Washington Park plan presented to Daley, Fanton

Washington Park residents joined their brethren from around the city in May to see area leaders present the comprehensive Washington Park quality of life plan to Mayor Richard M. Daley and Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation.

Wash Park award

Presenting to Mayor Richard M. Daley and MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton were Murray Johnson(left) and Rev. Richard Tolliver.

Photo: Juan Francisco Hernandez

This occurred on a dais in a packed ballroom at the Chicago Hilton and Towers during the LISC New Communities Program Roll Out Assembly for all 14 NCP neighborhoods.

Murray Johnson, president of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association, and Rev. Richard Tolliver, president of St. Edmund's Redevelopment Corporation presented the plan, while Ald. Arenda Troutman and her staff participated in the planning process and were in attendance.

"This is a great day for Washington Park," said Mary Beard, secretary of the WPNA, as she watched Daley and Fanton honor the planning efforts of SERC, the WPNA and organizations in the other 13 neighborhoods that presented their plans.

"I commend all of the residents and organizers involved in the New Communities Program for taking responsibility for strengthening the economic and social life of their neighborhoods and helping us to create a stronger and more vibrant city," Daley said. "The City of Chicago welcomes the ideas in these plans, and we have already begun working with many groups and look forward to working with many others in helping turn their visions into reality."

"We are encouraged by the positive response from public agencies and private funders," Fanton said. "With strategies that are based on solid data and a clear understanding of market dynamics, the plans offer real opportunities for improving conditions in city neighborhoods. The health of individual neighborhoods affects the city as a whole and even the region. If you care about the city, investing in neighborhoods just makes sense."

The New Communities Program is a long-term, comprehensive approach to urban development that uses grassroots neighborhood planning as a central tool for improving the quality of life of community residents. NCP looks at the whole community, including schools, parks, health care, childcare, community safety, organizing, social services, and opportunities for economic development

Although the 14 plans vary according to community condition and particular need, certain common critical issues emerged in virtually every one of the planning processes, which NCP will address on a broader policy basis. These issues include the need to enhance education and youth services, build family wealth, increase housing that is available across a broad spectrum of incomes and ages, increase retail service and reduce crime.

Managed by LISC and led by lead agencies in neighborhoods around Chicago, NCP will help bring new resources to the Washington Park community. Titled "Rebuilding the Neighborhood," Washington Park's plan identifies several critical issues and projects that will strengthen the neighborhood as a balanced, mixed-income community, including:

  • Affordable housing options through new housing investment and rehabilitation of existing buildings;
  • An employment assistance program to help with job readiness training and job placement;
  • A new business/research park and increased retail and commercial activity;
  • Fences and right-of-way improvement along 63rd Street;
  • Creation of more transportation options and more parks and green spaces for local children and families;
  • Support for and engagement of community residents to address unmet community needs; and,
  • An old-fashioned neighborhood-welcoming program that will provide new residents with a community directory and newsletter.

For more information or to get involved in the revitalization initiative taking place in Washington Park, please visit the SERC website at www.sercchicago.org or call us at(773) 752-8893.