Unlike other U.S. cities, such as Atlanta and Los Angeles, which saw housing displacement when it hosted the summer Olympic Games, Chicago’s Bronzeville residents and businesses located near the proposed Olympic Village site are being told they woul
Unlike other U.S. cities, such as Atlanta and Los Angeles, which saw housing displacement when it hosted the summer Olympic Games, Chicago’s Bronzeville residents and businesses located near the proposed Olympic Village site are being told they would not be pushed from their homes and shops.
“Not one person or business will be displaced should Chicago win the rights to host the 2016 games,” said Lori Healey, president of Chicago 2016, after the organization formally delivered the city’s bid package to the International Olympic Committee and made the bid public. “That’s why we selected the Michael Reese site for the Olympic Village because it is an isolated location.”
The Olympic Village project calls for construction of a maximum of 7,500 permanent units and 1,000 hotel rooms that could be converted into residences. A traditional street grid would also be created, along with retail, parks, schools and other amenities.
The former campus of Michael Reese Hospital & Medical Center, 2929 S. Ellis Ave., is where the Olympic Village will be built. Healey said the city expects to close on the property by June or July.
And the $976 million price tag to build the Olympic Village would be picked up by developers, not taxpayers, according to the city’s Olympic bid book submitted to the IOC Friday. An evaluation group from the IOC will visit Chicago in April, and Healey added that the group will tour the Michael Reese campus.
Developers will pick up the cost of the Olympic Village, and even if Chicago was not chosen, the city would still seek redevelopment to the site, added Healey.
______
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
About Post Author
