Demanding action from the U.S. Navy to deal with uninhabitable housing conditions in Halsey Village at Naval Station Great Lakes since May, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Hoffman Estates, is relieved to see something coming of her efforts and those of local officials.
“It is absolutely uninhabitable, and no one should have to live in those conditions,” Duckworth said. “I am pleased to see the Navy is preparing to work on remediation. I am going to stay laser-focused on this.”
Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, D-Lake Bluff, first brought the conditions at Halsey Village to Duckworth’s attention in the spring. She and North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., also enlisted the help of U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park.
Duckworth, Schneider, Hart and Rockingham, met with U.S. Navy personnel Friday at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago to learn the military’s plans for Halsey Village, and how it may be able to benefit the community in the future.
Though Duckworth, Schneider, Hart and Rockingham have ideas about how the 90-acre parcel now used for housing sailors and civilian military personnel can benefit the community as affordable housing, middle housing or commercial use, it will be several years before it is possible.
Although Duckworth said the Navy has the final say on the disposition of the land once it is in a condition for a new use, Rockingham, Hart and Schneider, have several ideas. They are glad they will have a seat at the table as the situation progresses.
“We will have the opportunity for blue-sky thinking,” Schneider said. “By that I mean the sky is the limit. We’ll have the opportunity to collaborate and talk about what we can imagine. With everyone involved, it will be successful.”
Pushing Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro to take action on Halsey Village since a Senate hearing in May, Duckworth said the Navy did not get permission until last week to take action. That was a topic of discussion at Friday’s meeting.
“The Navy finally got approval to take control of the land from the Office of Management and Budget around Thanksgiving,” Duckworth said. “All the hurdles have been cleared.”
On one block of Yorktown Avenue in Halsey Village, there are 12 homes, but 10 are boarded up and not in use. Of the other two houses, only one had cars in the driveway or other signs of life on Saturday.
Currently operated by Hunt Military Communities on a ground lease from the military, Halsey Village will soon be returned to Navy control. Cmdr. Destiny Sibert, a Navy spokeswoman, said in an email the Navy will take control of the property through a ground lease modification.
Sibert said the remaining residents will be moved to Navy or community housing by Jan. 31. Once the personnel are relocated, the Navy will formally modify the ground lease and take control of the property. She anticipates it will be done by May. Then the heavy work will begin.
“Current housing will be demolished after residents have been relocated and the land has formally been returned to the Navy,” Sibert said in the email. “Demolition is estimated to take approximately two years to complete.”
While the Navy is readying the property for future use — Sibert said the Navy will decide if it will be repurposed for military operations, or set aside for government or private-sector use — Duckworth, Schneider and local officials will be talking about potential development.
Hart said the county needs 8,000 housing units for a variety of needs, including affordable housing. Using a portion of the Halsey Village land to meet those needs would be a good use, she said, and there are other possibilities.
“I look forward to strategic planning with the Navy and our elected officials,” Hart said. “We will be able to talk about the future of the land for the benefit of Lake County.”
Rockingham said the land will be able to benefit both the Navy and North Chicago. He sees potential for affordable housing and single-family homes, enabling people who work in the city to find a suitable second home rather than moving farther from work.
“It was good to be able to sit with Navy, federal, county and city officials to talk about the future of Halsey Village,” Rockingham said. “There is an opportunity for economic development. I look forward to looking at all the possibilities.”
Before any development can take place, Duckworth said a lot more remediation will likely be necessary other than demolishing the homes that are there. There could be environmental concerns, since other military activity took place before Halsey Village was built in 1962.
“They have to see what needs to be done,” Duckworth said. “There was a gun range there in World War II. There could be lead in the ground. The Navy has to see what’s there and fully remediate it.”
Along with Great Lakes Navy personnel, Duckworth, Schneider, Hart and Rockingham, met with Vice Adm. Scott Gray, the head of Naval Installations Command, and Brenda Johnson-Turner, a deputy assistant secretary of naval installations and facilities.
