Today is about more than a groundbreaking on a building.
It's about breaking ground on progress, opportunity, and long-overdue investment in the 24th Ward.
Far too long, neighborhoods like North Lawndale have seen promises made but not always kept.
Today represents something different.
It represents intentional development, development that centers the people who already call this community home.
home. The middle income project reflects exactly what residents have been asking for. Quality
housing that working families can afford. An investment that strengthens the neighborhoods
without pushing people out. I want to take a moment to thank our development partners
for believing in the 24th Ward and working with people in the community to bring this
project to life. Your willingness to engage, listen and invest responsibly matters. I also
want to thank the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development for their collaboration,
guidance and commitment to equitable development. Projects like this do not happen without thoughtful
planning and partnership, and I thank you. And I thank the administration, Mayor Brandon
Johnson and his team for supporting investing in neighborhoods like the 24th Ward, historically
that has been overlooked. When city leadership, developers and communities work together,
we can deliver projects that truly serve the people.
We're providing development that does not have to mean displacement.
It can mean stability.
It can mean jobs.
And it can mean dignity for families who have invested in this community for generations.
As Alderweinman of this 24th Ward, my commitment is clear.
Development must work for our residents.
This project helps grow our local economy,
create opportunities, and strengthen North Lawndales for long term.
So today we celebrate progress, tomorrow, and we continue to work.
Thank you for believing in the 24th Ward and what is possible when investment is done the right way.
And I would now like to introduce our mayor, Brandon Johnson.
Thank you so much, Alderwoman Scott.
Good afternoon and Happy New Year to everyone.
I'm grateful that we are joined.
I see a couple elected officials here.
Commissioner Michael Scott, thank you for being here.
State Senator Lakeisha Collins. Of course, thank you for your leadership. It truly is an exciting
day for the city of Chicago. Driving up here, I just had a moment of reflection when I was an
organizer and organizing in this community where once upon a time politicians were very much
committed to the destruction and destabilization of this neighborhood. And so we have moved from
destruction to now construction. What a difference
time can make if we actually just show that we really believe in people.
You know, today we break ground on not just
one housing development, but a cluster of developments across
seven city-owned lots. This represents
a $5.39 million investment in North Lawndale
for greater housing opportunities.
One more time, $5.39 million in North Lawndale, on the west side.
The 7-2 flats that have been constructed in rehab by citizens building a better community
will provide an affordable, safe, and quality home for 14 residents and families
to build their lives and to build even stronger communities.
But this is not the finish line.
This is the very first project
from the city's Missing Meadow Housing Initiative to reach groundbreaking.
The Missing Meadow Housing Initiative is a direct effort to repopulate and revitalize our neighborhoods
by leveraging city land and financing for contemporary home construction on behalf of market rate buyers.
Citizens Building a Better Community, or CBBC, is the developer for this project
and a prime example of a partner who drives community wealth building and growth in our neighborhoods.
CBBC is deeply embedded in our south and west side communities.
It's building housing as well as career pathways for residents.
When city government empowers developers such as CBBC with the funding and tools they need to realize their vision,
that's when real transformation can occur.
I do want to take this moment to sincerely thank the entire CBBC team
and their co-founder thank you melvin bailey mike and edgar for their commitment to chicago and for
making this project possible i do want to acknowledge a few other missing middle
developers from north lawndale who are joining us today in today's celebration and they contribute
so much to our city thank you jasmine hagan from the west side community group thank francisco
Garcia, thank you for being here. That's right.
Fonita Harrison from the Sunshine Management
and, of course, Deontay Chantel White from
Beauty for Ashes. So government cannot serve our communities
alone. We need the leadership, commitment, and vision of every single
partner standing with us today. So I do thank you all. As my
administration continues to invest in housing through the Missing Meadow Initiative,
we will unlock more vacant city-owned lots for $1 coupled with up to $150,000 in construction assistance through our historic $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond.
This financing motto is intentionally designed to support the capacity for minority-led development teams to build multi-unit structures that the current market does not support.
through the missing middle program we expect to create hundreds of new
residential units through the year 2028. With each missing middle project that
follows we demonstrate the power of government and community coming together
to build a more equitable and a thriving city and finally and more importantly we
make Chicago with these investments where young people and families and
individuals can plant roots, build stability, and truly fill that home.
To the city commissioners, developers, community leaders that are all here today, and elected
leaders, thank you again for your partnership and your vision.
