$65 Million In Development Coming To 3 Neglected Neighborhoods

CHICAGO — Struggling neighborhood business districts in Austin, Auburn Gresham and Englewood targeted by City Hall are set to get $65 million in commercial investments as part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's INVEST South/West redevelopment effort.

On Monday, Lightfoot announced three winning proposals selected from 12 proposals.

In Austin, a blues museum, business incubator, bank branch and café will anchor a $35 million development by Austin United Alliance in the 5200 block of Austin Boulevard that will include a mixed-income, multi-story rental building that includes a green roof, public plaza, social spaces, and outdoor art.

At 79th and Halsted in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, City Hall selected Evergreen Imagine JV LLC's pitch to turn 23,000 square-feet of vacant land into 56 affordable housing units with ground-floor retail stores that aims to compliment the Chicago Prize-winning “Healthy Hub” adaptive re-use project across the street. The Healthy Hub is set to be a mix of private gardens, a playground and open spaces.

Englewood Connect was picked to forward the $10.3 million phase 2 of the Englewood Square shopping center, that will include an “eco-food hub. The project calls for reviving the landmark Green Street fire station as a commercial kitchen, establish a business incubator to train start-up businesses, create a community "living room” for local events, and repurpose vacant land with hoop houses that provide year-round farming operations. A public plaza will serve as its focal point. Later phases will include a flexible market space and an event center.

The developments are part of INVEST South/West, a $750 million development strategy Lightfoot launched in 2019 that aims to strengthen business districts in 10 neglected neighborhoods.

"Initiatives such as INVEST South/West are critical in advancing our goal to enhance the socioeconomic vibrancy of our historic South and West Sides," Lightfoot said. "Each of these winning proposals will contribute to this goal by giving residents access to new and exciting cultural, affordable housing, employment resources. I look forward to seeing these projects come to life and supporting other INVEST South/West projects just like them in the near future."

The deadline for a second round of proposals located in Bronzeville, New City, Back of the Yards, North Lawndale and South Chicago is March 30.