Residents and community leaders in Chicago are increasingly voicing their concerns about the Obama Presidential Center, fearing it will displace long-time families and disrupt the neighborhood’s character. The proposed luxury developments linked to the project have raised alarms about rising rents and property taxes, with critics accusing the project of neglecting the needs of existing residents.
Community leaders, including former Trump advisor Steve Cortes, have criticized the center’s design and its impact on the area, calling the structure an ‘eyesore’ and a monument to ‘one man’s ego’. Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, who represents much of the working-class neighborhood, expressed fear that the project will push out long-time residents, emphasizing the need for protective measures like affordable housing requirements and tenant purchase rights.
Despite some concessions in a 2020 agreement, many of the broader demands, such as a full Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), were not adopted. The proposed 250-room luxury hotel has become a symbol of these economic pressures, and its approval is still under review. Residents have held demonstrations against its construction, highlighting the growing discontent over the project’s impact on the community.
While the Obama Foundation secured a 99-year lease for the public parcel for $10 in 2018 and promised to revitalize the area, the project’s costs have ballooned from an original estimate of $330 million to a 2021 projection of $830 million. Construction has progressed at a slow pace, further raising concerns about the project’s management and financial oversight.
Residents point to a proposed 250-room luxury hotel as a symbol and a driver of economic pressures far beyond the scale of existing neighborhood development. Once a major luxury project is approved, surrounding property values typically spike, signaling to investors and developers that the area is shifting toward wealthier clientele and away from its historically working-class, majority-Black base. The hotel’s approval is still under review, and residents have held demonstrations calling for its rejection.
Ken Woodward, an attorney and father of six who grew up in the area, called the center a ‘monstrosity,’ stating that it disrupts the natural landscape and has disrupted the community’s culture. Kyana Butler, an activist with Southside Together, echoed similar sentiments, stressing the community’s worries about the project’s scale and impact on local residents.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has offered to help with the development of the center, linking the project’s challenges to its ambition for diversity and inclusion goals. Trump criticized the project’s management for prioritizing DEI over meritocracy, suggesting that the project’s delays were due to its focus on diversity quotas rather than quality work. A $40.75 million racially charged lawsuit filed earlier this year by a minority contractor against the project’s structural engineer has brought attention to these issues, with the structural engineers claiming the minority contractor lacked sufficient qualifications and experience to perform its work, resulting in delays.
Residents argue that the Obama Foundation’s promises to protect affordable housing and include community needs have not materialized, leading to growing frustration and calls for accountability. The controversy surrounding the Obama Presidential Center highlights the broader tensions between public projects and the needs of long-term residents, as well as the financial and social challenges that such developments can bring to urban neighborhoods.