The groundbreaking date for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago has been pushed back until next year after the federal review process was delayed a second time this summer, Obama Foundation officials have confirmed.
Officials would not set a specific date for the groundbreaking or say if the move will delay the timeline for opening the center in 2021, reports The Chicago Tribune.
“When we started, we wanted the public to know we would break ground as soon as possible, but we also knew there were some things that were not in our control," said Michael Strautmanis, the vice president for civic engagement for the foundation. "We insist on going through the process with integrity and without rushing.”
The federal government is also reviewing the center's impact on historic Jackson Park while evaluating the environmental effects. Two public federal review meetings have already been held, and a meeting that was scheduled for June was delayed until July, and now has been rescheduled again for late summer, according to the city of Chicago's website.
Because Jackson Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal review process was necessary. Also, the project involves closing some major streets while expanding others.
The delay was announced a day after activists gathered on the South Side of the city to discuss a community benefits proposition for the February ballot.
The Black Youth Project 100 Chicago Chapter wants an ordinance requiring 30 percent of housing built around the center to be designated as affordable housing, and a property tax freeze for longtime homeowners near the site. They also want a community trust fund for neighborhood schools and to ensure local residents are hired for the center's construction.
The Obama Presidential Center will consist of three buildings containing a museum, athletic center, public library branch, and meeting rooms, while creating about 2,500 permanent jobs.
Construction of the center, expected to cost more than $500 million, will be paid for with private donations, but the city is expected to make about $175 million in improvements to roads and underpasses around the site.
Oprah Winfrey has already donated $1 million toward the center.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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