Return to Current Issue

CHICAGO--Uptown developer Steve Wolf likely cursed his proximity to O'Hare airport rather than the large yellow school bus making its way down Lincoln Avenue and parking in front of his office building as his morning cup of coffee rumbled slightly on his commute to work Friday, June 2.

As the president and owner of Preferred Realty, Wolf presides over a small empire of 80 realtors and a diversified business that includes mortgage brokering and property ownership. As he was about to find out, failing to show up a few weeks earlier at the Organization of the NorthEast, ONE, convention was a mistake that was about to cost him his coffee.

As the bus pulled to a halt, 50 leaders from ONE marched quickly and quietly through Preferred Realty's parking lot and into its lobby. At this point, Mr. Wolf probably inhaled his coffee as a burst of chanting began from the ONE leaders: "Preferred Realty...Meet with ONE...Preferred Realty...Meet with ONE" and "What do we want? Affordable Housing!!! When do we want it? NOW!!!"

Although city officials, bankers, and every local politician were among the power brokers present at the 800-person ONE convention two weeks earlier, Mr. Wolf and other area developers were missing.

"Well, what should we do to get a meeting with these developers?" Tom Walsh of ONE asked the crowd at the meeting.

"If they won't meet with us, then we'll just have to take the meeting to them," Rosa Hamilton answered from the stage. "Let's go on a hunt!"

On cue, the music from Jaws blared from the sound system and several people dressed in black trench coats with big signs that read "Developers" ran up through the crowd and across the stage, chased closely by ONE's sharks! Flyers were passed out for the June 2 action and thus Mr. Wolf's morning became a lot more eventful than usual.

When the group found Wolf in his office June 2, they confronted him with their area's lack of affordable housing and how his gentrifying policies were to blame. Walsh held up his fist and the delegation fell silent. Walsh told Wolf that ONE was there to schedule a meeting to discuss affordable housing at 4701 N. Sheridan. Mr. Wolf, shaking with anger, said, "You'll never meet with the owner." And with that, he told the arriving police officers to escort the leaders off his property.

Two weeks later Walsh and Pastor Bob Lesher, the third co-chair of the group's Land Use and Housing Strategy Team, met with Wolf, his attorney and another investor in 4701 N. Sheridan.

Wolf agreed to attend the Affordable Housing Developers Summit June 29 and meet again to negotiate specific plans for the property.

Well, it's hard to teach an old wolf new tricks. Wolf did not attend the ONE Summit and has not responded to additional letters, faxes and phone calls. The Land Use and Housing Strategy Team is currently planning their fall actions and Wolf is high on their agenda for a return visit.

"We cannot let people like Mr. Wolf turn lots, buildings and blocks that have the potential to be culturally, ethnically and economically diverse into segregated housing that is only available to upper income folks," Walsh says. "Apparently he is planning to learn the hard way that ONE means business."