Francis Parker\u2019s expansion plans draw support and ire from neighbors<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\u201cThe support we\u2019ve received from 43rd Ward residents is encouraging, and we\u2019re excited for the possibilities to expand educational opportunities, affordable housing, investments in our local public schools and deliver real lasting benefits for both our students and neighbors,\u201d a Parker spokesperson wrote to the Tribune.<\/p>\n
Austin said there are other plausible expansion paths for Parker, including finding another less-residential site for a school stadium. A point of protest for locals would be the new stadium lights in Parker\u2019s current proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them, a six-acre campus in this densely packed residential neighborhood is not enough,\u201d Michelle Hoppe Villegas, a Mid-North Association board member, said into the microphone. \u201cThey want more, more, more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the biggest issues of the expansion plans for Austin would be the displacement of families from the conversion of 327\u2013335 W. Belden Ave. from residential to classroom space.<\/p>\n
The new building is a historical structure with affordable housing units. The school promises that, as part of its expansion, it will donate $25,000 per year for the next 20 years to Lincoln Park High School and Lincoln Elementary School, and that the current administrative building will be converted into seven new affordable housing units. Some neighbors say it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n
Wendy Foster, 72, and her partner David Merriman, 71, who moved to East Lincoln Park about three years ago, have gathered petition signatures against Parker\u2019s expansion. \u201cThey\u2019re taking away a lot more housing than they\u2019re providing,\u201d Foster said. And, it only lasts for 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the expansion plan itself, neighbors protested what they perceive as dishonesty by Ald. Timmy Knudsen, 43rd, who backs the expansion. The plan must be approved by Knudsen and the City Council zoning committee before any expansion is finalized.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/007f_x271_0ee2_9.jpg\")
A person holds up a sign featuring the image of Ald. Timmy Knudsen, 43rd, as people gather at Oz Park in Chicago\u2019s Lincoln Park neighborhood to protest against the proposed expansion of Francis Parker School onto Belden Avenue on Saturday, May 30, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Knudsen\u2019s office surveyed constituents regarding the Parker expansion. The published results, shared with the Tribune, show that of 470 residents in the 43rd Ward, around 60% support both the expansion and the field light additions. Burr, however, suggests her 1,200 petition signatures from within the ward show opposition may be stronger.<\/p>\n
Samvith Srinivas, 45, who came to the protest with his daughter, questioned the alderman\u2019s support on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think our local officials are standing up for the community and they seem to be standing up for a very, very wealthy minority,\u201d Srinivas said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A small yet passionate crowd of neighbors gathered in Oz Park in Lincoln Park Saturday with signs and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":833926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,342015,5386,1818,29411,1809,342016],"class_list":["post-833925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-chicago","tag-francis-w-parker","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-lincoln-park","tag-protest","tag-timmy-knudsen"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116667588886210703","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833925","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=833925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/833926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=833925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=833925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=833925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Sandra](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/230a_x269_57dd_9.jpg\")
Sandra Weiskirch, right, holds a sign high as people gather at Oz Park in Chicago\u2019s Lincoln Park neighborhood to protest against the proposed expansion of Francis Parker School onto Belden Avenue on Saturday, May 30, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n