interim Executive Director
Quad Communities Development Corporation
773.702-4568
smalunda@uchicago.edu
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QUAD COMMUNITIES
QUALITY OF LIFE TASK FORCE
SUBCOMMITTEE WORKING PAPERS
Addendum to May 15th
Task Force Meeting Notes
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Quad Communities Development Corporation
Draft Community Vision Elements
Quad Communities is…
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A cohesive community that is committed to preserving its mixed-income tradition
and dedicated to racial diversity
A community that supports the development of healthy bodies and minds
A community with prosperous commercial districts with resident business owners
who create sustainable wage jobs with career paths while also creating workforce
opportunities for economic empowerment
A community that supports values and invests in its youth through educational,
recreational, cultural and intergenerational programs
A community that nurtures life-long learning environments that embrace everyone
from preschoolers to senior citizens
A community with high performing and achieving schools that are accessible to all
income groups and are economically diverse
A community that believes in empowering residents to become vested in the
community and connected with resources and tools for growth
A community that is historic, dynamic, and committed to maintaining its cultural
tradition and heritage through arts and cultural programs
A community that offers a variety of transportation options that make it easily
accessible to other Chicago neighborhoods and jobs
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EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE WORKING PAPERS
Vision Statement Draft for the Education Subcommittee
As the communities of North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas and Grand Boulevard welcome new
and returning residents while seeking to retain current residents, all children will be able to attend
high performing, economically diverse, neighborhood schools within the community that support
and challenge each child according to his or her abilities. Every school should serve as a
community education center, offering programs for residents of all ages, including local history
and cultural experiences promoting intergenerational and multicultural understanding.
Strategies Draft
Community Schools
Every elementary school should be a community school, open from 7 am to 9 pm, offering
childcare, preschool and full day kindergarten to every child. Every school, including charter
schools, should be a neighborhood school with a community attendance area and should serve
students of all abilities.
Schools should be encouraged to offer programs that challenge high performing students and
support lower performing students without limiting enrollment to the school itself
The Quad Communities should have a neighborhood high school offering a high preparatory
program that serves the graduates of all the feeder elementary schools. The high school should
offer extended learning opportunities to young adults who did not complete high school.
Responsibility for ensuring that every student who completes the 8th grade enters high school
should be clearly assigned.
All schools should have neighborhood enrollment areas to ensure economic diversity.
Evaluation, Curriculum and Instruction
All schools are evaluated with a balanced school performance scorecard that reflects more than
test scores and indicates individual student growth.
The arts and physical education are core disciplines at all schools at all levels.
All teachers receive professional development that will assist student performance.
Health Care
All schools provide all necessary screenings and are linked to clinics for follow up services.
All schools provide comprehensive health education. (Could this be combined with #2 under
evaluation?)
Projects:
Enrollment areas for local charters schools
Truant officers
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COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE WORKING PAPERS
VISION STATEMENT DRAFT:
To put into motion an active "Community First" business and economic
development plan, reflective of the primary needs, desires, culture and heritage of its residents
and stakeholders, who shall be empowered and included in a community building process that
provides the benefit of Individual and group opportunities.
STRATEGIES DRAFT:
1. Create destinations for economic development.
2. Use other communities that have been successful with both big box and small business
corridors as models.
3. Identify specific locations where economic development, arts, entertainment and cultural
tourism should begin and what types (47th, 43rd, Cottage).
4. Create an environment for informed decision making supported by existing and ongoing
research.
5. Create design standards and establish a community review board.
6. Create opportunities and assistance for local businesses, as needed.
7. Create a QCDC Website with e-mail to generate public dialogue around the haves and
needs of the community.
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HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION
SUBCOMMITTEE
VISION STATEMENT DRAFT:
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Safe and harmonious mixed income communities
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Ensuring affordable housing for all families
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Aesthetic and functional physical environment for all residents
STRATEGY STATEMENT DRAFT:
1. Increase awareness of and participation in existing crime prevention programs,
including youth enrichment programs.
2. Help neighborhoods organize into viable community organizations.
3. Use beautification efforts to create physical areas that promote a sense of safety
and well-being.
4. Work to preserve existing affordable housing.
5. Create a community that reflects one-third market rate housing, one-third
affordable housing, and one third low-income housing.
6. Beautify Drexel Boulevard from Drexel Square on the South to Mandrake Park
on the North.
7. Develop creative ways to address current use of Drexel Boulevard (tents,
barbecuing) so that it can be used more appropriately by the majority of
residents.
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COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
VISION STATEMENT:
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Educate, develop and connect community residents with resources and tools for
growth.
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Involve youth in the decision-making process of our community.
STRATEGIES:
1. Resource center that provides access to opportunities and education.
2. Promote educational and life advancement.
3. Lifestyle enrichment for seniors, adults and youth.
4. Identify specific resources to address issues and concerns that impact our youth.
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