CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson is defending the now-abandoned plan to house migrants in a tent base camp in the Brighton Park neighborhood that was tabled, because of toxins in the soil.
The cost of work that was done on the site was nearly a million dollars.
The project was shut down this month by Governor J.B. Pritzker over environmental concerns after state environmental regulators determined there were too many harmful metals and other toxic substances detected on the property for it to safely serve as a winterized tent shelter housing up to 2,000 migrants.
Mayor Brandon was asked if the base camp plan a mistake.
“There were 4,000 people living in police districts and the airports, 4,000 sleeping outside, on the floor,” he responded.
“Could I ask a different question? Is it a mistake to not address the crisis? To not plan for it? One would say resoundingly that yes, it would be a mistake not to plan for it. I’m planning for it with everything in me.”
While the Brighton Park camp plan is no longer in the picture, the city has not abandoned the base camp idea. A site at 115th and Halsted is still being assessed, according to Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson’s deputy chief-of-staff.
"Right now, we’re looking at 2024 with our predictive models as well as our cost savings and trying to figure out within our [housing and shelter] stock what makes sense to consolidate and what makes sense to continue to expand,” she said.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram