# Missing Middle Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 10.6.26

- Date: October 6, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 30:40
- Topic: Openings and groundbreakings
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBJbc4qNABM)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 3,747 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/DBJbc4qNABM.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=0) Introduction and setup
- [3:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=207) Alderwoman's remarks
- [6:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=378) Developer perspectives
- [10:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=610) Project and policy critique
- [12:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=767) Financing partnership
- [15:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=925) Lender insights
- [17:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1076) Department overview
- [21:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1295) Mayoral address
- [26:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1612) Ribbon-cutting ceremony

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Missing Middle Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

## Transcript

[3:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=210) Today is a very special day for me, not just the Aldwin of the 24th Ward, but someone who grew up right here on Douglas Boulevard. I know this community, I know these blocks, and I know what they looked like years ago, and I know how much potential has always been here. So standing here today, about to cut this ribbing for our first missing middle project means something personal to me. Growing up, I never imagined that one day I would be standing here as Alderwoman celebrating new housing and new investment in the very community that raised me.

[4:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=247) This isn't just buildings. This represents what can happen when we stop looking at our neighborhood through the lens of what they used to be and start looking at them of what they can become. The missing middle housing gives us another way to bring people into our community, create quality housing, use vacant and unutilized property and bring investment back to our blocks. And for me, that's what this work is all about. I don't want North Lawndale to simply be talked about just with crime.

[4:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=280) I want North Lawndale to be invested in. I want our children to grow up and see beautiful homes, thriving businesses, safe streets, and opportunities right here in the community they call home. This project is an example of what happens when we put vision into action. I want to thank Mayor Brandon Johnson, Commissioner Boatwright, for their leadership and support, as well as the developers, Mike Judah and Melvin Bailey, for their commitment and investment in North Lawndale.

[5:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=312) I also want to give a special recognition to the Staines family, who provided zero-interest financing to help make this project possible. That kind of investment demonstrates a real belief in North Lawndale and in the people who call this community home. We are grateful for your partnership. Thank you to everyone who worked behind the scenes to bring this project from an idea to a reality. I grew up on Douglas Boulevard. I know where we came from and I am proud to be a part of the work that is helping determine where we're going. So today we celebrate this project but I

[5:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=347) hope we also celebrate what it represents. Progress, investment, opportunity, and a belief in North Lawndale. Congratulations to everyone who made this possible. And let me say this as someone who grew up right here, that the 24th Ward is not just where I serve, it's where I'm from, and I will continue fighting to make sure the community that raised me gets the investment it deserves. Thank you, and again, congratulations to everyone. I now want to introduce Melvin Bailey.

[6:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=387) Well, thank everybody for coming here today. It's truly a blessing what God has have us to achieve. And by us working with the mayor, I'd like to thank the mayor, the Alderman Commissioner Boatwright for believing us to make sure that this dream can come true. You know, we've been fighting a long time for opportunity and now the opportunity is here. So we're going to use this as a platform to make sure that we can do more. But I want to talk about this real quick, real briefly. I want to take you all down memory lane back in the 1930s and the 60s when there was redlining African-Americans from buying property.

[7:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=426) Then let's go jump to the 1967, 1967 Civil Rights Act, Housing Act that passed. And unfortunately, at that time, they still were making sure African-Americans deny access to proper homes and affordable housing. So now we're here today. This administration tackled two fronts, making sure housing is affordable and then also making sure people like me and other developers that's in the missing middle program can be a developer.

[7:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=459) And so to that degree, we are very grateful. And we're great. I mean, you know, I mean, words can I cannot really explain the gratitude that we're expressing today here. So I'd just like to say, oh, all my team, and then I really have to stay, and I want you all to say with me, right now. Can I hear you say right now? Right now. All right. The time of opportunity is when? Right now. The time for changes is when? Right now. That's right. So I'm telling you what I'm saying and what this administration have allowed us to do is to restore hope, change lives, and redevelop communities.

[8:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=500) So this administration is awesome. But I'd like to give a special thanks to our project manager, Brian. He's our project manager. He reached out to his. He reached out to his. Yeah, he needed applause because I'm going to tell you what he did. He's so amazing on the site. Him and Bianca, his girlfriend, Ferguson Appliances, they came to drop off the appliance on the weekend. Typically they don't do that. But they did it for us because they know the magnitude of what we're doing here today. So, again, I'd like to thank Ferguson and thank everybody, my sons, my daughters.

