ANDERSONVILLE — While Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th) told constituents last week to expect developers to close the deal on the Lyman Trumbull Elementary School building early this month, that won't be happening at least for another month.
Last Friday, the alderman told his ward that the Board of Education will honor Svigos Development's contract to purchase the building at 5200 N. Ashland Ave., but developers will be required to use the building as a theater with residential units or a private non-charter school.
In an email to constituents Tuesday, O'Connor said he spoke prematurely and "it has since come to my attention that the Board of Education will need to vote on whether to add a non-charter private school as a potential use."
But the Board does not have a meeting in November, so "Svigos will likely not close on the property until sometime after the December 7th Board of Education meeting."
The bidding process was completed more than 14 months ago and community members have expressed outrage and doubt after the long process. When proposals began for what would become of Trumbull, which closed in 2013 at 5200 N. Ashland Ave., residents made clear the building's next use should contribute in some way to the community.
The Chicago Board of Education approved a proposed $5.25 million sale to Svigos Development, which planned a 49-unit development with a theater in September of 2015.
One year later, TimeLine Theatre announced it was backing out of its partnership with Svigos Development as the first-floor tenant of the building after the groups failed "to develop financial and architectural plans that could meet both the theatre’s artistic and operational needs as well as the developer’s needs," the theater said.
The theater's Artistic Director PJ Powers said the developer requirements for Federal Tax credits lead to some "dealbreaker issues," he said.
"The most major issues [were] the leveling of the floor in the auditorium, so we could have a flat stage" and not being allow to hang "a lighting grid to have theater lights," he said, adding the renovations were essential for a professional stage.
The theater worked for months on redesigning its plans, but couldn't find a viable solution, he said.
When asked if another company could work around the renovations, Powers said: "I know that we couldn't operate with those decisions. I don't know and can't imagine" any theater that could.
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