City Only Expected 50, But Hundreds Apply For 14 Spots On Lincoln Yards Neighbors Group

EAST UKRAINIAN VILLAGE — About 250 people applied for 14 spots on a Lincoln Yards Community Advisory Committee, Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said during a community meeting on Monday.

The council was created by Mayor Lori Lightfoot with the support of Hopkins and Sterling Bay, the developer behind the $6 billion mega development. 

Applications for the committee closed last month.

Hopkins, whose ward includes Lincoln Yards, told neighbors during an East Village Association meeting that he did not expect to more than 50 people to apply.

“We’re going through them now,” he said.

The city expects to make its decision on who will join the committee in the next few weeks, Hopkins said.

The advisory council will consist of “neighborhood representatives, community leaders, design professionals and subject-matter experts” chosen by Lightfoot and Hopkins, according to a December press release. 

RELATED: Have Thoughts About Lincoln Yards Or The 78? City Seeking Volunteers For Advisory Council On Megadevelopments

The group will meet at least quarterly starting in early 2020, making recommendations ranging from public infrastructure design to traffic control and open space. 

The recommendations will be shared with Sterling Bay and city departments on an “advisory basis” and “implemented where possible” during Lincoln Yards’ anticipated 10-year construction timeline. 

A separate 17-member community advisory committee will also be formed on the Near South Side to advise The 78, a $7 billion development.

Both The 78 and Lincoln Yards developments are slated to receive millions in public funding through Tax Increment Financing districts. 

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