From the POAH Midwest Office |
Amidst wide speculation and concern about what the future holds for a resurgent Woodlawn, one thing is increasingly clear: Affordable housing will remain a priority.
In September the City Council adopted a Woodlawn-focused housing plan aimed at preserving the community’s existing affordable assets and creating new opportunities on City-owned land, capping a lengthy and at times contentious debate between development interests and housing advocates, including Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) and Leslie Hairston (5th).
Given changing market conditions in Woodlawn and fears that lower-income residents face displacement, it was an important policy statement hammered out over months of community meetings.
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Bill Eager, Senior Vice President, POAH Midwest |
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Red Clay Dance Company Moving to Woodlawn Station |
The commercial transformation of the intersection at 63rd & Cottage Grove continues to accelerate with the addition of The Red Clay Dance Company, a South Side institution that focuses on community engagement and African-themed dance.
The company recently signed a four-year lease to move from its current home in Fuller Park to a 3,700-square-foot space in Woodlawn Station, POAH’s residential and commercial development next to the CTA’s Cottage Grove Green Line station. They will join Daley’s Restaurant, a locally owned UPS franchise and Blue Lotus Yoga on the first floor. When its new location opens by year’s end, there will only be one commercial space left to occupy in Woodlawn Station.
Red Clay, an “Afro-contemporary” professional touring dance company, mixes classical technique with dances from the African diaspora. It also includes a dance academy offering classes for young people and has staged numerous public performances during its existence. With current activities suspended due to the pandemic, the move to Woodlawn Station will enable Red Clay to livestream classes and performances and provide office space for its administrative staff.
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POAH Partners with City and Nonprofits to Preserve & Improve Senior Building |
Two years ago, long-time residents of the Levy House in the Rogers Park neighborhood were gearing up for a fight. Having heard that the building had been put up for sale, the residents, all of whom had limited incomes, feared that a sale to a for-profit buyer would mean either a drastic rent increase or eviction.
Those fears will soon be put to rest when POAH purchases the 57-apartment building in December, with help from the Chicago Housing Authority and City of Chicago.
Underscoring the importance of preserving housing that is affordable to limited-income individuals, in September the City Council approved $3.75 million to assist with the purchase, renovation and updating of the 70-year old building. That renovation will include installing new energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, modernizing the one-bedroom apartments, exercise and community facilities.
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POAH Breaks Ground on New Development in Detroit
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In another expansion beyond Chicago, in late August, POAH and Develop Detroit broke ground for a new residential and commercial revitalization development in Detroit’s historic Sugar Hill Arts District. Located across from the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and in the heart of a community deeply rooted in its history of jazz and entertainment and designed by the late, internationally-acclaimed Black architect Phil Freelon in partnership with Detroit-based McIntosh Poris, the $36 million development will have 68 mixed-income rental apartments and nearly 12,000 square feet of first-floor retail space. Completion is expected in late 2021.
Speaking of the impact of the development on the neighborhood, Rodger Brown, POAH’s Managing Director, Real Estate Development says: “We believe this development will contribute to the community’s sustainability by providing diverse housing types and affordability levels at the same time it enhances opportunities for local businesses, services, and cultural amenities. We’re proud to be part of a partnership that is contributing to the economic growth and health of Detroit.”
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POAH Extends its Footprint on Chicago’s South and North Sides |
Best known for its work in the Woodlawn neighborhood and with most of its Chicago properties on the Mid-South or Near West sides, this summer POAH extended its reach into two more Chicago neighborhoods with the acquisition of a portfolio of 12 buildings and 247 rental apartments from the Chicago Community Development Corporation.
According to Bill Eager, Senior Vice President, POAH Midwest, “The acquisitions were done to ensure the properties will remain affordable long into the future despite significant gentrification pressures in both neighborhoods.”
In Uptown, on the city’s north lakefront, where housing affordable to those with limited incomes is increasingly rare, POAH acquired 11 buildings that provide 192 apartments. The buildings include the following properties: Clifton Magnolia; Hazel Winthrop; Uptown Preservation Associates; and Sunnyside Kenmore.
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Building Dedication Honors Mattie Butler |
Twenty-five plus years after Mattie Butler developed the Johnson and Butler-Linden Apartments in East Woodlawn to help low-income residents find safe, affordable housing in the changing community, POAH has renamed the buildings in her honor.
The dedication of the Mattie Butler Apartments, with buildings at 6146 South Kenwood and 6230 South Dorchester, coincided with the completion their full exterior and interior renewal.
“Mattie Butler is a force of nature,” said Bill Eager, Senior Vice President, POAH Midwest. “Legendary in her commitment and accomplishment, she has led this community’s fight to ensure access to great housing, jobs, transportation and schools for decades. In honor of Mattie Butler’s and POAH’s shared commitment to the ongoing preservation and expansion of affordable housing opportunities for the residents of Woodlawn, we’re proud to enshrine Mattie’s name on these two apartment buildings.”
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