A Lonely Vigil

From the Tribune Metro Section. Evanston is the suburb next door, beyond that is Chicago:

On Saturday nights, Vince Walker would sit on the front porch of his two-flat in west Evanston keeping an eye on the neighborhood. Sometimes his tenants would sit with him, shooting the breeze until well past midnight.

It was Walker's way of keeping drug dealers from loitering on the corner of Lyons Street and Darrow Avenue, he said. The tactic seemed to work, and with the vigilance of other renters and police, Walker said, a run-down slice of Evanston slowly transformed into a more pleasant place to be.

"Me being there has stopped them from being on that corner, yes," said Walker, who said he grew up in Chicago's Cabrini-Green public housing development.

But as Walker sees it, a new $10 million project to build 27 rent-to-own apartments on a corner of Darrow Avenue and Church Street threatens to undermine his efforts by attracting renters who may not have a stake in the neighborhood. Other landlords and neighbors would rather see owner-occupied condos on the lot, they said.

Developers and city aldermen said residents' fears are unfounded. The housing is for teachers, secretaries, police officers, bus drivers--anyone whose household income falls between $20,000 and $50,000 annually who might otherwise be forced out of Evanston by soaring home prices and rents.

Read:reward Democrat union allies with preferential subsidies.

How about cutting costs, subsidies and taxes, Evanston? Otherwise you're just forcing out Peter to subsidize Paul.

The City's Plan Commission voted against it, "citing concerns about creating a concentration of poverty and fear that the timing and location of the project could undermine a neighborhood rejuvenation plan", but was overriden by the full council.

Looks like a lonely vigil for Vince Walker. But hey, maybe some of the council members will join him of a Saturday night.