[8:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=536) Everybody is taking a real freedom construction. He's tapping on his chest, real freedom, because they stepped up and showed out for us. You know, my sons, even though they didn't have to be here, that they're here. But that's another story we'll talk about. But, you know, I can continue going on because I can remember when I was coming down there protesting. Commissioner can tell you, Commissioner Marlene Hopkins can tell you, I was coming down there protesting, asking for opportunity, begging for opportunity to make sure that we can do what we're doing right here in the community.

[9:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=567) As you can see, I stopped being patient because the time is now. And I want you to say right now, right now, this mayor is changing lives. When? Right now. Because you should see these kids on the block. How many young folks we hire right off this, Nate? Right off this block. Right off this block. I mean, them kids come. They love it. They love it because we've given them a different outlook on life. And so we want to make sure of that. And I don't want to be on the Mike Lone because trust me.

[9:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=597) I'm long-winded, but I'm going to turn the mic over to Mike Judah. Again, thank y'all very much. Good morning, everyone. Mike Judah from CBBC. First, I want to thank the Mayor's Office, DPD, our elected officials, community partners, lenders, and everyone who helped make this day possible. The Missing Middle North Lawndale Project is much more than building beautiful new construction homes.

[10:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=629) It is about creating high-quality homes for families in the communities and making homeownership a real possibility. The reality is creating homeownership opportunities is harder today than ever before. Federal policies under President Trump and congressional Republicans stripping away vital resources that help community buyers become homeowners. Without Chicago's missing middle program, projects like this at scale our communities will never see. I want to give you one prime example of resources that are being stripped away from us.

[11:03](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=663) In 2011, there was a program called the Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative, which we are community buyers in that program. Prior to Trump's administration, Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area was seeing about a few thousand properties annually. In the calendar year, 2026, we've seen zero opportunities for community buyers. So that's zero opportunities for homeownership. So, ladies and gentlemen, who is the problem here? Is it the local government or the federal government at large?

[11:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=695) And we continue to see news articles saying it costs a million dollars to produce an affordable unit. These units cost it about $350,000 to create. And those policies are, the reason why the cost continues to rise on creating affordable homeownership is because new policies administered by Trump and his parties, like BABA, that continues to raise the cost of affordable housing. And that is across the country. That's not just here in Chicago.

[12:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=730) We believe that development should be more than a changing a block. It should be creating opportunity, stability, and future for people who live here. North Lawndale has a proud history, strong families, and enormous potential. Our goal is to be part of the future in a meaningful way. Thank you for everyone who believed in this project and helping bring this to this point. We are grateful and we're excited to continue to do this work. Thank you, everyone. And my friend Chris Egan from the Staines Family Foundation that really helped us bring this today here.

[12:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=767) Good morning. Good morning. It's a delight to be here on this gorgeous October day. Very honored to represent the Staines Family Foundation. We have a wonderful team that works across this entire neighborhood, and we work with and among the neighborhood residents of this great community area. This project is so emblematic of what we want to be about. It's a project led by neighborhood residents for neighborhood residents. And it's a great example of talent meeting opportunity.

[13:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=798) The talent is so evident. It's everywhere. We meet talented people in North Lawndale every single day. And the opportunity is also all around us. I see opportunity there, there, there, there, all around. And so this project is one that we're very proud of, very happy to be a part of, is one of hopefully many. And it's very clear to me that when the West Side does well, the entire city of Chicago does well. We want to see more of this. I'm very happy to know that when these blocks are better, it makes other blocks better.

[13:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=829) And that this is really a neighborhood, the whole city is one kind of stits-together community, and we have to see it like that. And that's why the leadership of the city of Chicago with its missing middle endeavor and just its understanding and focus on infill housing is so, so important. We're very happy to play our small role as a financing partner in this project, but it takes a village. So quickly want to thank the city of Chicago, Mayor Johnson, Commissioner Boatwright, all of the many people within DPD, Brian Hacker, so many others who contributed to make this happen. Give them a round of applause.

[14:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=861) I want to credit Mike Judah and Melvin Bailey for their kind of vision, their stewardship, and their entire team. I've been on this block many times. I've shook a lot of hands. It's the same faces you see every single week, week after week, freezing cold, super hot days. They're out here working, grinding. And it's because of their hard work. We're here in October for a ribbon cutting, okay? So, again, a round of applause for the workers. I'll leave you with just the invitation.

