The McKinley Park Development Council (MPDC) is a non-partisan group of concerned McKinley Park residents, teachers and business owners working, in the words of our mission statement,
To collectively foster economic, cultural and social development through the connection of residents, institutions and enterprises for the benefit of the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago.
The group gelled at an On the Table event sponsored by the The McKinley Park Advisory Council in the spring of 2017. Concerned neighbors shared some snacks and brainstormed about how just and sustainable development could happen in McKinley Park - how can we attract new businesses, support the existing business, provide more and better jobs and the missing big city amenities while not falling prey to the injustices of gentrification? A tough nut to crack!
Since then we’ve met a lot of neighbors, held some great workshops and secured a Local Technical Assistance grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. (CMAP) to fund the development of a Neighborhood Plan for McKinley Park .