“This is a building that has formerly served or is being used as an office building. We've owned it for I think about two years now and we're trying to put it and a useful use of it and reinvigorate that corner and we pleased that the department or the service are recommending approval and Um if there's any questions I'll be happy to answer.”

“I mean it sounds like there really isn't much of any traffic through the building on a daily basis. So although it sounds like the somebody gets a ton of traffic on the road which maybe something that we should look at at some point you understand what's going on there but I don't think this will have really I mean if there's any impact it's going to be super minimal. So I don't have any issues with it.”

“The broad scope or the broad intention of these changes was to increase opportunities for housing creation through infill development and other reasons kind of informing some of those changes.”

“I would agree. Thank you Madam Chair that it seem like a disproportionate amount of time spent for a very small portion of of the city here I don't have strong feelings on it it seems reasonable I don't mind that we have a couple of neighborhoods with larger lots it doesn't bother me. You know we talk about serving the entire market so I guess we'll serve the higher end of the market in this neighborhood and that's just fine and I'm I'm okay approving this this evening.”

“One commitment we made both to the business community but also the Planning Commission and Council because it was such a substantial departure from the previous ordinance we committed to doing a one year look back basically evaluation of the code as it was out on on the ground or in the wild if you will for that full first full year.”

“I'm supportive of this so long as we can't do billboards which is the understanding here I don't know you around South Loop and there's lots of different types of signage and what I've learned over time is we shouldn't be scared of it all has these giant signs and they look great. The Ac Hotel looks fine. You wouldn't even think it stands out at all if you didn't realize what we did. So I don't know. I want us to be a dynamic city that allows us to do creative things and be different than all these other suburbs. So I'm in favor of this.”

“I also prefer to stay with one. I think it's visual clutter and I think one's enough and I believe me I appreciate that there's a struggling office out there but eventually that's going to correct itself whether people come back to the office a little bit or it's just the expansion of business and these buildings will fill up eventually and then we've made a decision that there's two sides on every building and 15 years from now when all these office buildings are full again or ten years from now whatever and we've stuck ourselves with two sides on every facade. And so like this Dairy Queen Building on the front like okay sure there's only one on this large broad side here but that short skinny side that's on 90 degrees where we're good with two on that side there probably we've stagnant like I just think it's visual clutter and I'm unsupportive of it. One is enough for me.”

“This is a highly affordable community in the city and so we have really made a lot of efforts to come up with a financing package that will keep this affordable the residents who are living there and then affordable homeownership of course is also a goal of the plan and this proposal satisfies that goal as well.”

“I hate to use the word bailout because really infers some things I don't mean to infer but are we the comprehensive plan suggests we should be bailing out condo buildings and like the other thing too is an ownership perspective... when you sign your name on the dotted line you're taking ownership of that and you have a to do your due diligence... and unfortunately that's the situation these residents have put them in.”

“I'm that there are ways for properties this to get assistance I think that's important I don't think people are born knowing how to own and manage property. I think that people make mistakes and the fact that there are ways for people to get help and to learn is good. I think that there are very valid reasons to be concerned about the perception this can create and the public that is not just a perception but that is reality that you know we are for all intents and purposes bailing out a private property that didn't do a good job of managing itself. But I think it's more to the story than that and I hope that we can be very clear when we when we tell this story, when we talk about this project that the whole story told and that it's not just the short, easy way of describing it.”

“The way it's defined is that redevelopment is about addressing blight and so it may not necessarily be that it is construction of a building. It could be addressing that blight which is why you're hearing this being brought before you today.”