City officials celebrated the opening of a new mixed-use complex in the Bronzeville community on Tuesday.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. William Burns (4th) celebrated the opening of Shops and Lofts at 47 with community leaders and project developers on Tuesday. The $46 million development sits at 47th St. and Cottage Grove. It has 55,000 square feet of ground floor retail, a Walmart Neighborhood Market and 72 rental apartments above it. This development is the first commercial/residential complex to be built in the community in more than 50 years.
“Creating and sustaining great neighborhoods only happens when you have strong leadership and a community willing to work together for a better future,” Emanuel said in a press release. “The Bronzeville revitalization is well underway, and it is projects like this Shops and Lofts that showcase how, when the public sector, private partners and residents work together, we can drive economic growth and create jobs in neighborhoods across the City of Chicago.”
The idea for creating a commercial/residential development came from Toni Preckwinkle, who was then an alderwoman, and the Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC).
“What you see here today is realization of a dream made possible through hard work and tenacity,” said Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, executive director of QCDC. Some partners include Mahogany Ventures and The Community Builders.
“Together we fought for seven years to find financiers and retail stores that believed in our vision for Bronzeville’s future,” she said. “However, once we found them, we hit the ground running completing the development only 18 months after breaking ground.”
Burns said he is pleased with Bronzeville’s revitalization efforts.
“For much of the 20th Century 47th and Cottage Grove was the epicenter of a thriving African-American commercial district, serving communities to the north, south, east and west,” he said. “We are delighted to once again see it reemerge in its historic role.”
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