I'm grateful to each of you who think boldly, who think outside the box, who understand
investing in housing in Chicago is the best thing that we can do.
So I look forward to celebrating many more missing middle ground breakings as we are
experiencing today, and we get to experience it truly in the greatest city in the world,
the city of Chicago. Thank you. And with that, please
welcome Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, Sierra Bullwright.
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Mayor Johnson.
Thank you, Alderwoman Scott, our Deputy Mayor Merritt,
County Commissioner Scott, and State Senator Lakeisha Collins.
Thank you all so much for joining us to celebrate our very first
It's groundbreaking under the Missing Middle Initiative.
This is a fantastic day because it represents community-driven priorities that are essential for sustainable growth.
And an amazing new chapter in the North Lawndale narrative.
This initial round of missing middle construction represents more than $37 million in total investment
and more than 110 units of market rate housing for the community right here in North London.
This journey started roughly a year ago after DPD issued a request for proposals
for the redevelopment of 36 city lots between Ogden and Douglas.
The RFP was based on a number of local goals and public resources, including housing and economic development bond support for some of the vertical construction costs and the city lots that we marketed in clusters to make them easier to redevelop on a block-by-block basis.
The RFP specifically sought small walk-up buildings that are so important for local neighborhoods.
Two flats, three flats, six flats, and other structures that have systemically disappeared from local streets during our lifetimes.
The RFP served as a bold anecdote to those trends attracting proposals from 30 developers that wanted to be a part of history right here in North Lawndale.
After careful review, last winter we selected five highly qualified developers.
By spring, they all met with community.
And by summer, they were all approved by city council to advance.
That leads us to today.
With our very first groundbreaking here on Douglas Boulevard with Citizens Building a Better Community,
I want to give a big hand to Melvin Bailey and Mike Judah for leading the charge
with their $5.39 million project breaking ground on seven two-flats less than a year
after being selected through the RFP.
That's how we cut the tape.
That's how we revitalize neighborhoods.
And that's how we create community wealth building opportunities for local buyers.
I love to say that retail follows rooftops.
And we're going to see many benefits on nearby commercial corridors,
as well as more eyes on the street, more economic vibrancy,
and a local population that's primed to start growing again as a neighborhood of choice.
Before I close, I want to give another shout-out to the other four developers
as part of the North Lawndale Missing Middle Initiative who are here today.
And thank you all for your leadership and your confidence in the future of North Lawndale.
And now I have a distinct pleasure of introducing Melvin Bailey with the Citizens Building a Better Community.
I'm sorry, I forgot to apologize.
From the 25th Ward, Alderman Byron Cichol Lopez is here as well.
Thank you, Alderman Cichol Lopez.
Can you all give him a hand, please?
All right, Melvin.
Thank you.
You have two minutes.
Oh, great.
Hold on.
You know, Bradley comes out to city council and always testify on behalf of the people of Chicago.
Yes, thank you. Thank you very much.
And first, I'd like to thank God for giving me this opportunity, for giving us this opportunity,
because I place him first on what we're doing.
And by me placing him first and doing a lot of praying, 20 years ago as we was protesting,
not begging, but demanding for opportunity in our own community.
Because, you know, we feel we should be working right here in our neighborhood,
making sure that we change our community, that we change the face of this next generation.
Because when this next generation is coming up and they're seeing mayhem,
but when they see young men and women working in their community, they have a different outlook.
They have a different outlook.
So again, I'm going to start out.
I'd like to thank the mayor and the process.
The process was not easy.
It was easy.
Your time is up, sir.
Hey, but I just want to tell you, I'm just telling people to know that you, you better be, so you have to be prepared, what I'm saying, to people that want to walk this walk, because I get a lot of phone calls, Melvin, how can I, you know, how can you have me, I assist anyone, but you have to be prepared for the tough paperwork, you know, there's no easy cut.
this you know so I just want to make people aware of the process that when you step into this arena
you better be prepared because God tell you what you and what you ask for okay can you handle it
I'm gonna give it to you and see what you do with it so again I can thank the mayor I'd like to
thank the alderman and the commissioner I know I've been coming out and getting on y'all nerves I
know it all the commissioner Scott all right I know I've been getting on their nerves you know
So I want to make sure that to let you guys know, I've been going down there doing public comment, public speaking on behalf of the community when nobody else there.
I didn't want this because when we was advocating for opportunity, advocating for jobs, you know, the guys were like, man, when I'm a work.
