Save Block 5! Update

(as originally published in the June 2006 issue of The Alley)

by Julie Miller

If you read the saga of Block 5 last month, you know that residents surrounding the 2500 block of Chicago/Columbus Avenues are fighting for survival in the face of needless and reckless expansionism by Children’s Hospital.

In my “open letter to the ‘hood,” I detailed how Children’s secretively acquired property on our block, then literally bulldozed their way across Chicago Avenue, in blatant violation of a 30-year promise to the neighborhood (a land use agreement designed to protect every house on the 14 blocks surrounding the hospitals). You saw the devastation--eight houses gone, beautiful Victorians demolished in a fog of lead dust, blighted, treeless lots. And you heard, perhaps for the first time, about the City’s designation of two-thirds of Phillips West as a “Lifesciences Corridor,” which resulted in a virtual red carpet across Chicago Avenue, a pitiful excuse for Children’s bulldozers to invade a protected area and raze century-old homes. You also learned that we’re seeking a moratorium on health-related development in our neighborhood to protect hundreds of now-at-risk homes and ensure development of a community-driven land use plan that includes substantial input from the residents who love and invest in this neighborhood, and feel more than a smidgen indignant at Children’s attempts to force us out.

In May Children’s unveiled their plans, and I regret to inform you that it’s even worse than expected--a 6-story, 62' high parking ramp and 93' high office tower. Last year Children’s promised our block club they would stay within the current zoning height of 4 stories or 56 feet, so add that to the list of broken promises. But that’s not the worst development.

It was recently announced that Children’s is collaborating with Allina and Fairview-University to build a “world-class children’s hospital.” Children’s will reportedly move most of their inpatient care to the new West Bank facility, thus freeing up space in their current facility. Lots of space. In the parking ramp, the hospital, the adjacent office building. The article doesn’t say how long Children’s has been planning this. It may have been two houses and eight trees ago. Or four houses and 17 trees ago. Or eight houses and 31 trees ago.

And though one might hope a little common sense would prevail, they’re also not acknowledging that this new venture will alter their plans.

Instead, Children’s spokesman went to meeting after meeting last month arguing for enormous structures to be built, in violation of a land use agreement and at the expense of homes that are the soul of our neighborhood, right across the street from a hospital and parking ramp and medical office building that may soon be relatively empty.

Children's Hospital, with a noted developer (including Midtown Exchange) as Board Chair, is using the tactics of the board games Monopoly and Dominoes we all learned as children. The difference is, they are still playing--but not on a table. Instead, they are playing with our homes and our lives. Remember: once one domino falls, the remainder tip soon, one by one. Your home and your block will be next unless they are stopped.

Stay tuned, and call 872-1772 for more info or to find out how you can join us in demanding respect and accountability from our corporate neighbors.