HPKCC Development, Preservation and Zoning

Committee homepage

Brought to you by Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, its Development Committee, and its website hydepark.org, with assistance from the Preservation Committee of the Hyde Park Historical Society (Jack Spicer, Chairman).
Chairman and writer Gary Ossewaarde, hpkcc@aol.com

We've shortened our name, but not our interest, to "Development Committee". Our purpose is to monitor, impact, and sponsor community conversation on potential for and impacts of, development in our neighborhood through: forums, surveys, position papers, and above all collaboration with the many organizations, groups, officials, agencies, businesses and residents who have a stake in change, well being and quality of life in Hyde Park and Kenwood. And we engage with many outside our community as well. We strongly support appropriate and balanced development in accord with principles and objectives residents have asked for, and above all support community input.

Those with whom our collaboration is most active are: 53rd Street TIF Advisory Council and its committees, Coalition for Equitable Community Development, Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force, Hyde Park Historical Society and its Preservation Committee, Interfaith Open Communities, Older Women's League of Hyde Park and Illinois, Southside Solidarity Network. Visit also the TIF-based vision53.org.

To find the work of our committee (and loads of links), visit especially the Development Navigator, Development Detail and their sub pages, 53rd Street News home, Harper Court Sale home, and TIF News home. Other sets of pages can be found from History and Preservation home and Zoning and Development home or in the Site Index page.
Here:

Development Committee's "in play" and watch list

This listing was suggested by and draws from the preservation and development reports prepared and regularly furnished by Jack Spicer of the Hyde Park Historical Society's Preservation Committee. (The Society's website is www.hydeparkhistory.org.) These questions are also the province of other websites such as www.vision53.org and of numerous blogs (find lists in the Neighborhood Links page.)

Brief status statements will be filled in and updated from time to time. Background is in the pages referenced in the Preservation and Development navigators listed above.

Structures most likely to go soon or later:

Structures likely to go except for facade (could still include the Hospital and Theater/Herald):

Some developments announced, in process, or expected that affect historic and other structures:

Developments-- cleared (or soon to be) sites and definite or indefinite plans

Institutions threatened by financial difficulties or institutional encroachment

New University and University-related construction- details in University and Community, University Projects Updates, South Campus Plan, and Woodlawn.

The Development Committee, formed about late 2005, has been one of the most active as well as largest Conference committee.

The committee has hosted a large number of forums on development and related topics-- Future of 53rd Street, What's Right and What's Wrong with Hyde Park, Harper Court (several), and co-sponsored visioning workshops especially for the business district. It contributed to model RFP for the Theater building. It's Harper Court forums developed sets of principles and sparked community idea-sharing and a survey for Harper Court redevelopment. It has sought right behavior on the part of developers including owners of Harper Court. One of our challenges in this time of accelerated change is to engage the parties, including the University, whose actions will affect the quality and character of the neighborhoods for decades.