Chair: generally handled by the Executive Committee and numberous board members. This committee frequently collaborates with other organizations such as South East Chicago Commission and Coalition for Equitable Community Development.
Contact: president@hydepark.org and info@hydepark.org.

This is a core concern of the Conference. We support community-wide and larger mid-South planning (including modernized zoning) and transparent, non-interested conduct by officials and monitors for planning and development. 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/53rd-Lake Park (several community forums), and co-sponsored visioning workshops especially for the business district. It contributed to the model RFP for the Hyde Park Theater building. Its Harper Court forums developed sets of principles and sparked community idea-sharing and a survey for Harper Court redevelopment. It has sought open and transparent behavior on the part of developers and TIF commissions, including owners of Harper Court and its successors. Appearance of large mixed use high rise and high-rent developments was the biggest facror in the 2010s. Another problem is the threat of teardowns or to sustainabiltiy of historic churches and other properties, and we have worked with a forum on the latter. A looming problem is effect of the next slowdown (due coronavirus) and for lack of affordable housing.

One challenge in this time of accelerated change is to engage the parties, including the University of Chicago, whose actions will affect the quality and character of the neighborhoods for decades. Major items we watch includes acceleration of redevelopment inside Hyde Park and in surrounding communities (including possible increased retail competition), and affordability and build-out pressures. We have also expanded our interest outside the neighborhood through fiscal agency and affiliations.

We have weighed in for key appropriate requests for zoning changes to allow restoration and adaptive reuse of major aging assets. We work with our Disabilities Task Force and Transportation Committee to make sure people, especially seniors, can get around amd tp ensure development and neighborhood character work together.