>> The Chicago Fire Stadium is just about set for construction after getting City Council approval.

The soccer stadium is set to go on the site known as the 78 just south of the loop city officials and the fire touting an estimated 2 billion dollars plus in economic activity and 140 million dollars in yearly tax revenue.

But some area residents are worried about the impact the surrounding infrastructure could have on the community, including concerns about potential gentrification.

Joining us to talk about the stadium.

Developments are day Baldwin, president of the Chicago Fire Football Club Alderwoman Pat down with the 3rd Ward, which includes the site where the new stadium would be located.

Consuela Hendricks, co-founder of People matter.

And Debbie, Lou, president of the painting Tom Park Advisory Council.

Thanks to all of you for joining us next So day.

Baldwin, let's start with you.

Please.

Stadium promises.

22,000 seats generating thousands of jobs, millions of dollars in revenue.

As we've said.

And to finally develop what has been a long vacant site to 78.

Why do you think the fire needs this stadium way here?

Yes, it's a great question.

I first and foremost, appreciate you having me on.

This is really a historic moment for our city.

And so we're really excited to be anchor, the 78.

>> When Joe Minutes way to purchase the team in 2019, the first thing that he did was move the club downtown moved away from seeking stadium in Bridgeview to the iconic soldier Field.

Spent 65 million dollars to move the team downtown.

And we love playing at the iconic soldier Field.

It's it's a great stadium.

It's historic, but for a variety of reasons, it doesn't work for us.

It's not purpose-built for soccer.

The Bears play there.

There's concerts are some other things.

And as part of that, we began about a year ago to look at a variety of different options you know, look at all the different mega sites and we fell love with the 78.

I think the the vicinity to the loop into downtown that public transportation options.

And it offers and we fell in love with some of the constraints that the site has to write.

It's a sort of a long, narrow site right along the river.

We love the river, accessibility and it it's a little bit of a passion project for Joe.

He actually put out a letter in early June that I sort of affectionately coined his love letter to the city of Chicago and he talked about how a world-class city deserves a world-class soccer team.

Didn't have a world class soccer team.

have a world-class soccer stadium to match.

And so that's why we're really excited about this project.

>> On the one hand how does this benefit the community?

I think it benefits the community a number of ways.

First, we have some property that 62 acres that is set foul.

>> For almost 50 years, I think that it brings more vitality to the South loop into the surrounding areas like China town.

It brings a some investment in an area where we need investment, new housing units of which.

20% of them will be affordable and some new retail, the South Loop in the week.

General area, we're always looking for more retail opportunities and it creates over 5,000 jobs when the full build out, he's done.

I think it's very important that we have new job opportunities in the city.

>> Consuela Hendricks, Coalition for better Chinese American community.

They requested both the displacement impact study from a neutral 3rd party as well as a a and neutral traffic study.

What concerns do you have about this development?

I have concerns by the Feldman mostly gone around to defecation displacement.

>> We also have traffic concerns happening as well as just like the overall impact that's going to happen to many of the people who live in the surrounding area.

I would like also say yes, in may provide jobs, but a lot of people.

>> Will.

>> what kind of jobs the better question right?

These temporary jobs that were they provide health care benefits?

Will they actually be able to be helping black brown, Asian folks who will be impacted in the neighboring communities.

And we know that you defecation happens over time and we may not know impact right now, but we know that these communities around Brownsville times home pills and will inevitably be displaced.

>> Debby what would you need to see or hear from the city and from the fire club or the football club?

Excuse to feel comfortable with this development.

Also.

>> Yeah, so I think originally they had sought planned development amendment which passed City Council.

I think originally the original plan development allowed for a stadium.

So the amendments actually took away certain provisions that they were seeking such as like transportation related concerns such as Red Line Station, Metro Realignment, 15th Street and those things are no longer part of that plan development.

if we are replacing them with something else, it is unclear what we are replacing them with.

And I know in previous conversations and presentations, it did seem like they were seeking a public parking lot, for example.

there is no hand there's no redevelopment agreement.

There's note if there's nothing that concretely chose the community, what are the things that you are going to invest in and the things that we are potentially going to see like if were talking about impacts Chinatown.

Chinatown is very busy on Saturdays.

And if they're competing with Chicago fire games, it just could add a lot more congestion concerns to the nearby residents.

I think the traffic study shows that that's not going to be the case.

>> Traffic on Saturday going to be much less than it is on a typical Saturday with the fire coming in.

I think that the issue about time.

The other phases and what's going to happen in the other faces.

That's a discussion that people in the community we'll have as we move forward.

This plan is for phase one, which includes just the Chicago Fire Stadium and some retail opportunities and a parking garage that will support the stadium and support the community in terms of the jobs, they'll be jobs out of the stadium will be jobs out of retail.

The the the owner related Midwest says even had discussions with the China China Town community about perhaps using the lodge to be a secondary parking space so that those businesses in Chinatown could actually have more people come to that area and spend your money.

Okay, cause parking in It is a challenge.

So you're saying that believe it to be an opportunity to parking garage in Fulton, every staff try to stop or 2 day Baldwin, what do you say and what does the fire club say?

What what effort has the organization made to bring the community in on some of these developments to allay some of the concerns that you're hearing?

Yeah.

>> So one of the unique things about sports as we have this amazing platform, right?

I think sports really has ability to May's to unite and to inspire a city.

And so.

>> Part of that happens on game day in the stands.

