On 14th October, The Chicago Park District board unanimously approved a ground lease for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. This now allows for the long planned Museum to begin construction, perhaps as soon as this coming Spring.
The lease on the lakefront is for a mere $10 for a term of 99 years.
There remains an ongoing objection however from Friends of the Parks, which will be heard at court on November 11th and could yet unrail the project.
Bryan Traubert, president of the Park District Board of Commissioners, said before the vote that the city will gain green space, there will be no cost to the Park District or taxpayers, and the proven record and quality of the Lucas museum team will make the project popular and “add to the cultural landscape of Chicago.”
The current proposal for the project, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, calls for a futuristic-looking 300,000-square-foot structure.
Rob Rejman, director of Planning and Construction for the Park District, said parking will be increased from 6,302 spaces to 7,305 spaces after the museum is constructed. The new figures don’t include 225 spaces under the structure that would be dedicated to museum visitors.
The ground lease only applies to the land the museum itself would occupy. The surrounding land, including an “event prairie” and eco park, will still be owned by the Park District, but the Lucas museum will be in charge of landscaping and maintenance, said Timothy King, general counsel.
Juanita Irizarry, executive director of Friends of the Parks, spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, emphasizing that while the organization was in favor of the Lucas museum coming to Chicago, it was opposed to putting the museum on the lakefront. After the vote, Irizarry said she was not surprised and thought the “meeting was a sham.”
“We just look forward to seeing them in court and getting the legal merits of the case on the table,” Irizarry said.
Friends of the Parks, a nonprofit group, is suing the Park District arguing that the museum will violate the public trust because it will be built on the submerged waters of Lake Michigan and the group asserts that it is not in residents’ best interests. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, also argues the ground lease agreement needs to be approved by the state legislature because the site is public trust property.
The next court date is scheduled for Nov. 10.
We will keep you informed here on Jedi News as the plans develop.