Comcast Project Under Way

Work has begun on turning the long-vacant Comcast building into 51 units of affordable housing.

Crews have been tearing off the fake facade around the whole building and some interior work has been done, said Craig Failor, Oak Park's planner.

The Interfaith Housing Development Corp. obtained a permit to start the rehab at 442 S. Grove Ave. on Sept. 14, said Steve Witt, Oak Park's director of property and building standards.

The project is on target for completion next summer and full occupancy is expected next October, said Perry Vietti, Interfaith's chief operating officer.

"We have not lost any time," Vietti said. "We're still on track."

Low income tax credits will cover most of the project's $15 million price tag.

This was a controversial project from the time it was brought before the village board nearly two years ago. IHDC had been working on the project for two years before the trustees decided to send it to the Plan Commission for hearings, which began in December 2010.

Debate among residents pit the value of diversity versus the Not In My Backyard concerns over parking, density and who will end up living in the building.

Advocates noted it dovetailed with Oak Park's diversity and acceptance; the good intentions of the partners behind the project should be recognized; a need to revitalize Madison Street; and it would meet the housing needs of the local working poor.

Residents living near the building expressed concern that it would be a detriment to the neighborhood. Opposition center around parking, uncertainties about the financing, the potential tenants in the commercial space and whether preferences would be given to people who lived or worked in Oak Park. Others noted it could segregate the working poor, a concern that was allayed by Rob Breymaier, the executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center. 

Six meetings of the Plan Commission were conducted before it was recommended to trustees in spring 2011. The project was approved in May 2011 by a vote of 6-1; the lone no vote was Trustee John Hedges, who now is running for village president.

Before construction, Vietti spoke with residents about the impact that construction might have on them and their neighbors. Discussions were amicable, he said.

One of the only question marks has not been answered, which is what will happen with the 5,200 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Vietti said there is an agent for that space, but no one yet is under contract.

"We didn't expect to have anyone under contract this early on," he said.

The single-family units on the second through fourth floors. Rent will be about $700 monthly. People 18 and older who earn at or below $26,300 annually — the area median income, according to the IHDC —would qualify to live there. IHDC will partner on the project with Oak Park Housing Authority, which will screen tenants, market the property and hire a property manager. Catholic Charities will provide social services for the residents.

Efforts to reach some of the residents have not yet been successful.