County’s Offer Of Cheap Land Won’t Be Enough To Bring Some Areas Back

County’s Offer Of Cheap Land Won’t Be Enough To Bring Some Areas Back

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Of the four-thousand some vacant lots being offered by the Cook County Land Bank— discounted to just a few-thousand dollars each, with clear titles, to spur development— many are clustered in neighborhoods like Englewood on the South Side.

One cluster starts a block away from the Greater St. John’s AME Church, where Kevin Brooks is the pastor.

We took a short walk and circled the closest block, where the County is offering six lots.

It’s completely empty on three sides. Cheap land alone won’t bring it back.

“You can’t put a band-aid on historic problem of disengagement, institutional racism, and irresponsible banking and irresponsible governance,” Brooks said.

What’s needed, he says, is a much bigger investment.