ORDINANCE
^WHEREAS, the City of Chicago ("City") is a home,.rule unit of government under Section 6(a), Article VII of the Constitution of the State of Illinois of 1970 and may exercise any power related to its local governmental affairs; and
WHEREAS, the City has acquired title to numerous parcels of vacant property located throughout the City of Chicago pursuant to its responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare; and
WHEREAS, many of the City-owned parcels are of minimal value, yet are costly for the City to clean-up and maintain; and
WHEREAS, by ordinance passed by the City Council of the City (the "City Council") on December 10, 2014, the City established the Large Lot Program (codified in Chapter 2-157 of the Municipal Code of Chicago; the "Large Lot Program Ordinance") for the disposition of certain City-owned, vacant parcels, in order to provide local residents greater control over land in their neighborhood and the opportunity to possibly profit from selling those parcels in the future as the areas in which the parcels are located revitalize; and
WHEREAS, it is the City's intention to dispose of those certain City-owned, vacant parcels (i.e., no structures), which are zoned residential, located in the Auburn Gresham and Woodlawn community areas, and identified in Exhibit A attached hereto (each, a "City Parcel", and collectively, the "City Parcels"); and
WHEREAS, public notice advertising the proposed sale of the City Parcels located in the Auburn Gresham community area appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on February 25, and March 3 and 10, 2016; and
WHEREAS, public notice advertising the proposed sale of the City Parcel located in the Woodlawn community area appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times in October 2016; and
WHEREAS, the City's Department of Planning and Development (the "Department") has received applications relating to the disposition of the City Parcels; and
WHEREAS, the Department has evaluated the applications based on the criteria set forth in the Large Lot Program Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 16-093-21 adopted by the Plan Commission of the City (the "Plan Commission") on October 20, 2016, the Plan Commission recommended the sale of the City Parcels; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. The above recitals are expressly adopted herein as the legislative findings of the City Council and incorporated herein and made a part of this ordinance.
SECTION 2. The Mayor or his proxy is authorized to execute, and the City Clerk or Deputy City Clerk is authorized to attest, quitclaim deeds, each such deed conveying a City Parcel to the respective Qualifying Property Owner (as that term is defined in the Large Lot Program Ordinance) selected by the Department, or to a land trust of which the Qualified Property Owner is the sole beneficiary, or to an entity of which the Qualified Property Owner is the sole owner and the controlling party, for the purchase price of One Dollar ($1.00) per City Parcel.
SECTION 3. Any deed conveying a City Parcel to a Qualifying Property Owner may contain such covenants as the Department reasonably deems necessary, including, but not limited to, covenants that require the Qualifying Property Owner for a period of five (5) years commencing on the date on which the City conveys title to such City Parcel to the Qualifying Property Owner (a) to remain in title to the City Parcel and (b) to maintain the City Parcel. The City shall have a right of reverter if the Qualifying Property Owner fails to comply with such covenants. The Department may require the Qualifying Property Owner to execute a reconveyance deed at the time the City conveys the City Parcel, for the purpose of facilitating the City's exercise of its right of reverter, if necessary.
SECTION 4. If any provision of this ordinance shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect any of the other provisions of this ordinance.
SECTION 5. All ordinances, resolutions, motions or orders inconsistent with this ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
SECTION 6. This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its passage and approval.