Chicago & Midwest | December 21, 2020

Obama Center Groundbreaking Slated for 2021 as Federal Review Concludes

A federal review into the historic effects of former President Barack Obama’s proposed presidential center in Jackson Park has officially concluded, the Chicago Tribune reported. Groundbreaking for the $500-million Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side is slated to occur in 2021.

The Tribune reported that officials finalized a memorandum of agreement that caps off the presidential center’s three-year Section 106 federal review, the longest out of several triggered by the Obama Foundation’s decision to locate the future complex on historic property.

“The completion of this step of the federal review is the result of years of hard work by Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot, community leaders, environmentalists and park enthusiasts,” a foundation representative told the Tribune.

A lawsuit over the OPC was effectively killed in August after a federal appeals court panel ruled the plaintiffs didn’t suffer actual harm. But its chief litigant vows to appeal up to the Supreme Court.

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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