[14:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=892) You know, the Staines Family Foundation wants to work with anyone and everyone, but especially North Lawndale residents. for the betterment of this neighborhood, and our invitation is come find us. Let's have a conversation about how we can help develop the neighborhood in partnership with you. The last thing I'll say is it's hard to find good lenders, so I want to bring up my colleague here in Mark Bufford of Astaire's Capital. Astaire's Capital was another financing partner on this deal, and without him, this wouldn't have happened. So, Mark, thank you very much.

[15:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=925) Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Again, Mark Bufford, it's a pleasure to be here. I want to speak to you from three perspectives, a lender, a developer, and then just a community member of Chicago. As a lender, it's a pleasure to contribute into the capital stack for this kind of project because, as has been discussed, we need tools to finance projects that have never been done before. So the creative aspect of the Department of Planning, the city of Chicago at the fifth floor,

[15:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=957) and then private capital and then Steens. All of this came together to make this happen. And it was challenging, but this tool resulted in this being built, jobs being provided and lives being changed. So it's a pleasure to contribute. So we provide construction financing on new construction and small-balanced multifamily properties. If I can help you, please let me know. From a developer standpoint, you've heard the term missing middle. So missing middle means the nurses, the firemen, the policemen, the teachers, workforce can now afford these type of properties.

[16:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=995) The affordability crisis is impacting us all. Typically, the financing tools utilized only service those from 15 to 60 percent of AMI. Well, this tool stretched that to over 160 percent of AMI so that those families can benefit and those developers can also benefit. So let's give it up for that. Again, utilizing tools that have never been done before. I'm going to say that again. Utilizing tools that have never been utilized before and putting together diverse capital stacks made this work.

[17:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1030) And I want to give a shout out to David and with the department, he's not there anymore, but just for picking up the phone when things got tough, the bottlenecks, because they do when things start to get politicized. Now, thirdly, as a community community member, we need continuity on the fifth floor. So I don't care what your personal opinions are. We need continuity to continue this progression for changing our communities. Thank you very much. I appreciate you all.

[17:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1060) I got a little warm with that one, but it's my pleasure, it's my pleasure to bring up Commissioner Boatwright, who is doing new things and innovative things with the Department of Planning. Well, good morning, North Lawndale. This two-flat is more than just proof of concept, you all. This is real. It's market-rate housing and the first of many missing middle ribbon cuttings to come.

[18:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1091) Let's quickly recap on how we got here today. We kicked off with the mayor's housing and economic development bond that made funding available for innovative DPD initiatives like the Missing Middle Program. It advanced with a DPD request for proposals for 36 vacant city-owned lots right here in North Lawndale. And it's culminating today with Melvin Bailey and Mike Judah taking seven vacant city-owned lots into the end zone and spiking the ball,

[18:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1123) barely two years after DPD issued the original request for proposal. That's lightning speed, you all. So thank you. Thank you, Alderwoman Scott, for your incredible leadership and support throughout this process because we are far from done. We will continue to march forward as every lot from that first RFP is filled with two, three, and four flat buildings in the months to come. That's 115 units of market-rate housing and $37 million in total investment right here between Douglas and Ogden from the initial RFP alone.

[19:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1165) But that's not all. We've since issued two more Westside RFPs for Humboldt Park and Greater Garfield Park that will create up to 149 additional units. So if you're keeping score, that's 264 missing middle homes for the Westside, starting right here on South Trumbull Avenue. Not bad, right? That's how we cut the tape, you all. That's how we increase density, and that's how we build community wealth for local buyers.

[19:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1199) I often say that retail follows rooftops, which means new housing supports more eyes on the street, more vibrant commercial corridors. These new units complement the over $175 million of new investments across 60 projects right here in North Lawndale. I'll close by acknowledging that new housing, like our missing middle units, are truly decades in the making. And countless individuals help prep the neighborhood for the seeds that we're planting and the homes that will blossom as community wealth opportunities for generations to come.

[20:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1234) So I want to thank the visionaries, past, present, and future, that are making a difference one day at a time, especially today's dynamic duo, Melvin and Mike, that are leading the charge, lot by lot and block by block. To Mayor Johnson, thank you. Thank you for the resources that turned these really great concepts into real projects. And to my amazing team at DPD, thank you for your commitment to community revitalization and the projects that make it real,

[21:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1267) especially our Westside Planning Lead, Brian Hacker, who's sitting here in the audience. And last but not least, I'd like to thank my partner in progress, Commissioner Hopkins, for helping to expedite these building permits so that this project came into fruition at light and speed. And now I have the pleasure of introducing our leader himself, the West Side's own Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you, Commissioner Boatwright. Even the South Side has fallen in love with the West Side.