I've been with you a whole week. I ain't got a job yet.
So I told you guys, let me go downtown and do the heavy lifting and talk about what our community need.
Then I'm going to bring it back to the community so we can continue moving.
So and then, Senator, thank you for being here.
As you can see, my order is no order.
All the members of Lopez, thank you for being here.
Yeah. And that leads up to what I'm saying today. I know I have long. I got two dynamite people here that helped fund the project, got us over the hump, and I introduced them shortly.
But this just added to everything we've been talking about with all these vacant. Since we have vacant lots, we want to tie the vacant and abandoned properties into there as well.
We can be rehabbing them, keeping our kids in our community. Because if we grab a big, big, big, big unit building, guess what?
We know them kids who are causing all that mayhem.
Man, get in there and work.
So we can watch you.
We keep an eye on you.
And then when you get to work and go home, get off the street.
Don't go downtown acting crazy.
Or you won't have a job tomorrow.
Because we're not going to play with you.
We're not going to play with this next generation that's coming up.
Because we know we've got to be stern and let them know we care about them.
We love them.
We want them to change their life.
We don't want them to grow up with them bad behaviors and that bad thought process
So they got to see a working community. So and I'd like to say thank thank the mayor the Alderman, you know
I know I got on y'all I
Hold on let me get on my kickstand. I promise you I got on a nerve
Actually, just like just up, you know in just a blessing that uh God say man go down there ain't through with you keep fighting
I ain't through with you
I'll be like oh man I'm tired of this policy stuff
Man I'm tired
Next thing I wake up bang I'm gone
So again
It's a blessing that we got to this point
Me and Mike have been working very hard at it
You know I mean we work
Extremely hard that's why
Each alderman we're doing some property
In the 27th ward
We're developing in the 28th ward
Now we're in the 24th ward
Then we're going to the 29th ward
Oh, forget it, we're just going to go over the city.
That's all.
We're just going to go over the city.
And then when we go over the city, trust me, you'll see me knocking on some – I love knocking on the parents' door.
That's me right there, so we need to talk.
So, again, I would like to – we have Chris Egan, and he's with the Staines Family Foundation.
That organization came aboard and loaned us some finance to get this project going, and I love him for it because we got to this point.
And then after Chris, we'll have Mark Bruford.
And Mark is with Access.
There we go.
You heard him, right?
Ascars-Lindy.
And he did a great job when the city was asking us to change the paperwork around.
That organization stepped right up to the plate, as well as Staines Family Foundation.
The city wanted their paperwork Pacific.
You know, when you think about real estate, seriously, when you think about real estate,
you just, oh, put all that in the RDA agreement.
the city said no no no no no you got our money if you got our money he's gonna do it right and so
we're grateful for that and grateful for the opportunity so i'm gonna bring chris uh aboard
all right thank you guys oh but you're here for me again uh good afternoon uh i'm chris egan and
i have the great pleasure of representing the stains family foundation uh where my role is
focused on commercial real estate investing. On behalf of SFF, it's our pleasure to partner and
invest with Mike and Melvin and their CBBC missing middle development. Real estate is a very special
asset class. It's tangible. It's something residents can touch, feel, and see. When done
correctly, investing into the built environment allows us to achieve multiple outcomes all at
once. It enables the structure to fulfill its purpose of being a place for people and businesses
to thrive. It also provides beauty in a place where vacancy or decay used to exist. And lastly,
it's a real material asset, one that the buyer will hopefully have for a long time that appreciates
over time. For all these reasons, the Staines Family Foundation sees it as critical to our
mission to invest into real estate in the North Lawndale neighborhood. For us, the who and the
what of each investment matters deeply. And the who and the what in this particular case were a
slam dunk. With Mike and Melvin, we got a development team with a track record and a commitment of
working and building on the west side for west side families. And furthermore, it's abundantly
clear that every Chicago neighborhood needs more homes. Homes are a special place. It's not like
other structures. It's an epicenter of family, of safety, of sanctuary. We all need this small
sliver of space to lay our heads. As someone who grew up in apartment complexes and who now is a
proud owner of a condo, you know, with my wife and my daughter, the importance of home ownership
hits different. It's personal.
It's special, and I'm very excited for these families.
And yet, homeownership remains elusive for too many Chicagoans.
The headwinds are real.
Building costs, development experience, build regulations and compliance, generational disinvestment.
