There’s nothing ‘ puzzling’ about lawsuit against Obama Center in Jackson Park

The Sun- Times’ editorial “Let’s quit beating up on the Obama Center’s locale in Jackson Park” is, to borrow from the editorial itself, puzzling. To say that this lawsuit is “last- minute” and “11th- hour” misses several points simultaneously. First, the issue of confiscating public space — 19.3 acres of Jackson Park — for a private enterprise — the Obama Presidential Center ( OPC) — has been a well- reported source of concern since the Obama Foundation announced last year that its facility would not be administered by the National Archives.

Next, this “late- to- the- game” characterization presupposes that the approvals process is in its final stages, when in fact federal- level reviews are in their infancy.

We fully expect the Plan Commission, the City Council, and any other municipal agency with jurisdiction over the OPC to “get on board” ( as Mayor Rahm Emanuel told them to do) and rubber- stamp the project, as did multiple municipal agencies ( many unanimously) when the Jackson Park land transfer was approved. But, thankfully, the OPC is also subject to federal reviews because Jackson Park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Those reviews include the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4( f ) of the Department of Transportation Act, and compliance with the Urban Park Recreation Recovery ( UPARR) program under the National Park Service — all still ongoing. The Cultural Landscape Foundation is an “official consulting party” in the federal- level process.

We would also dispute the “distinction without a difference” observation concerning “library” vs. “center.” A presidential library administered by the National Archives is subject to a higher level of public oversight than a private enterprise.

Finally, rather than “beating up on the Obama Center’s locale in Jackson Park,” why don’t we stop beating up on Jackson Park itself ? WBEZ recently published a study about the substantial, vacant city- owned land in the area, along with the considerable holdings of the University of Chicago, which successfully bid to host the OPC. Why isn’t that land being used for the OPC?

The confiscation of parkland, especially for a private enterprise such as the Obama Presidential Center, sets a bad precedent for land use and urban planning. It effectively signals that parks are de facto potential building sites rather than shared public assets.