Hazel Crest Mayoral Candidate Marcia Hollis-Bratcher to Speak at Homewood Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
HOMEWOOD, Ill. - February 11, 2021 —Marcia Hollis-Bratcher will be giving a public comment at the Homewood Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting on February 11, 2021. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. and will be held at Homewood Village Hall.
Hollis-Bratcher is a native of Hazel Crest and raised her family there. She stands with South Suburbs for Greenspace (SSGOC) in opposition to the rezoning of the former Calumet Country Club from parks and open space lands to light manufacturing, saying, this “site is not only situated amongst several residential neighborhoods, but also less than 2 miles from over a dozen schools and day care centers.”
In April Hollis-Bratcher will be on the Hazel Crest ballot against incumbent Mayor Vernard Alsberry, Jr.. Her campaign is focusing on making Hazel Crest “clean, safe and sanitary,” and the rezoning of this property isn’t in line with her vision for the community. “This location, which serves as an entry point for both Hazel Crest and Homewood, would be better purposed by retaining its lush greenery, and welcoming people to our communities, rather than greeting newcomers with a polluting, concrete truck hub,” Hollis-Bratcher wrote in a recent Facebook post to her campaign’s page.
James Tunick, a Chicago litigator and Homewood resident, will also be giving a public comment on the application to rezone the site. Tunick sees this development and this rezoning and as “a pattern and a practice of environmental discrimination” in the South Suburbs. He says that this issue should not be viewed narrowly “through a microscope; this is a greater issue” than just disconnection.
“The village needs to rethink its legal strategy” overall, Tunick said in reference to the uneven settlement that the Homewood Board of Trustees approved on January 26, 2021. The settlement would end the Diversified Partners, LLC’s suit to disconnect the property to the Village of Hazel Crest without a trial and without evidence presented. Tunick “disagrees with the legal philosophy and legal approach.”
In addition to Hollis-Bratcher and Tunick, environmental experts, concerned residents and property owners will be providing public comment to the Commission in opposition to the drastic change in village zoning. Hollis-Bratcher, experts and stakeholders will be available to press before the meeting. The press can reach Hollis-Bratcher at 708.362.7883.
About South Suburbs for Greenspace over Concrete
A multi-racial group of concerned residents of Homewood, Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, South Holland and Glenwood formed in opposition to Diversified Partner LLC’s planned development of Calumet Country Club (2136 175th St, Homewood, IL 60430) into a fulfillment/trucking hub. The group is a campaign of SAFE.
About Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy
Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy was founded in response to the proposed gas-burning power plant in Glenwood. SAFE is building an inclusive, multi-racial coalition that believes the Southland needs and deserves a clean environment, clean government, healthy people, and a healthy economy.