The Benefits of Being Railroaded

The expansion of the Norfolk Southern’s Englewood  Railyard  required the acquisition of  557 parcels of land, 104 parcels of which were owned by the  City of Chicago, within a local TIF and valued at $1.105 million. The expansion presented a number of challenges, including displacement of Englewood residents through eminent domain, and compounding of existing  environmental problems.  Rev. John Ellis, an Englewood resident, saw a public notice in the newspaper indicating that the City of Chicago intended to enter into a negotiated sale of 104 parcels to Norfolk-Southern and notified his neighbors, who immediately began to organize. They created Sustainable Englewood Initiatives, led by John Paul Jones, and engaged other Englewood residents, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the City of Chicago and Norfolk-Southern Railroad to explore the impact of the development upon the community and to create win-win solutions for all parties concerned.  Rev. Ellis will join us, and give a status report on the Norfolk-Southern CBA with the Englewood community, and share lessons learned from his experiences. Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.