Affordable Housing “Myth-Buster”

MYTH:  Zapata Apartments will make Logan Square the “dumping ground of poverty.”

FACT: Zapata Apartments will create homes for families that earn between $22,800 and $44,000 a year. The median income in Logan Square right now is $36, 245. Zapata Apartments will create homes for families that earn the same money as people already living in our neighborhood.

MYTH: Zapata Apartments will not pay property taxes.

FACT: Bickerdike pays the same taxes for owning vacant land as anybody else. When the Zapata Apartments are built, Bickerdike will pay even more taxes—approximately $72,000 a year in taxes. City parks do not pay any taxes because they are city-owned property.

MYTH: The zoning changes for Zapata Apartments were illegal.

FACT: The City of Chicago and Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation followed all the procedures required by law, including posting signs on the properties and hosting public meetings at City Hall.

MYTH: Zapata Apartments is a development being pushed on the community by outside organizations.

FACT: Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) is the community partner for Zapata Apartments. LSNA is a 47 year-old organization made up of more than 40 churches, schools, social service agencies and block clubs that represent 40,000 people from the neighborhood. Parents from Logan Square invited Bickerdike to build new, high-quality rental housing in our neighborhood. Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation is a 42 year-old neighborhood-based organization that serves the community areas of West Town, Humboldt Park, Logan Square and Hermosa. Bickerdike is invested in this neighborhood—that is why they not only build housing that is affordable to working people, but they also sponsor community gardens, youth sports programs, and community safety campaigns.

MYTH: The vacant land at Armitage and St. Louis might become a park.

FACT: Bickerdike owns the land and will build rental housing affordable to moderate-income working families on this lot. Making Logan Square a safe place to play is an essential part of LSNA’s vision, too. Because outdoor space is so important, LSNA and its member institutions supported new play space at McAuliffe Elementary School and Palmer Square and the expansion of Haas Park. The Bloomingdale Trail will also create new parks in our neighborhood; one will be at Albany and Bloomingdale. Please call LSNA (773) 384-4370 if you want to help advocate for more recreational space.