Zapata Apartments receive approval from Committee on Zoning
Christy Prahl
Published: September 1, 2010
The second time was a charm for Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation’s Zapata Apartments project, which went before the City of Chicago Committee on Zoning August 31. The project will create affordable apartments for more than 60 working families in the Logan Square neighborhood. Bickerdike, working in partnership with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), had secured the necessary zoning once before, though response from neighbors and further discussion with the 26th and 35th Ward Aldermen (within whose wards the buildings will be constructed) prompted reinstatement of the original classifications. Bickerdike then offered a 61-unit redesign of its original 75-unit plan, the results of which were under consideration at City Hall. With the goal of alleviating any community concerns about future changes to the proposed plans, Bickerdike ensured the zoning changes were clasified "Type 1", a designation which prohibits changes to the plans under the new zoning and allows the City more detailed oversight over the development than would a standard zoning change.
Once the architectural plans were introduced to the Zoning Committee, spirited public commentary followed. Over fifteen supporters for the project had registered to speak, but the Council restricted the group to just five. Alfredo Rodriguez, who lives on the same block as one of the Zapata lots, welcomed the new development to his neighborhood, indicating it would beautify the area and create affordable housing for working families. “Everybody deserves to live in a decent place,” he said. “These apartments will bring something better to my neighborhood . . . They’ll also create jobs.”
Rodriguez went on to say he felt the size and scale were consistent with the surrounding community. He knows of several buildings in the immediate vicinity that are four stories tall; he even had the photographs to prove it.
Sandra Van Opstal, a local resident who chose the area specifically because it is culturally diverse and mixed income, celebrated Zapata Apartments and urged the committee to approve the zoning. Her cry of “Yes, in my backyard” elicited cheers from more than 125 individuals who attended the meeting in support of the project.
Both 26th Ward Alderman Roberto Maldonado and 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colon echoed this support for the new zoning classifications. Colon asserted that he felt these buildings would still be here 100 years from now, helping to shape the story of the Logan Square community. He also delivered a petition to Committee Chair Danny Solis, reflecting 3,123 local signatures in support of the Zapata Apartments development.
Six neighbors spoke in opposition to the plan, many of them citing concerns over cost, to which Alderman Bernie Stone, a council member, responded, “We’re not here to talk about cost. This body is here to talk about land use.”
Those who did address land use, such as Logan Square resident Zach Abel, expressed concern over the building’s size and density. “It’s too big, too dense, and out of character,” he said.
The Committee on Zoning disagreed. They unanimously voted in favor of the requested zoning classifications for all four Zapata Apartments buildings.
With the zoning hurdle cleared, Bickerdike is now preparing for its next challenge: financing. The road ahead will be a demanding one, but Bickerdike and LSNA remain committed to a vision of affordable housing for working families, and the stable neighborhoods that grow from that connection.
Posted in Housing