Planning and Development Committee Meeting - February 9, 2026
Planning and Development Committee Meeting - February 9, 2026
The Planning and Development Committee of the Rockford City Council met on Monday, February 9, 2026, from 5:33 PM to 5:51 PM. The meeting included public comments from four speakers and a single committee report regarding a preliminary conditional set-aside letter for the RockRiver I Apartments development. The committee voted unanimously to approve the letter.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Denzil Wynter spoke about the only woman to serve in the Buffalo Soldiers. (No direct relevance to agenda.)
- Prophet Yusef quoted scripture and highlighted the history of African American officers in the Navy, specifically the "Golden 13" who trained at Great Lakes, Illinois.
- John Tac Brantley expressed concerns about the lack of representation of the African American flag during Black History Month, criticized immigration enforcement (ICE), and called for a community meeting with police and fire chiefs to address relations with young Black residents.
- Steven McMaster complained about the city's lack of codified rules for boards and commissions, inadequate response to his FOIA request, and outdated ordinances (e.g., city council meeting time still listed as 5:30 PM instead of 6:00 PM). He urged the committee to update the municipal code.
Discussion Items
- Approval of Preliminary Conditional Set-Aside Letter for RockRiver I Apartments (26-00141) – The committee considered a resolution to approve a preliminary conditional set-aside letter that would lead to a Rental Development Agreement with the owner of RockRiver I Apartments, funded by HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Staff explained that the letter was being reissued due to changes from the original approval last year: the project was scaled from 63 to 60 units and total development costs increased due to economic conditions, requiring additional funding. The developer, Richard Kaenigus of Housing Opportunity Development Corporation, was present. Alderwoman Meeks asked for clarification on the reasons for the unit reduction and cost increase, and staff offered to provide further details offline.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to approve the preliminary conditional set-aside letter was made by Alderwoman Hoffman, seconded by Alderman Durkee. The motion passed unanimously (5-0) by roll call vote: Aldermen Durkee, Hoffman, Wilkins, Meeks, and Salgado voted aye.
- The meeting adjourned at 5:51 PM.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to call the order of the planning and development committee meeting for Monday, February 9th, 2026. Tonight's invocation will be given by Chaplain Mark Miller, followed by um the Pledge of Allegiance. If you all could please stand. Let us pray. Father, we come to you tonight with open hearts, open minds. Lord, we ask you to draw us closer to you. Reveal yourself to us, Lord. Father, keep your hands over this city, protect everyone here, protect our officers, fire department, and all first responders. Lord, I ask for your grace in this meeting tonight and your peace to fall on this city. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Translegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Excuse me, we'll move right into our public speakers for tonight. Uh just as a reminder, each public speaker will have thirty minutes, excuse me, three minutes to make their comments, at which time you will it was an error, three minutes. She was from she was born in in slavery in in Missouri and she served in in the army for two years. You guys are doing a great job. Keep it up. And I got my eyes on you. But I'm I'm I'm I'm the one that's right behind you. You got, if you ain't got but one person, that be me. Thank you. Thank you. Our next public speaker is Prophet Yusuf. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. In the book of Psalms, the 121st chapter, the first to the second verse, it says, I look to the hills, which comes my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. What I want to speak about tonight, that they said there was no African-American officers in the United States Navy. That's a lie. They don't tell you about the Golden 13. In January 1944, there were nearly 100,000 black sailors in the United States Navy, but none were officers. That would change when a group of 16 black enlisted men were somewhere at recruit trainers in Great Lakes, Illinois. We call it the Great Mistake. For officer training that month, the odds were initially sacked against them. As there was still a strong sentiment within the Navy that African Americans was not qualified. The normal officer training course was 16 weeks. However, these men were expected to complete in eight, a move that they believed was an attempt to set them up for faith. The Navy also expected a 25% attrition rate. Similar to that of white officer can. However, the group of 16 were determined not to fail and supported one another throughout the brutal pace of the training. Though lights out was at 2230 each night. The group placed blankets over their winners and studied together by flashlight. Each man bringing his expertise to help straighten the skills and knowledge of the others. When the course was over, all 16 passed the exam. In fact, their marks were so outstanding that some in Washington were certain that the men had cheated. When the group was forced to retake certain exams, they scored even higher with an average grade of 3.89 or four. The highest average of any class in Navy history, despite the fact all 16 had passed the course, the Navy still wished to only commission 12 or 75% as officers. 12 were selected, and a 13 was made a chief warner. Hence the nickname, the Golden 13. The other three were sent back into the listed ranks with no explanation given. So don't believe the lies they say about our people.
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