Find development data, legal help and learn from past Community Benefits Agreements campaigns here.

By Alma Campos, Sarah Conway and Phoebe Mogharei, City Bureau

(Illustration: Cori Lin)

This article is part of Will That New Development Benefit Your Community? The People’s Guide to Community Benefits Agreements and Alternatives.



Chicago Cityscape

Chicago Cityscape is a website that makes neighborhood, property and construction development data available to the public. The interactive map tracks demolitions, teardowns, business licenses and building permits and violations. 

chicagocityscape.com



Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights

This committee provides legal representation to communities, helps them navigate the legal maze of organizing a Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) and supports implementing community-based solutions and policy reform. The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights has helped a number of Chicago coalitions with their CBAs, including the Coalition for a South Works CBA and the Obama Community Benefits Agreement Coalition. Additionally, they created the Chicago Land Use Community Guide which helps residents learn about zoning, Tax Increment Finance districts (TIFs) and the Affordable Requirements Ordinance. 

Contact 

Micaela Alvarez, Program Counsel
Email: malvarez@clccrul.org 
clccrul.org

Note that since publication of this zine, Clifford Helm has shifted focus to work full time on Voting Rights and Community Empowerment. Micaela Alvarez continues to work on issues of Equitable Community Development and Housing. Helm can still be contacted at chelm@clccrul.org.



Coalition for a South Works CBA

The Coalition for a South Works CBA held community visioning sessions to hear from residents on the Southeast Side on what a “Good Neighbor Policy” for developers should be and what good development should look like in Chicago's Southeast Side neighborhoods. See Good Neighbor Policy on Development blueprint.

Contact 

Amalia NietoGomez, Executive Director
Email: amalia@asechicago.org 
asechicago.org/



Documenters.org

City Bureau trains and pays hundreds of people to attend under-reported public meetings and publish summaries. Documenters.org keeps track of scheduled public meetings in Chicago and keeps a record of agendas, notes and tweets from meetings. 



Partnership for Working Families

Partnership for Working Families offers a step-by-step digital toolbox for communities to create a successful CBA. It includes case studies and other materials that help explain the many aspects of a CBA: 

Contact

Ben Beach, Legal Director 
Email: bbeach@forworkingfamilies.org
forworkingfamilies.org



Metropolitan Planning Council

Metropolitan Planning Council launched their first-ever pilot program to help communities ensure that new investment and development in a neighborhood benefits long-time residents without displacing them. The organization helped residents from East Garfield Park create the Preserving Affordability Together: East Garfield Park blueprint (bit.ly/cba_preserving) for community action. The organization plans to develop a blueprint with goals and strategies in other communities in Chicago. 

Contact

Christina Harris, Director of Land Use and Planning
Email: charris@metroplanning.org
metroplanning.org



161st Street Business Improvement District (New York)

For more information on NSOPs and neighborhood equity options, contact Dr. Cary Goodman.

Contact

Dr. Cary Goodman
Email: carygood@aol.com

Will That New Development Benefit Your Community? The People’s Guide to Community Benefits Agreements and Alternatives informs, engages and equisp Chicago residents to be active participants in the development process. Want to share this zine with your neighbors? You can order print copies in English and Spanish here.

Support City Bureau’s community-centered reporting by becoming a City Bureau sustaining donor today.

To get twice-monthly emails including Chicago news and events, sign up for City Bureau’s Chicago newsletter.