The Lawndale Alliance

Contacts: Valerie F. Leonard, 773-521-3137, valeriefleonard@msn.com

Joe Ann Bradley, 773-450-2400, joeabradley@yahoo.com

October 18, 2007

Alderman Sharon D. Dixon Alderman Ricardo Munoz

24th Ward 22 nd
Ward
1630 South Central Park 2500 South St. Louis
Chicago, IL 60623 Chicago, IL 60623
Dear Aldermen:

On behalf of the Lawndale Alliance, we would like to thank you for taking the
time to address the Proposed Ogden-Pulaski TIF at our Town Hall Meeting,
held on October 15, 2007 at the House of Prayer Church of God in Christ.
While there are a number of issues that still must be addressed, we
appreciate the candor with which you answered the questions placed before
you. We also appreciate the movement in such areas as cleaning up the
property lists and starting to formulate TIF advisory council. We will be
following up with a letter to the Commissioner of Planning and Development,
copied to you, outlining the concerns that remain outstanding.
On October 9, 2007, you and the Chicago Department of Planning and
Development held a meeting on the Proposed Ogden-Pulaski TIF. The
presentation team indicated at the time, that you did not know when the
plan would be ready, and would not move forward without community
support. You also gave the audience worksheets to provide feedback on the
redevelopment budget. You said you would have as many meetings as
necessary, get more community input, and create a TIF Advisory Council.
The local TIF Advisory Council will be put in place by the end of November.
On Monday, October 15th, Alderman Dixon informed us that the Chicago
Department of Planning and Development plans to release a revised plan on
Friday, October 19, 2007. The plan will be filed with the City Clerk prior to its
release on Friday. From a legal stand point, this will be the very first step in
the approval process. If the plan is filed on or before November 2nd it will be
introduced to the Chicago Community Development Commission for review
on November 13th—at least 2 weeks before the TIF Advisory Council
is put into place.
In order to ensure that our elected officials are moving in concert with the
community, we respectfully request that you hold off on filing the plan with
the City Clerk’s Office until such time as

1. you meet with the community to share which of the suggestions

provided by the community were incorporated into the plan;
2. you address concerns raised by the community;
3. the TIF Advisory Council is selected; participates in an orientation
process; has an opportunity to read the redevelopment plan and
 provide informed advice.

We believe these actions will go a long way towards restoring transparency

to the development process. Your assistance in this matter is most
appreciated. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Valerie F.
Leonard at 773-521-3137 or Joe Ann Bradley at 773-450-2400.

Sincerely,

THE LAWNDALE ALLIANCE