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9h ago

Chicago Council Panel Advances Jackson Park Housing Pilot Near Obama Center

The scaled-back measure moves to a final vote following last-minute cuts to tenant provisions.

A sea of dandelions is seen at Rosenblum Park near a row of houses in the 7500 block of South Constance Avenue in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood on April 24, 2017. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
The Obama Presidential Center looms over the water at Jackson Park while under construction on Sept. 8, 2025, in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • The City Council’s Housing and Real Estate Committee approved the ordinance unanimously, sending it to the full council for a vote Thursday.
  • The pilot would reserve 30 city-owned lots for affordable homeownership and rental units, extend lease nonrenewal notice up to 120 days, and prioritize buyers displaced since the Obama Presidential Center was announced.
  • The package totals about $6 million, with $3 million from the Housing Department and $3 million expected from philanthropy, and it includes grants of up to $5,000 to help owner-occupants clear property tax debt in South Shore, Englewood and the Lower West Side.
  • A last-minute amendment stripped out citywide tenant measures such as a proposed Office of the Tenant Advocate and a rental registry, which the mayor’s office said will be addressed separately.
  • The pilot area spans 60th Street to 71st Street and King Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive, excluding the 7th and 8th wards after objections from Ald. Gregory Mitchell, as officials cite rents up 43% and home values up 130% since 2015 in the zone.