The university never built its planned student housing, letting a row of storefronts sit vacant for years.
In 2014, Northeastern Illinois University used eminent domain to acquire an entire city block in Chicago's North Park. Today, reports Molly DeVore in Block Club Chicago, the storefronts still sit vacant.
Andrew Johnson, president of the Hollywood-North Park Community Association, said "The whole justification for eminent domain is to remove blight and develop an area … and now these properties are blighted."
The university bought the properties with the intent of building student housing. "The properties — two-story buildings with apartments on top — were home to several businesses, including the popular Hunan Wok Chinese restaurant, the original location of the Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club and a hookah bar." The university built one residence hall in 2016, but scrapped plans for further construction. "Earlier this year, NEIU approved a 2026-2031 Strategic Plan that listed developing long-term strategies for the vacant Bryn Mawr and El Centro properties as a goal." The university did not find any interested applicants when it put out a call for developers to take over the buildings five years ago.
Read the full story: Northeastern University Fought To Take Over A North Park Block. 10 Years Later, It’s Still Vacant
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