Some supporters view the Obama Presidential Center as a welcomed investment in a historically underserved area, while long-time residents and community members worry it may accelerate gentrification.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Today marks a major milestone for Chicago’s South Side, as the Obama Presidential Center officially opens to the public. Some supporters view the center as a welcome investment in a historically underserved community, while some community members worry it could accelerate gentrification and force longtime residents out of the neighborhood. From member station WBEZ, Araceli Gómez-Aldana is at the public opening. She joins us now. Hey, Araceli.
ARACELI GÓMEZ-ALDANA, BYLINE: Hey, how’s it going?
KELLY: Pretty well. Tell us, where you are, exactly what you see, how the community is reacting to the public opening.
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: You know, it’s a beautiful day in Chicago. It is busy. There’s a lot of energy. Hundreds of people are here. I’ve spoken to locals and people from out of town. It is Juneteenth, a holiday, so a lot of people were here early. I will say, there was traffic. A little – you know, it was a little tricky to get here, but overall, people are excited. They are happy to talk to us. I’ve been hearing how proud Chicagoans are to have this center right here in their hometown. I spoke to Florence James (ph). She lives in the area, and she thinks the center will reinvigorate residents.
FLORENCE JAMES: Everything’s just been lying dormant. It hasn’t been a lot of traffic for years. And because this is here, it just created a staple where we can come and have quality instruments – like computers, studios in there, working rooms – so we can actually get what we need done and still be inspired.
KELLY: Well, and Araceli, they’ve had a lot of time to get ready for this. This project has been – what? – many years in the making.
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: That is right. The center was projected to open in 2021 but was delayed due to lawsuits and budget overruns.
KELLY: Budget overruns – tell me about some of the twists and turns in that whole process.
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: Yeah, you know, there’s been a lot. I remember, actually, last year – or two years ago around this time, former President Barack Obama paid a visit to the area to mark a construction milestone. He spent time thanking architects and construction workers, but he was also met by protesters. And these protesters – they want to express their concerns over the center’s construction, how it could lead to long-term residents being priced out of the surrounding neighborhoods, and that tension has been growing since the center was proposed back in 2016. Yeah.
KELLY: Talk me through that tension because there does also seem to be a lot of excitement around it – like, supporters thinking, hey, this center could really help the neighborhood.
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: Yeah, I spoke to residents, and they view the center as a major investment in a community that they feel has experienced decades of disinvestment. They point to potential benefits, including job creation, increased tourism and improvements to infrastructure. We are seeing some of those signs already – things like roads being fixed, city investment to capital projects, $2 million to extend public transport to help people get here – so lots of changes like that, which are already visible around the neighborhood. And I think overall, many residents just hope that the project will generate opportunities so that they – that have been lacking in this area for years.
KELLY: And then speak to the other piece of it, the tension about affordability.
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: Oh, yeah, it’s – you know, it’s a big concern for a lot of people in the area. Right now, this tension has been growing since – you know, years, decades. We have the University of Chicago very close by, so the campus already affects the affordability of the area. I will say that the Obama Foundation did spend a lot of time talking to residents and hearing concerns from community members as the center was, you know, being constructed. But ultimately, the activists were demanding for Community Benefits Agreement, a CBA. It’s a legally binding contract, but the agreement was never reached.
KELLY: And in just a sentence or two, what are you watching for? What are you monitoring going forward?
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: I think residents are going be closely watching whether this actually does promise some economic opportunities, and hopefully it’s felt by local families and businesses here.
KELLY: WBEZ reporter Araceli Gómez-Aldana reporting from Chicago, thanks very much.
GÓMEZ-ALDANA: You’re welcome.
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