WOODLAWN: THE NEXT CHICAGO ICON

If you are from Chicago then you know where the South Side is. But you probably do not know where Woodlawn is. No, not Woodfield, the shopping mall with the high end restaurants, but rather quite the opposite. Woodlawn is one of multiple neighborhoods in Chicago that has seen devastating disinvestment; a food desert for multiple years lacking fresh grocery stores and modern pharmacies. Since 2019, Woodlawn has experienced much needed growth in the community combined with the city's planned developments to strengthen this neighborhood. The developments don't just end with the City, more investment groups are coming together to create a better Chicago; create a better Woodlawn.

The Apostolic Church of God currently has eight acres of mostly vacant parking lots near 63rd Street and Dorchester Avenue that they plan to redevelop into a development called Woodlawn Central. Their goal is to add community improvements without displacing residents. The development is estimated to start construction in 2023. The new development is designed by and for the Black community. The lead developer, J. Byron Brazier, son of the Pastor at the Church, plans to invest $800 million dollars into the Woodlawn community. The development will be mixed use and calls for 870 housing units, a hotel, theater, up to 215,000 square feet of commercial space and a parking garage for the church. The plan is to create housing for a range of incomes, although the exact number has not been released. The proposal is planned to be a transit-oriented development near the 63rd street Metra station, excellent for commuters and to allow for tourism. Additionally, the Cottage Grove Green Line is approximately a 15 minute walk from the new development. The opening of the Obama Presidential Library along with Woodlawn Central will help draw people into the Woodlawn community and provide further growth in the area.

According to Brazier, the development will include the following:

• A mixed-use complex on 63rd Street north of the church with 605 housing units and 47,000 square feet of offices and shops, as well as 126,000 square feet of office and retail.
• Energy microgrid on 64th Street to power the developments.
• A redesign concept for the 63rd Street Metra station. Metra has not discussed the plans with developers nor agreed to a redesign, Byron Brazier said.
• A 530,000-cubic foot vertical greenhouse with 56 housing units.