Urban Sociology-Eminent Domain

A victory for the “blighted”
Posted by Ben Joravsky, Wed. Dec. 12, 2007, on site http://www.chicagoreader.com
In this blog posted on the Chicago Reader post it discussed the reaction from the people in Lincoln Square, regarding the city’s retreat from plans to use eminent domain to force out all the businesses on the east side of the 4800 block of North Western. The city proposed to turn the land over to an undetermined developer, who would replace the existing buildings with condos and retail stores. The funding for the project would come out of the Western/North TIF.
The citizens and merchants did not want to sell and resented the threat of being forced out. Ald. Schulter was seeking private funds to keep private development out. Apparently, Ald. Schulter had a plan to protect small businesses. The city requested a TIF handout to prevent government seizure of their properties.
On Sept. 5, about 300 residents showed up in front of Chicago Soccer, a sporting goods store at 4838 N. Western for a rally. They met and a large group of protesters marched to Ald. Schulter’s Lincoln Ave. office to demand he drop the request.
In summary, after the protest Ald. Schulter called the merchants and informed them that City Council had a change of heart and they would revise the ordinance for their TIF project. The city does not want the citizens of Chicago on their doorstep. Ald. Schulter commented that he listens to his community. This is politics in Chicago.