CCAC Hears About Chicago's Action Plans for the Neighborhoods

CCAC would like to thank Jon DeVries, Director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University for hosting CCAC’s monthly luncheon on October 11, 2016. The keynote speaker was Brad McConnell, Deputy Commissioner for Executive Projects and Operations in the Department of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago. Brad McConnell provided an update on the "Chicago Neighborhoods Now Framework" and shared insights into other activities including various action plans for the neighborhoods.

In his remarks, Brad McConnell highlighted the Department's work over the last 15 months. As a planning department and working with the Mayor’s office, he expressed that they are getting smarter about the smaller things that make a big difference in neighborhoods throughout the city. The Department is using scarce resources to make the right investments, at the right time, and then being in the position to communicate that strategically so that private capital can come in.

Brad McConnell, Deputy Commissioner for Executive Projects and Operations, Department of Planning and Development, City of Chicago addressing the CCAC audience.

As McConnell continued providing an overview, he indicated the Department included the central area in creating the action plans. “To get there, we have put on a series of listening sessions. The idea has been, in each of the 16 planning areas, you bring people together to focus on the smaller things that people who live and work in the area know best," McConnell noted.  For the central area, the City held three sessions. McConnell explained, “For each of the planning areas we are clear about the way we are using the physical boundaries of the City as we find it, including the transportation network and the waterways, to create natural boundaries that are large enough to think about the supply and demand of goods and services. But not so large that we lose the plot because of the geography." He further elaborated and said, “The concept is we go out and do a series of listening – both informal and formal and then through the Mayor, publish action plans for 2017.  We plan to publish either late this fall or very early in the new year.” McConnell continued, “The action plans will have a 2-page executive summary and the first page will include a combination of history and the guiding strategies that will tell the theory of the case for next year. The second page of the executive summary will show a map listing the priority properties to show you where and what it is we intend to take action on in the following year.” McConnell explained, when we say 'We', this is not just the City’s public money. It’s the combination of that plus the nonprofit partners, private capital members and foundation money."

CCAC luncheon host Jon DeVries pointed out that this action plan is similar to the previous City of Chicago master plan. “The central area was the 16th plan. The process started in 1966, and in 1972 it became the central area plan," said Jon DeVries, Roosevelt University. The department had around 400 people participate in the discussion and roughly 1500 ideas. In the end, McConnell expressed, “what this leads to is coming up with a series of the best ideas that we heard to compliment the work we’re already doing.”

In answering questions from the CCAC audience, the impact of the investment zones were highlighted. A member asked, “Are you going to be doing comprehensive planning on the zones so that would help inform the use of the density bonus funding in a way that lifts the infrastructure in broadly gives corridors and street projects?” McConnell responded, “Yes. The truth is we’re taking very specific commercial strips in the neighborhoods and using the dollars we collect from the neighborhood opportunity bonus, depositing it into the neighborhood opportunity fund, and then drawing it out by grants application and competitive grants to make investments in the commercial strips." McConnell explained, “For the neighborhood opportunity bonus, our intent is to use the money that is collected into neighborhood opportunity fund for investing in commercial strips and potentially where appropriate supplementary development that would make a commercial strip more viable.” He continued and said, “In an isolated case, we have the flexibility to invest in residential development, if really needed. Because we need more rooftops to make a commercial strip work. The logic is because we have the ARO (affordable requirements ordinance) which functions very similarly to the neighborhoods opportunity fund that we’re establishing and we want to make sure those revenues are used specifically for the purpose for affordable housing. They cannot be used for anything else."

Noting additional activity, McConnell provided a glimpse into the City’s high level vision and hinted about an RFP being released later in the day. The objective of this RFP is redevelopment of underutilized land in a manner that adds vibrancy to Chicago’s south lakefront communities. The land that’s available to maximize the value is the Michael Reese Site located near the lakefront. He noted, “The best way to unlock the value of the land is to combine the Michael Reese site and the Marshalling Yards Site; its highly valuable to have the winning private development team partner with the land owners just to the north of the Michael Reese site for expansion; impose back in the connections of the City’s grids. So it’s part of the greater neighborhood and not just an isolated thing; and lastly get a range of mixed of uses in the site that benefits the surrounding neighborhoods. Bronzeville for example, has a lot of land there. Having amenities there makes a big difference in the values."

Before concluding McConnell emphasized the important partnership that exists between the City and CCAC. He recognized the important contributions of CCAC and its members and reinforced a desire to continue impactful collaborations.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at Sidley Austin

Join us at Sidley Austin on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 for the next CCAC lunch meeting hosted by David Siegel, Partner, Sidley Austin. 