It's all real.
But in my role at SFF, I get to operate with an abundance mindset.
I truly believe that Chicago has all the capital and all the resources it needs to spur a built environment revolution or renaissance.
The for-profit world of finance is usually unable to account for the best decisions of systemic injustice and racism,
and therefore does not have financial products for projects like CBBCs.
That's why it's critically important for sources of capital like family offices and foundations to step up
and to provide capital that focuses on principal preservation rather than return on investment.
This is critical to fill the void in capital access.
I'm very proud of the investment terms that the Staines Family Foundation trustees approved,
and that are able to support this project
and hopefully many others like it.
I hope that this work speaks for itself
and becomes a playbook for more
investment in North Lawndale but across the city of
Chicago. Staines Family Foundation
welcomes the opportunity for collaboration
and to work with any and all good
actors ready for investment.
But for now, I just want to turn the attention
back to Mike and Melvin. I want to say
blessings and good luck on
your work. The hard work
continues and your success is our
success, we're rooting for you. Thank you very much.
And now
I'm going to turn over to my partner
in investment crime here, Mark Buford.
Good afternoon, everyone.
Let's give Melvin and Mike a round
of applause. My name is
Mark Buford. I'm here today representing
Steers Lending, and they're
providing the debt capital
to make this capital stack
complete. But first, I want to salute
the mayor and his leadership and his vision
and also the commissioner
for these type of programs that are doing something.
So whatever the noise is outside, it's happening.
So support this mayor and his team.
From a debt perspective, it's a pleasure to make with Mike.
And it was just mentioned that Mike and Melvin have a track record.
And I've worked with them previously, and we've done a lot of deals.
I've financed over $600 million, $700 million over the last six, seven years.
And Mike and Melvin have been a big part of that.
And so, as Melvin said, it wasn't easy.
But what I do like is David would pick up the phone when we hit a bump.
And we could get through it.
It took us a while to get through it.
But when public and private come together, you do have to take time to understand what the end goal is.
And we reached that goal, and we were able to fund this project.
So on behalf of the stairs, I salute you guys, any other developers, if you're having challenges.
Again, there are nuances within the state of Illinois and even in the city of Chicago that make private capital a little afraid of the city.
But we had to beat on some doors, and obviously the Stains Foundation and the city money helped to de-risk the project to make it appealing for a private lender.
But we can get this thing done together, and we know after we do a debrief,
we can come back and correct some of those things that were bottlenecks in the process
to be able to get to getting it done.
So, again, thank you for trusting us.
Thank you for being a part of this capital stack, and we look forward to doing more.
Thank you very much.
Well, thank you again.
You heard from the team.
And I cannot thank God enough for him blessing us at this point.
I really can't.
And I'd like to say thank you, guys.
And I invited a lot of people out.
Brian Hacker, I see you.
You worked tirelessly on the project as well.
I mean, I really know I got on your nerves.
You're just like, we was playing tag, you it.
So, again, this is the second city program we're in.
We did compete in the first program, City Lots for Work and Family, and now the Missing Middle program.
So it's doable.
You guys can do it if you really want it, but you have to want it.
The only person you're going to want this dream is you.
Can't nobody do it for you but you.
And again, I'd like to thank everyone.
Again, with me, it's hundreds, but behind me it's thousands, and they're out here in the audience.
So I'd like to say thank you, guys.
so are we um ready to oh but i'm so glad ain't nobody move i got something to say listen
See, and I have to talk fast because, Mike, you know, the timer down at City Hall, you can't look at the clock.
You three, you cannot look at the clock.
You better get out what you got to say right away.
Ain't that right, Mr. Lopez?
You got to say it quick.
Oh, and thank you, Wendell, as well, for Wendell from Chicago Community Loan Fund assisting us as well.
I'll leave my project manager.
He likes sitting all the way in the back, you know.
Come on, Mike.
Come on, say something, man.
Let me get on up here.
Yeah, get on up.
I'm stuck.
Hello, everybody.
Mike Jura.
I'm not the public speaker from the group.
You guys see who he is.
He's right here.
So I don't have a speech prepared, but thank you guys all for coming here.
And we're prepared to help build this community up.
And, you know, actually, I want to say one thing.
This is not our first investment in North Lawndale.
my father that's in the stands actually
been invested in this community for over 50 years
so this is not new for us
we've been in this community
we're here to continue bringing investment in this community
well thank you
it is your day