CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) - People living in and near South Shore say they're being squeezed out by development near the future Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.
And Chicago aldermen are being asked to give final approval to a plan that could help people stay in those communities.
The Chicago City Council Housing and Real Estate Committee on Wednesday appoved South Shore alderman Desmon Yancy's plan to set aside vacant lots for development of affordable apartments and single-family houses, as well as provide property tax relief for people in South Shore, Englewood and the Lower West side.
It's a response to a surge in interest among people wanting to move near the center, which is set to open next year.
"Rents have risen in the ... area by approximately 43-percent," mayoral aide Yung Joon told the committee, "and home values have risen by 130-percent."
Dixon Romeo from South Side Together summed up what that means for people who have lived in those areas, in some cases for decades: "The rent ends up eating first."
Yancy (5th Ward), who's been working on a relief proposal for two years, urged colleagues to approve the measure. "Residents within the pilot area will be encouraged to stay in their homes, age in place, and create the kind of generational wealth that builds communities," he said. "While this ordinance doesn't solve for every issue, its impact will be felt for generations."
Woodlawn alderwoman Jeanette Taylor represents the area closest to the Obama Center. She upbraided the Council and city leaders for not doing enough to protect people in her community from potential gentrification.
"There are thousands of people who have been displaced from the 20th Ward and the Woodlawn community," Taylor said. "We didn't do this right the first time."
The City Council is poised to consider the measure during Thursday's meeting of the full council -- its first since July.