Rogers Park Seniors Oppose Plan To Turn Community Room Into Target
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some seniors living in a Chicago Housing Authority high-rise in Rogers Park were protesting plans to turn their community room, garden, and parking garage into a new Target store.
Chanting "No vote on Target," residents of the 22-story Caroline Hedger Apartments at Sheridan Road and Devon Avenue spoke a CHA board meeting at 48th and Wabash on Tuesday, urging the board to reject the plan.
"What we have here is a failure to communicate," one senior said.
The seniors said they were promised input on the project, but that has not happened.
"Putting the interests of private investment and private corporations over the quality of life for seniors is not acceptable," Dana Craft said.
The CHA is negotiating with Three Corners Development to replace the community room, garden, and parking garage next to the Caroline Hedger tower with new apartments, parking, and a Target store.
The seniors said that plan is unacceptable.
"The CHA has not sought out the seniors who will be most impacted by this," Craft said. "CHA is focused on giving away public land to a private developer, and doesn't have the interests of the seniors of the surrounding community in mind."
Neighbors said they're concerned about the impact the project would have on traffic and noise, and back the seniors in opposition of the plan.
"We're concerned about the seniors who are our neighbors and our friends. We used to watch them in their gardens, and now we watch them negotiating construction," said neighbor Amy Mosely Miller.
More than 150 residents of the building have signed petitions opposing the project.
