Chicago officials have proposed a plan to address affordable housing concerns around the site of the planned Obama Presidential Center.
The city would invest about $4.5 million in four programs to help low-income residents fix their homes, help others become homeowners and renovate vacant buildings, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The proposed ordinance follows a sit-in outside Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office by protesters concerned about gentrification and neighborhood preservation and years of activism on the issue.
Activists have called for other protections including a rental assistance fund. The $500 million center planned for lakefront property on Chicago’s South Side is expected to transform parts of the city by bringing in new businesses and housing developments, but area residents have been concerned about being displaced. A construction date hasn’t been set.
“We need to be helping people more,” said Linda Tinsley who has lived in the area for 14 years.
The Obama Presidential Center will include a plaza and four buildings, along with a two-acre children’s play area and a public library branch.
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