KOCO is a founding member of the Obama CBA Coalition, creating a community benefits agreement, or CBA, to protect low-income and working families as the Obama Presidential Center transforms the South Side.
The Obama Presidential Center will be a boon to our neighborhoods, bringing new businesses, homes, residents and improved infrastructure.
But that growth will raise home prices and rents for our families, forcing them to abandon the places they’ve lived in for generations. Our communities needed a community benefits agreement, or CBA, to protect those families from the effects of gentrification.
After two years of engaging hundreds of community residents to hear their concerns and recommendations, the Obama CBA Coalition developed a community benefits agreement and negotiated a new city ordinance. The Obama CBA is between the Obama Foundation, the University of Chicago, the City of Chicago, and the community, and KOCO continues to put the spotlight on community concerns.
Six areas of concern were identified: economic development, education, employment, housing, sustainability, and transportation. Recommendations include: 30% set-aside of affordable housing for new and rehab construction, freeze property taxes for long-time residents, local hiring for all jobs connected to the OPC, creation of Black business corridors, etc. The full CBA can be found here: www.obamacba.org/ordinance
