{"id":1034462,"date":"2026-08-31T06:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1034462\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T06:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:34:23","slug":"residents-protest-proposed-lakefront-development-in-edgewater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1034462\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents protest proposed lakefront development in Edgewater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edgewater residents protested a proposed lakefront high-rise development<\/a> Sunday at the site of a synagogue, a plan that has divided community members over the use of public lands and the environment, property values and tax breaks, traffic congestion and alleged antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Near the intersection of North Sheridan Road and Thorndale Avenue where the development of around 600 units is planned, people opposed to the project gathered at the entrance to George Lane Beach. Beachgoers walked by as the protesters \u2014 led by Edgewater Residents for Responsible Development and the Association of Sheridan Road Condo and Cooperative Owners \u2014 said the city should acquire private property up for redevelopment along the lake to complete the lakefront park system.<\/p>\n

They say a high-rise would reduce public access to Lake Michigan, violating the 1973 Lakefront Protection Ordinance<\/a> meant to protect the lakefront and complete the publicly owned and locally controlled park system along the Chicago lakefront.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be massive. It\u2019s going to be overshadowing all of this,\u201d said Pat Sharkey, president of the Edgewater Residents Association, gesturing to Lane Beach and Park. \u201cBut it\u2019s more than that. It\u2019s a tremendous lost opportunity, and it does mean the lakefront protection ordinance doesn\u2019t work anymore; it\u2019s broken, if this is allowed to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other side of the road, at Interfaith Park, some members of the Emanuel Congregation \u2014 the aging synagogue on the site of the proposed development at 5959 N. Sheridan Rd. \u2014 gathered alongside organizers from the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs and other current and former Edgewater residents.<\/p>\n

Supporters say it\u2019s important that the 20% of units will be reserved for affordable housing, and also argue that the development would preserve accessibility to the beach and beautify the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project that we\u2019re going to build on this location is going to be an incredible force of energy and increase the value of property in this neighborhood,\u201d said the congregation\u2019s Senior Rabbi, Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi. \u201cWe own this property, and we have the right to build something that\u2019s going to be an incredible place for gathering and a place for worship on a site that has been ours since the 1950s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RabbiRabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, center, rallies with community members during a counter demonstration in support of redevelopment plans Aug. 30, 2026, by Emanuel Congregation at 5959 N. Sheridan Rd. in Chicago\u2019s Edgewater neighborhood. Developer Fern Hill is proposing high-rise housing and a new place of worship on the lakefront parcel. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The latest project proposal includes a wide, multistory passageway that would cross underneath the site, providing pedestrians along Sheridan with views of and access to Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

A new stakeholder has recently emerged: Advocacy group Friends of the Parks is now urging<\/a> Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, 48th, to give part of the lakefront property to the Chicago Park District to deal with lake erosion and create more public space.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour letter commits (developer) Fern Hill to record a written, binding Public Access Easement across the east-west pedestrian mews and along the lakefront setback, to permanently preserve lakefront access,\u201d wrote Brian Gladstein, the organization\u2019s executive director. \u201cTwo things that commitment does not specify. How deep the protected shoreline will be. And whether the public will own that shoreline or merely be permitted to cross it. Those two questions determine whether this becomes parkland or a walkway.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lakefront parcels at 5959 and 5965 N. Sheridan Rd. comprise almost 2 acres total. The organization is asking that a 100-foot deep strip, measured from the high-water mark along the coast, be dedicated to the park district to ensure 0.6 acres of permanent public shoreline while still leaving about 2\u20443 of the site available for development. It also asks that the strip be connected to Lane Beach and the street grid through Thorndale.<\/p>\n

Friends of the Parks is also requesting the city conduct a full environmental and shoreline investigation into coastal vulnerability to erosion, possible effects on fish, birds and other wildlife, and stormwater management and discharges into the lake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese requests concern shoreline treatment and the instrument used to secure public access,\u201d Gladstein wrote. \u201cThey are not directed at the residential program, and nothing in them targets the affordable housing component of this development. They do not require Emanuel Congregation to relocate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original plan, presented at a public meeting\u00a0in February<\/a>, called for a 15-story, horseshoe-shaped apartment complex, including a new lakefront synagogue. After receiving additional feedback from neighbors, synagogue members, city planning officials and Manaa-Hoppenworth, Fern Hill announced a new plan in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"CommunityCommunity members rally in opposition to redevelopment plans Aug. 30, 2026, by Emanuel Congregation at 5959 N. Sheridan Rd. in Chicago\u2019s Edgewater neighborhood. Developer Fern Hill is proposing high-rise housing and a new place of worship on the lakefront parcel. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The latest proposal, from July, consists of one five-story building west of Sheridan Road. On the other side, two apartment buildings, 12 and 25 stories, would be placed next to the 39-story Malibu Condominiums, the synagogue\u2019s neighbor at 6007 N. Sheridan Rd.<\/p>\n

Previously, Emanuel Congregation\u2019s Co-President Andrew Degenholtz told the Tribune the new development was necessary. The synagogue has about 250 member families, not enough to afford upkeep for the existing 34,000-square-foot structure, completed in 1955 when Emanuel had 1,000 families.<\/p>\n

Emanuel Congregation will own the new synagogue building, and will not have any ownership interest in the development\u2019s residential and commercial spaces.<\/p>\n

A point of opposition from residents concerns $40 million in property tax breaks over 30 years for the developer even as they claim property taxes for neighbors and businesses have doubled in the last decade.<\/p>\n

New restaurants and retail shops in the development, besides more residents, would also increase congestion on an already major north-south thoroughfare, according to those opposed to the project. Manaa-Hoppenworth has said a traffic study and travel demand management plan conducted by the Chicago Department of Transportation would be published before the plan reaches the Chicago Plan Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the ideal location to build more housing. We have transit here. We just got done having $2.1 billion spent on the Red Line here,\u201d said Maiko Lehman, a longtime resident, referring to the Chicago Transit Authority\u2019s Red and Purple Modernization project. \u201cWe have a million and a half buses. The lake is right there. Bottom line is, people are moving to this neighborhood because it\u2019s desirable, because of the lake, and because of the Red Line, the excellent transit, and we need to have housing to absorb those people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others are not convinced the area and its current transit options can sustain the growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cHas it helped with congestion?\u201d Sharkey said about the Red and Purple Line project, shrugging. \u201cThe problem with the CTA is a lack of reliability, lack of safety and lack of cleanliness, and people do not want to use it because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The controversy has also veered into religious and cultural issues, as accusations of antisemitism have been flung at those opposed to Emanuel\u2019s proposed project. Those protesting have strongly denied such claims.<\/p>\n

To some, the issue reaches far beyond religious differences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have our ways of worshiping and our traditions, but this is more about the general picture. Love your neighbor as yourself,\u201d said Fred Kinsey, a retired Lutheran pastor who on Sunday showed up to support the congregation and its proposed development. \u201cWe want to make sure that people live in peace, and they have a right to be here as much as anybody. So we have to support one another and make sure that that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago Tribune\u2019s Brian Rogal and Bob McCoppin contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edgewater residents protested a proposed lakefront high-rise development Sunday at the site of a synagogue, a plan that…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1034463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[64,960,5404,746,5386,1818,1370,50,80,4329,522],"class_list":["post-1034462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-business","tag-chicago","tag-cook-county","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-latest-headlines","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-real-estate","tag-transportation"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117188736381350376","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1034462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1034462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1034462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1034463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1034462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1034462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1034462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}