7. Compensations for the community
As pointed out in the May 30 report, “Oak Park is unusual in that it has no regulatory structure that requires developers to compensate the Village … for the increased need for facilities to serve a larger population.”
The proposed contributions by the developer to the Village are so trivial as to be laughable—or insulting.
Promises of monetary contributions. When a developer stands to make tens of millions of dollars on a project, and gets wind of public opposition to it, it is a sound business decision to offer a few percent of the profit to various local groups. Albion has proposed to do this, apparently hoping that residents will not be further offended by the obvious attempt to buy support for a project that does not serve the community as a whole. Some of the recipients of this minor largesse are worthy, pro-social organizations; others serve the developers’ own interests (e.g., the Chamber of Commerce). In either case, the effect is to pressure the named organizations to support the project, while providing Albion and its parent companies with the kind of friendly face that businesses routinely spend money to cultivate.
This is an offer that should be refused: It does not compensate for an inappropriate development that the community will pay for for a century or two.
So-called “greenway.” The Albion report touts the creation of a pedestrian greenway as a compensatory amenity. This so-called greenway would run along the west side of the building from Lake Street to the alley behind the lot. It would total less than one tenth of an acre. It will be bereft of nearly any sunlight, with no visual amenities along the building—just a blank wall. It will be a dark walkway that dead-ends at the alley. It has little value or purpose as a public amenity or as a compensation for environmental degradation. Again, the minor proposed modifications to the alley, even if implemented, cannot change this into an actual public green space.
The “green wall” in Albion’s proposal lacks sunlight, would require as much as 7 years to reach full height, and would be completely, or largely, bare from autumn through spring.
Rotating art program. This is a proposed display of some artwork within the narrow, dark, and likely windy walkway describe above. This cannot be considered a serious contribution to the arts in Oak Park. Bluestone sidewalk. This is not a contribution to the community—it is an amenity designed to make the building look more up-scale, thus increasing rentals and the sale price of the building. This is not a gift to the community.
In sum: Now that further details are known, it is even more clear now than it was on May 30: For all the disadvantages this project entails, there is very little in way of compensating benefits for the community that will bear the long-term costs of this project in quality of life and economic security.