And part of that happens 365 days a year with our community involvement.

The fire where the first less team to have a nonprofit foundation.

We do a variety of work in the community primarily in CPS, primarily in underprivileged areas Alderman Donald did a fantastic job in this process over the last 3 months of taking us outside just what current community work is and actually going and meeting with a variety of constituents, constituents not just in her ward, but the surrounding words as well.

And so I think there was a lot of conversation that took place and we were able to incorporate a lot of those questions and some concerns that there were into the design of the stadium and then related the developer's not here today, but related to the owner of the larger site.

The fire own only occupying tend of the 62 acres really to incorporate a lot of those comments in as well.

>> And I just want to add Brandis said those conversations didn't and when the City council approved amendment, those conversations will continue.

I've made a commitment to continue those conversations.

In fact, I have a meeting on October 14th to continue discussion.

So in a recent survey of 400 Chinatown residents conducted by people matter, 46% of residents said that they knew nothing at all about the development.

>> 80% said that they knew little to nothing about that to both of you.

Debbie, come to you first, but I know you will to the study.

Do you feel like you've heard enough from the city and from the organization?

Have they do feel like that even brought in on these conversations?

There was one.

>> Try to tell community meeting left, but the developer and the Chicago fire and that was at the request of Chinatown.

Ironically, your Honor.

I plead the Chinatown area is actually located in 11th Ward, which is separate from the 3rd Ward, which this property being developed in.

And there's actually a number of surrounding Ward set.

I'm not sure that there has been very large community town halls and the meetings have been held virtual.

So it's been very difficult for even community leaders to be able to share additional feedback to the residents who may not actually know much about the plans here.

>> Consuela, I'm gonna come back to you promise.

So residents around the Obama library more recently around the quantum short development in South Shore.

They've all asked for community benefits agreement.

Is that something that you all would consider pursuing?

Definitely something we are considering right now because of are paying.

It has not been that much community engagement we talked to we've been talking to people about the 78 for years.

knocking it This is not our first survey.

a lot of times when we do not indifferent, has been polson to Chinatown to Bronzeville.

No one knows about it.

And then we asked them about having been invited to town halls or anything like that.

They don't know.

And so I think that they keeps proven over and over again that it needs to more community engagement and into further that to save a sea of CBA.

I think one of the things is like part of a we would like something around like a land trust tax abatement like just in sense of by encouraging the city to have some type of ordinance around keeping a property taxes in those areas down.

And then just other stuff around just making sure jobs are promised to those residents in those areas.

Other I just want to say, you know, there's 2 sides to the story on community engagement >> and serving, yes, people's matters did a survey, but also the South with neighbors to survey.

We've had meetings that have been virtual and we've had meetings that have been held person.

We've had large meetings at the South Elementary School, for example, in small meetings with homeowner associations.

I believe that there has been significant involvement and discussion among community members which actually helped shape changes.

And whole plan and we will continue to have those conversations.

And I will continue to work with my colleagues like autumn Lee and aldermen.

Conway in Robinson who have all been engaged and that will continue.

>> I sat in on a variety of virtual meetings, but in person as well.

It's a park close to a dozen in-person meetings that, yes, I know.

I saw you with a handful majority and then to your point, I think we got really good feedback.

And Alderman Dolla come up to me afterwards with a list of things that she wrote down in her notebook that she took from her constituents that we should ask us to incorporate whether that was a cap on the number of events or limit on the number of times that we would use fireworks on match day.

The other thing you know, to your point about people, maybe not being aware of of this project, you know, I can't speak to the validity of that survey, but what I would say is we took out a front page ad in the Trib you and the sometimes we had billboards.

I did countless radio and television interviews.

We put advertisements up on all the meta platforms.

So there was a variety of proactive outreach by the fire rightness around this project.

I want to get to the money really quick in and I'm gonna come back to consuela.

So club owners on its way to financing the 650 million dollars stadium himself.

But the city is going to have to take on the cost all the women of developing the site and around it.

>> The infrastructure.

What exactly when will we know what kind of TIF dollars we're talking about?

Right?

While the the original too fast was over 500 Million.

>> I'm sure that that number will be reduced given the changes the site plan as we know it today.

>> There will have to be some conversations and I believe those conversations have started between related Midwest and the Department of Planning and Development.

I anticipate that since they want to start in March, I would anticipate that those discussions would be finished, hopefully by the end of this month or so.

We can begin to have a conversation with the community around what the elements of and the cost of the infrastructure will important to note, there's a tipped that's already in place and road related.

Midwest has agreed to reduce that TIF.

And just one other thing originally was a 650 million dollar.

It's now up to 750 Million Dollar Project.

>> stadium itself is all being privately finance can.

you want to add something?

Yeah, I was going to say that.

>> It's important.

OK, back to Ok?

Real quick, Debbie, I want to get your thoughts on.

>> The mixed income residents as we've got like 20 seconds left.

What are your concerns with the impact of those and whether or not there actually?

>> Helpful and affordable for people?

Yeah, we want to make sure that affordable housing for seniors for really wide variety of residents is actually going to be realized at the site and in the nearby area so that they don't get this place gentrified out of their homes for that.

They've lived for a long time.

I think really one of the things that we want to focus on is this transportation acts.

But suspect because if people can't see get into how how would they be that great?

That is what we're going to talk about next time.

We have the 4 of you back to discuss this.

We have to leave it there for