Recently, the location of President Barack Obama’s Presidential Library has been at the forefront of political discussion. Potential reasons for this being such a widely debated topic can be because of the variety of potential locations and the effects the library would have on the surrounding community.
It has been noted that the city of Chicago is a front runner in this debate, predicating to be more favorable than Honolulu and New York. Yet, the Obama Administration has yet to announce exactly where in the city this library would be placed, despite recent plans to do so.
However, if Chicago were to be chosen, the location of the site has been narrowed down to two areas: Washington Park and Jackson Park, both areas located in the South Side of Chicago. Both location bring about positives and negatives. For instance, if the administration were to choose Washington Park, they would need to gain a lot of approval from the city as far as buildings and parking facilities go. The other site faces criticism as Chicagoans welcome the library, but don’t necessarily want it to be placed in older park areas.
On the other hand, Jeremy Manier from UChicagoNews writes, “The Washington Park site represents an outstanding opportunity to spur economic development. Real estate in the Washington Park neighborhood provides abundant opportunities for new commercial, retail, residential, and hospitality facilities without displacing existing residents. There could be additional development on MLK Drive and abundant opportunity for residential development throughout the neighborhood.” He also adds, “The Jackson Park/Woodlawn neighborhood also has the potential for an economic boom. The presidential library could catalyze this development and support a range of opportunities, including commercial investment and new educational facilities along Stony Island Avenue and 63rd Street.”
On the other side of the argument, some individuals propose that, rather than a library, a hospital or community center might be more beneficial for the area.
Political experts have questioned as to why there has been a delay in the announcement. Some have correlated the postponement to the upcoming mayoral election in Chicago as candidate Rahm Emanuel is closely tied to Barack Obama. According to CBS DC online, “President Barack Obama will hold off on announcing the location for his future presidential library until after Chicago’s runoff election for mayor, two people familiar with the decision said, in a bid to avoid politicizing his legacy project.”
For now, the Obama Administration cannot define exactly when they will announce their decision, and the mayoral election will conclude on April 7.
