Dear Concerned Resident:
There will be a community meeting tonight (April 23) at 6:30 PM (in about 4 hours in fact) at Wells and Harrison to discuss the May 15 Red Bull Stomping Ground Event to be held at the same location. I just now received the information below (in blue text/yellow highlight and also attached as a .pdf file) from the organizers of the event. Below that I have some information that I had previously sent out from the "Stomping Ground" web site (in blue highlight) about this event.
Please plan on attending this event if you can.
Enrique Perez
P.S. As of this date, I have received numerous emails expressing strong concern over this event. I believe that many questions about this event still need to be answered by the various parties "in the know."
(Hat Tip: EP!)
13 comments:
This event is not happening at this location. The Alderman is opposed. They don't even have the permits. The end.
I watched the meeting from my window. Aside from the kids playing Cricket in the field, it looked like there were only about 10 community members present. So either people really aren't that concerned or they didn't know about it. My building didn't post the meeting notice until that afternoon and I saw a Red Bull person putting up fliers on the fence earlier that day.
Does anyone know what they talked about? From the letter the Alderman sent out, it looks like they don't have city approval. Though I did see some CFD folks and other sharp-dressed people meeting there on Thursday...
There were more like 25 people there, and the meeting lasted about 40 minutes. Even though the Alderman says he is opposed to this event, I won't believe that until they go somewhere else. Clearly the Red Bull people are not giving up and the Mayor's Office of Special Events people seemed inclined to let the event happen. The surely were not willing to put up much of a fight.
Someone please inform us what concerns would people have? Did I miss something? We need to create as much exposure to the South Loop as possible. This is really becoming a joke with you people who want the South Loop to strive yet you & your significant other choose to stay home everynight and try to put shut the doors on a one night event. Again, sorry if I missed something, but this what is the conern over?
I don't understand it either. I think it sounds like a really unique event and use of an empty lot.
They did this in Grant Park last year. It was fine. What's the issue? Why are people worried about it?
So why can't they just do it in Grant Park again...or at any of the other various locations Chicago offers for such large events?
I don't understand creating an "abandoned construction site" where there isn't one, especially when there exist many actual abandoned construction sites they could use.
There are issues with contaminants on the site at Harrison/Wells. This site is an old railyard, which are historically among the most contaminated locations in the United States. We have environmental laws in place in this country and state that protect people from the release of such contamination, and I find it hard to believe using this site for a BMX event is within those very strict laws.
There are issues with what this means for the site in the future. Are the going to cleanup this "abandoned construction site" when they are done? Does the use of this site for a concert/bmx event mean that this site is open for anyone to plan concerts and other events at in the future? I think these are fair questions to ask. This site is not zoned for such land use, and people have a right to be concerned if this land is going to be used for large-scale events in the future.
At the end of the day, what's most concerning is that Red Bull did not work with the Alderman and the neighborhood to properly plan this event. They provided less than one day of notice for their "community meeting," which was held on a Friday in the rain. They have taken us for granted, and are now trying to pressure the Alderman into signing off on their event. Rightfully, people are pissed.
This event MUST BE STOPPED!!!!! It is inappropriate to have such an event at this site. If this event is allowed to proceed, people like Red Bull WILL use this as a precedent to have similar events in the future. The owner of this land made a bad investment decision by buying this land at the height of the real estate boom right as prices were about to drop. Now the owner is paying the "carrying costs" of this land, such as property taxes, maintenance, lost interest from alternate use of his capital, etc. So rightfully the owner (would be developer) is concerned. But this is no excuse for the owner to benefit at the expense of the local residents. he MUST live with his bad investment decision!!!!!
Again, besides making sure they clean up the site after the ONE DAY EVENT, I still do not see why the residents are so concerned. I guess it is in the long-run that the site will be used for these types of events in future, but again, you guys are missing that it is great exposure. To fault the developer is just stupid. They chose to INVEST where you live and hopefully develop the site down the road. this site will not be used for just events..there is no money in that.
I think what everyone is worried about is after they bulldoze everying, even if they level the mounds out, the grass is gone and the dirt blows everywhere for a long time. It was an issue at River City when they were building the postoffice.
Thanks to the "Anonymous' April 25, 10:26 am post for clearly articulating my shared concerns about the event.
I live in River City and didn't find out about this "community meeting" until now. Poor planning and poor notice. I love the South Loop, but I do not want this event next door to me.
I'm writing a story on the controversy surrounding this event and would love to talk to some residents who are for and against the proposed event. Since many of these posts are anonymous, I'm unable to contact people individually. If you are passionate regarding your feelings on this event, please contact me at sarah.luckett@loop.colum.edu, I'd really love to have your input for my story. Thank you!
Blocking this event is short sighted - the empty lot would have been a great place to host the BMX event. I don't think these community activists speak for the majority of people that live in the South Loop.
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