Public Meeting #2 will present the findings from the completed demographic, economic, real estate, and site analysis as part of Task 1. Existing Conditions and Task 2. Financial Analysis. The meeting will be in an open house format with seven separate stations for participants to review findings, ask questions, and answer questions related to the topic areas. The open house format does not have a rigid time schedule to allow for a natural flow of information gathering and participation. Community members are encouraged come and visit each station anytime within the three-hour meeting window.

The seven stations are:

Welcome & Intro

This station will be the beginning for all participants. People will sign-in and share a little more about themselves as community members to help the project team ensure everyone is able to fully participate. With a map of the neighborhood, participants will identify where they are from and create their “user profile”. The user profile allows individuals to self-identify as one of for stakeholder types: someone who lives in Pilsen, someone who works in Pilsen, someone who owns a business or property in Pilsen, or someone who does not fit in the previous three types but is still interested in Pilsen.

Demographics

This station will present key findings that highlight the demographics of the Pilsen community and how it compares to the City of Chicago as a whole. This will include factors like total population, race and Latinx ethnicity, income, and poverty status, and citizenship status. This station is meant to provide context for the community and will not include any questions for participants to answer.

Open Space

This station will include a map of the neighborhood, highlighting existing public spaces such as parks, community gardens, schools, etc. Participants will be asked to share how often they use parks and trails in Pilsen. Through a series of example photos, they will also be asked to identify what kinds of programming for open space they want to see on the project site. These could include sports courts, play equipment, water features, gardens, etc.

Mobility

At this station, participants will see maps of different transportation options that currently exist throughout the neighborhood such as driving, biking, walking, and public transit. It will also include metrics for these different modes. Participants will be asked to share what modes they regularly use to travel within and outside of Pilsen as well as how they would rate existing bike lanes and sidewalks in the neighborhood. They will also be asked to share their thoughts on maintaining Peoria Street as public roadway through the project site.

Housing

This station will showcase key housing metrics for the neighborhood including owner vs. renter levels, households experiencing a cost burden, and housing type. It will also include a housing/resident profile to better define housing “affordability” as it relates specifically to the Pilsen neighborhood. Participants will be able to see where they fit into the affordability conversation based on their current household income and determine for themselves which level of housing affordability is most important to develop on the 18^th & Peoria project site. They will also be asked to share what types of housing (single-family home, townhomes, multifamily apartments, walkups, etc.) they would like to see on the site by choosing a series of images.

Nonresidential Development

This station includes results from an analysis of commercial real estate in Pilsen as well as the spending trends on groceries, retail goods, and restaurants. Here participants will be asked to share what types of nonresidential uses they would like to see on the project site. This includes specific types of retail goods or services businesses, entertainment, or food providers. Questions about public uses such as libraries, community centers, nonprofits, etc. will also be asked.

Vision Setting

This final session is a culmination of all the others. At it, participants will be asked to share exactly what they think should be built on the 18^th & Peoria project site. Each participant will be given a map of the project site and a set of LEGO blocks to build an example of their ideas. This will allow them to show the project team and their fellow community members how they want to see the project site be used and how it will fit within the context of Pilsen neighborhood.

Virtual Component

To help community members that are not able to attend Public Meeting #2 in person still participate, a virtual component will be provided. It will take place at the same time as the in-person open house. It will be an open presentation that presents the same information as the stations but in a format that is better suited for virtual engagement. Community members that join the virtual component will still be asked to share the same ideas as those participating in person.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83098608368?pwd=L2xPQ1VkZ0xET0tpajFXVzhHWk5ZUT09