Uptown Coalition for Responsible Development

Sign the petition  -  http://www.petitiononline.com/UCRD_1/petition.html.

Send a letter to the Chicago Plan Commission  -  click here.

Following is information on the current proposal. It has not been withdrawn, but the alderman says it will not be brought up before the Community Development Commission, the Chicago Plan Commission, the City Council Zoning Committee, or the City Council Finance Committee, until further community meetings are held. So, it's important to continue to write to the Chicago Plan Commission and to sign the petition if you have not done that already.

Sedgwick Properties Development Corp. sought secure zoning approval to jam a huge development – including two 30-to-40-story skyscrapers, a boxy eight-story 150,000 square foot office/retail/housing complex, and several other buildings – into the Maryville Academy site at Montrose and Clarendon.

The developer has been soft-pedaling these plans, but it's important to understand that they call for a gigantic complex, with eight story walls all the way around running right up to the sidewalk. Partway down Agatite it would become a parking garage 5 stories tall. No green space. The plan also calls for the erection of 30 and 39 story towers on top of the eight-story-tall box, and cutting an alley from Montrose to Agatite for truck and car traffic. Trucks would enter from Montrose, visit the loading dock, and exit onto Agatite. Cars would enter from Montrose to go to the garage, and exit onto Agatite.

As far as parking goes, they say they will “reserve” 125 parking spaces for the “neighborhood” but if they construct their proposed 850 new housing units and only half of them are two car households, then in sum their plans will lead to a net parking space deficit of 300... that is, 300 more people each night driving around looking for parking.

More details here.  Scale drawing.  Architectural plan and process review.

In Wrigleyville neighbors were able to force developers to scale back another huge development from 22 stories to eight stories, resulting in something that might actually enhance the community rather than being a towering, alien mass of steel and concrete. Likewise, in Ravenswood, residents forced developers to scale back plans for an 11-story structure the residents deemed too large for their neighborhood. Several news articles documenting these successful neighborhood interventions are available on the Successful Community Action pages.

You can help!

Sign the petition. UCRD has launched a petition drive to demonstrate community opposition to the mega-development plan, the proposed zoning changes, and the related Montrose/Clarendon TIF district. The online version of the petition available at http://www.petitiononline.com/UCRD_1/petition.html. We encourage you to sign and provide your e-mail address for ongoing updates.

Send a letter to the Chicago Plan Commission. Here's an example letter which you can use to convey your oppostion to the mega-development plan and the proposed zoning changes. Example CPC letter. Please e-mail a copy to UCRD so we know how many letters have been sent (so the city can't deny receiving them).

Volunteer. Send us an e-mail if you're interested in volunteering. UCRD needs volunteers to help with the web site, with a new facebook page, and with keeping people informed of meetings, and helping navigate the various city entities who control what happens in our neighborhood. You'll be very welcome, and you'll meet some great people!

Check out this scale drawing of the proposed mega-center compared to the current buildings on Agatite.

Please e-mail us with suggestions and comments.

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