Obama Library South Side Community Benefits Agreement Coalition
DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES
In keeping with the commitment of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to strengthen families, the Obama Library South Side Community Benefits Agreement Coalition (the “Coalition”) celebrates the opportunity of the Obama Presidential Center in concert with the University of Chicago and the City of Chicago (collectively, the “Library”) to bring unprecedented redevelopment benefits to households in the neighborhoods surrounding the site of the future Library.
As critical stakeholders, we are committed to participation that reflects our right to self-determination, equitable development, and a legally binding community benefits agreement. To guarantee these rights the Coalition has cultivated a diverse group of perspectives, skills, and goals to coordinate, collaborate, and engage with the Library, including seasoned community development practitioners and the leadership of low-income and working African American tenants, home and business owners, youth, seniors, and long-time-residents.
We universally agree that the Obama Presidential Center has the power and duty to help restore suffering south side communities in innovative ways, and to begin leveling the playing field historically pitched against African Americans. While we recognize the old ways of redeveloping black communities have not created community wealth, we see exciting potential to develop differently now. We aim to catalyze measurable and substantial increases in our community wealth and well-being through sustainable, inter-generational land ownership and transfer; increased revenue streams through neighbor-owned businesses and buildings; and revived resources for vibrant lifelong learning.
Collectively the Principles below create the foundation for a comprehensive south side master plan which sustains cultural heritage and prioritizes rewards and incentives to present residents. Achieving these ambitions will require a Community Benefits Agreement which embraces the following Development Principles:
Employment
Economic Development
Education
Housing
Transportation
Sustainability
Thank you for the blessed potential of this monumental project. We appreciate your partnership at this historic time.
Signed on September 29, 2016:
Bronzeville Regional Collaborative
Kenwood Oakland Community Organization
Prayer in Action Collective
Southside Together Organizing for Power
Awaiting signatures:
Marty Nesbitt, Obama Presidential Foundation
Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago
Robert Zimmer, University of Chicago
DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES
In keeping with the commitment of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to strengthen families, the Obama Library South Side Community Benefits Agreement Coalition (the “Coalition”) celebrates the opportunity of the Obama Presidential Center in concert with the University of Chicago and the City of Chicago (collectively, the “Library”) to bring unprecedented redevelopment benefits to households in the neighborhoods surrounding the site of the future Library.
As critical stakeholders, we are committed to participation that reflects our right to self-determination, equitable development, and a legally binding community benefits agreement. To guarantee these rights the Coalition has cultivated a diverse group of perspectives, skills, and goals to coordinate, collaborate, and engage with the Library, including seasoned community development practitioners and the leadership of low-income and working African American tenants, home and business owners, youth, seniors, and long-time-residents.
We universally agree that the Obama Presidential Center has the power and duty to help restore suffering south side communities in innovative ways, and to begin leveling the playing field historically pitched against African Americans. While we recognize the old ways of redeveloping black communities have not created community wealth, we see exciting potential to develop differently now. We aim to catalyze measurable and substantial increases in our community wealth and well-being through sustainable, inter-generational land ownership and transfer; increased revenue streams through neighbor-owned businesses and buildings; and revived resources for vibrant lifelong learning.
Collectively the Principles below create the foundation for a comprehensive south side master plan which sustains cultural heritage and prioritizes rewards and incentives to present residents. Achieving these ambitions will require a Community Benefits Agreement which embraces the following Development Principles:
Employment
- A majority of jobs should go to residents from the communities surrounding the library.
- Jobs should be set aside for hard-to-employ populations including: people in low income housing, ex offenders, youth, seniors and long-time unemployed.
- Workforce development programs should be set up to meet local hiring requirements.
- All jobs should pay at least a living wage.
- Community should have input in hiring of security and other jobs that impact quality of life.
- There should be quarterly reports which monitor hiring.
Economic Development
- Development occurs without ultimately displacing present residents.
- Develop a black business corridor and generally support local small business development.
- Establish a revenue-sharing program with the Library and the black business corridor to support local community and economic development activities.
- Set aside a majority of all contracts with the Library for minority-owned businesses.
Education
- The Library should partner with local schools to enhance school programming, including curriculum, tutoring, and other supports.
- The Library should offer its programming free to Chicago Public School students.
- The Library should establish a relationship with Chicago Public Libraries and other area libraries to share resources.
Housing
- Support the development of a Federation of Community Land Trusts in the surrounding neighborhoods.
- A significant guaranteed set-aside of new housing for low-income housing in the area surrounding the Library.
- Create an emergency rental assistance program.
Transportation
- Improve Metra Electric with input from community stakeholders.
- Restore #1 Bus to its Official Route.
- Facilitate transit-oriented economic development.
Sustainability
- Sustain, increase, upgrade, and maximize green open space for local uses and local users.
- Replace the 21-acre footprint of The Library with at least 21 acres of quality nearby park land, designed for, with, and by neighboring stakeholders, including state-of-the-art replacement sports facilities.
- Establish a Green Infrastructure Master Plan for neighborhoods surrounding the Library.
- Support and engage Sustainable South Side Community Council in developing resilience features applicable to all new development, upgrades, repairs, and future planning.
- Appoint “Sustainable Chicago” representative from City of Chicago to connect and translate its initiatives to applications in the neighborhoods surrounding the Library.
Thank you for the blessed potential of this monumental project. We appreciate your partnership at this historic time.
Signed on September 29, 2016:
Bronzeville Regional Collaborative
Kenwood Oakland Community Organization
Prayer in Action Collective
Southside Together Organizing for Power
Awaiting signatures:
Marty Nesbitt, Obama Presidential Foundation
Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago
Robert Zimmer, University of Chicago