	WHAT:	CCAC NOVEMBER LUNCH
	GUEST SPEAKER(S):	* CCAC Connector Executive Team
	DATE:	Tuesday, November 8, 2016
	TIME:	12:00 -- 1:30 p.m.
	LOCATION:	Sidley Austin  1 South Dearborn Street  Chicago, IL 60603
	HOST:	David Siegel Sidley Austin
	RSVP TO:	Kelly O'Brien at kobrien@ccac.org

The Chicago Central Area Committee has spent the past two years developing a proposal for the Connector, a new central area rail line we believe will transform the City’s fabric as profoundly as the Loop “L” did 120 years ago. The Connector would help Chicago’s central area continue to meet the transit demands of the growing downtown employment and permanent residential populations. Building the Connector would add needed transit capacity in the fastest-growing part of the City; significantly increase developable central area land; lend itself to phased construction to keep capital outlays manageable; and provide an opportunity to reduce the cost and complexity of land acquisition needed for transit given the central area’s abundance of unused rail right-of-way, vacant land and publicly owned land.

Please join us as CCAC leadership and the Connector Executive Team provides an overview of the proposal, shares highlights of the MacArthur grant application and asks for your input for the 2017 agenda.

Ranadip Bose, SB Friedman Development Advisors

Stephen Friedman, SB Friedman Development Advisors

Greg Hummel, Bryan Cave LLP

Avi Lothan, lothan van hook destefano Architecture

Andrew Moddrell, PORT Urbanism

Steve Schlickman, Schlickman & Associates

Doug Voigt, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

Ed Zotti, CCAC

Honoring Duke Realty's James P. Connor 

James B. (Jim) Connor, president and CEO,  Duke Realty will be honored on Nov. 10 with the Lifetime Industry Leadership Award at the 15th annual Real Estate Gala hosted by the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University. Duke Realty is one of the largest owners and developers of commercial property in the United States and a NYSE-listed company with $7 billion in assets. Connor serves as head of the company’s Executive Committee, overseeing the strategic direction of the company and the Investment Committee, with responsibility for major capital transactions. 

Connor is a longtime supporter of Roosevelt’s real estate program and a veteran member of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate’s advisory board. He has been instrumental in supporting Roosevelt’s real estate students, providing internships, class speakers and most recently creating the DREAM FUND, which will provide scholarships and mentoring by Duke Realty executives, positioning students for career opportunities with the commercial real estate giant after they graduate. Roosevelt will welcome its first class of DREAM FUND scholars beginning later this month.

The gala will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago, starting at 5:30 p.m.  Each year the gala is the premier real estate networking event of the year in Chicago with more than 450 industry leaders in attendance. The event provides over half of the Institute's annual operating budget as well as support for named funds and scholarships.

To register for the gala, please visit www.roosevelt.edu/realestate/gala or call Latosha McKinney at 312-281-3269.  Gala tickets are $500 per person. Tables can be purchased for $5,000, $10,000 or in higher increments and other sponsorship opportunities are available.  For more information on tables and sponsorships, please call Jan Parkin at 312-341-4327 or email her at jparkin01@roosevelt.edu  

December Meeting and Holiday Reception- December 13, 2016

Please mark your calendars for the CCAC December Meeting and Holiday Reception to be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 beginning at 4:30 pm at the office of Bryan Cave LLP, 161 N. Clark Street, Suite 4300, Chicago, IL 60601.  All CCAC Members and Young Leaders are invited to attend this meeting and holiday reception. More information will follow.

CCAC Young Leaders Membership Tier 

CCAC is pleased to have launched this new membership tier.  As you know, this initiative is geared towards young professionals, and includes dynamic programming and networking opportunities tailored to Chicago’s next generation of leaders.  Through its Young Leader initiative, CCAC is aiming to ensure that Chicago’s future continues to have thoughtful and civic-minded leaders to meet the future demands of a world-class city.

Please mark your calendars for the December meeting and Holiday Reception on Tuesday, December 13, 2016. Young Leaders, whose firms are CCAC Members are automatically included, and Individual Young Leaders are welcome to attend. 

Interested in Membership? Non-firm/Individual Young Leader Membership is $1,000.00 annually. 

Do You Have A Facebook Page? A Twitter Account? Connect with CCAC!

CCAC is proud to announce that we have created a Twitter Account, LinkedIn, and Facebook Page.  Please follow us on Twitter with our username @ChicagoCCAC or click the link below to be directed to our page. Please search for us on LinkedIn or Facebook under the Chicago Central Area Committee! Follow us!