Critics of the Invest South/West Initiative have rushed to an unfair verdict that the ambitious program to bring investment to the South and West Sides is moving too slowly and under-delivering. These criticisms overlook the transformational progress made as a result of the city selecting locally based and minority-led teams and then requiring those teams to work collaboratively with the surrounding communities.
As one of the 11 development teams selected by the request for proposals, we believe it is important to set the record straight. We are the developers of the United Yards project in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, which is one of the success stories. Initiatives with the vision and determination to truly impact historically under-invested communities do not happen overnight.
There is no quick fix to the historic geographic inequities within the city. Real solutions take time, hard work, collaboration and a lot of patience. The inclusive and deliberative process mandated by Invest South/West has added time to construction starts, but the result is viable projects that represent the neighborhoods they benefit.
When the city two years ago issued its New City RFP for the development of a city-owned parcel just east of the intersection of South Ashland Avenue and West 47th Street, we assembled a diverse and locally representative team to create a bold plan for Back of the Yards that went far beyond developing just that one parcel of land.
We were inspired and encouraged by the city to work with the community to expand our plan and impact.
In just two years, we stand at the precipice of breaking ground on the first phase of our project, which will consist of more than 80 units of affordable housing; an “Opportunity Hub” to support and train budding entrepreneurs of color; and 30,000 square feet of high-quality retail space with a community-based health center and five minority-owned small businesses. United Yards spans 3 ½ blocks in a neighborhood that has not seen significant new investment in decades.
We recently completed a robust and inclusive community engagement process with Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), in addition to working closely with city planners and the Invest South/West Community Roundtable.
This process resulted in several enhancements to our plan, including lower rents and the inclusion of local small businesses. Without the unwavering support of the Invest South/West initiative, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s team and an enthusiastic Back of the Yards community, a project of this magnitude would never have happened.
One need only look to numerous examples of equally ambitious multi-site urban reinvestment initiatives in other historically disinvested communities, such as Detroit over the last 20 years, New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina and Los Angeles in the 1990s and 2000s, to understand that revitalization efforts at the scale of an Invest South/West initiative take time.
Our challenges in Chicago are no different, as we re-imagine how to approach development in some of the city’s most challenged neighborhoods and create meaningful, positive and lasting change. Despite these challenges — and in the face of a global pandemic — we start construction this spring using more than $35.5 million in private investment and $21 million in city support. Small businesses will be opening their doors at the end of 2023, and residents will be moving into their new homes in late 2024.
United Yards, like many of the other RFP sites underway or coming soon, is not just one building on one city block, as stated in a recent news article on Invest South/West. It is a catalytic, place-making redevelopment of a neighborhood that makes up the fabric of the city but has been passed over for decades.
United Yards is only possible because of Invest South/West and the unwavering support of the city and community leaders. Back of the Yards will be forever changed for the better because of it.
Aron Weisner, principal at Celadon Partners, and Jose Duarte, principal at Blackwood Group, are the developers of United Yards.
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