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Committee approves rezoning amendment to allow Family Matters social‑service tenant at Legacy Lofts
Summary
The committee approved a detailed plan amendment allowing a social‑service use in the ground‑floor commercial space at Legacy Lofts; the tenant Family Matters described parent support and counseling services and city staff said the change does not affect tax status.
The Finance and Personnel Committee advanced a substitute ordinance to amend the detailed plan development for the mixed‑use Legacy Lofts project to permit a social‑service facility in first‑floor commercial space at 1536–1540 W. North Ave.
Tanya Fonseca of the Department of City Development explained the amendment applies only to the ground‑floor commercial space and that Family Matters — the tenant proposed for the site — provides counseling and parent‑support services for parents of youth who have experienced exploitation. April Bentley, who leads Family Matters, described programming that supports 35–55 youth and the parents who care for them and said the organization plans to offer a mix of counseling, parent support groups and short 'daycation' reset rooms. Fonseca said expected hours would be roughly 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, with typically 4–5 clients on site at a given time.
Therese Cairo of Legacy Redevelopment Corporation, the project owner and a local CDFI, told the committee the tenant would not change the project's tax status and that the proposed use aligns with neighborhood planning goals to locate social services in commercial corridors.
City Plan Commission had held a public hearing on Dec. 1 and unanimously recommended approval. Chair Alderman Stanford opened the public hearing; with no commenters present the committee voted to move the item forward with no objections.
What’s next: the ordinance will proceed according to the council’s legislative schedule; staff said any future social‑service tenant beyond Family Matters would be subject to criteria limiting intensity (no more than 15 persons on site at a time and specified hours).
