Board of Aldermen 02-23-2021 Page 30
Alderman Dowd
Skip has his hand up.
President Wilshire
Oh I’m sorry. Skip?
Alderman Cleaver
Yes, thank you very much Madam. | wasn’t aware that we were going to get into this convoluted argument
about parking spaces and so on and so forth. But in general | am very much in favor of the project moving
forward. | think it would be beneficial to the City and so on and there’s a lot of pluses and a lot of positives that
go along with it. However, City land getting to a private developer for profit indefinitely into the future, | think the
least that we can do is ask that 15% or 22 of the units minimum be affordable housing and feel strongly about
that. It is City-owned property and we need to get some benefit. This is a tremendously important need for our
City and for our folks and | think it would be a very, very opportune time to incorporation at least that many
units in affordable housing. That’s it.
President Wilshire
Further discussion? Alderman Lopez?
Alderman Lopez
| want to echo those sentiments, | think that’s a very good idea but | think there are other approaches that we
need to consider as well; potentially rent stabilization or something along those lines. | don’t think targeting one
specific project without any context behind that really makes any sense. Not that | am disagreeing with
Alderman Cleaver, but more that I’ve observed that this particular project has been targeted by advocates |
guess. Just because of its proximity to another project, regardless of the factors or logistics that are involved
or the fact that it was designed just one bedrooms instead of families and | think we need to be very
responsible to the people we are pledging to serve or representing ourselves as advocating for in making sure
that we are thoroughly briefing them on projects that we are trying to suggest that they stand up for. And
making sure that we are being attentive to their needs and the priorities that they have and not just gearing up
to come out and advocate for something we have decided that we want without really any context.
| have jumped any number of causes in the past, but specifically in areas where | have a lot of background and
a lot of research. And | think we do need to do more as a City in terms of a more holistic approach to
affordable housing. But | don’t think that should be specifically project by project and | don’t think this is the
right one for it. Thank you.
President Wilshire
Further discussion? Seeing none, would the Clerk please call the roll?
A viva voce roll call was taken which resulted as follows:
Yea: Alderman O’Brien, Alderman Klee, Alderman Dowd,
Alderman Caron, Alderman Clemons, Alderman Lopez, Alderman Tencza,
Alderwoman Lu, Alderman Jette, Alderman Schmidt, Alderman Laws,
Alderman Cleaver, Alderwoman Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Wilshire 14
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