[21:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1301) Thank you. You know, Commissioner Boatwright's leadership has just been absolutely outstanding, her entire team. Thank you, Brian, and all that play a part in ensuring that government can be administered with effectiveness. Thank you to Commissioner Hopkins for being here as well. Of course, you've already heard from Melvin and Mike and the Staines Foundation, Egan, and, of course, Mark. And local leadership is so critical.

[22:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1331) The Alderwoman of the 24th Ward told her special story about being born and raised in the community that she is now leading. So let's thank the 24th Ward Alderwoman, Monique Scott, just one more time for her leadership. I'm really glad to be here today and celebrate another step in our citywide journey to build more housing and grow a more affordable Chicago for everyone. Rising home costs along with the shortage of housing is impacting every community throughout the entire city.

[22:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1362) This requires city government to be more innovative and proactive about our housing priorities. My administration is working to meet this challenge and meet this moment with a commitment to investing boldly and thinking boldly about housing. We invest boldly with our $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond, representing the largest municipal investment in housing in our city's history. And we think boldly about housing by creating new policies and initiatives that address our challenges while looking to the future.

[23:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1398) That commitment brings us to today's ribbon-cutting here in this amazing community, the North Lawndale neighborhood. celebrating the first missing middle infill housing project to reach full completion. Two years ago, my administration launched the Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative with a goal to transform vacant city-owned lots into much-needed housing opportunities. This initiative called upon designers and developers to create construction to ensure that a densely populated area like North Lawndale

[23:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1433) can realize what people have been calling for for generations. Vacant lots across the south and west sides have been sold to neighborhood developers for just $1, alongside of up to $150,000 in construction assistance per unit from the Housing and Economic Development Bond. As Commissioner Boatwright stated, we invested over $37 million in North Lawndale alone, where we plan to support the construction of 40 different two- and three-flat buildings and 115 units of housing.

[24:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1463) North Lawndale, we're just getting started. Additionally, the city selected five minority-led developer teams here in North Lawndale, ensuring that the projects not only benefit residents but also local businesses. It is important to us that our communities are revitalizing our own communities and that the revitalization of our communities can be fully exposed. expressed by our own leaders and members who know their needs and understand it the very best.

[24:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1495) The project that we are cutting the ribbon to today was led by Citizens Building a Better Community, or CBBC, a developer that is skilled and deeply committed to building housing in our historically underserved communities. And they are constructing seven two-flats, creating 14 total units of housing. This is a $5.4 million commitment. And it is incredible that we are standing here today, just 10 months to the day after the project's groundbreaking on January 6, 2026. This speaks to our citywide commitment to delivering the housing that communities need

[25:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1529) and deserve quickly and efficiently, because that is what this moment demands. The 14 units offered here are quality housing large enough to raise a family and give Chicagoans the opportunity to put down roots and build wealth in communities that they call home. And today is only the beginning. I look forward to breaking more ground and cutting more ribbons to the missing middle infill housing projects in North Lawndale, Chatham, South Chicago, Morgan Park, East and West Garfield Park, McKinley Park, Inglewood and Humble Park.

[26:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1562) We will continue to think boldly and invest boldly in housing throughout the city until we reach our goal of living in the safest, most affordable big city in America. I'm grateful to the city leaders and community partners who are committed to this work and have made today's ribbon-cutting possible. Again, to the 24th Ward Alderwoman, Monique Scott, to our Department of Planning and Development Commissioner, Sierra Boatwright, and the entire Citizens for a Better Community team, including its co-founders, Melvin Bailey and Mike Judah. I look forward to celebrating growth in North Lawndale again very soon.

[26:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1594) So God bless you, and God bless the greatest freaking city in the world, the city of Chicago. And today, I'm even rooting for the White Sox, so that shows you how committed I am to this city. All right, let's go.

[28:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1689) All right, let's have the cameras take themselves back if you can. camera, please make room. Two steps back. Scissors. Yep, right there. All right, big smiles looking

[28:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1725) right here in the center. Polls, view cameras. All right, let's cut on three. One, two, three. Thank you, thank you, we see all right, Melvin and the mayor, we'll have you both walk in and then that thing behind us. Wait, one second, one second.

[29:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1756) Hey, I know he's the guy who'll make it. . . . . . . . . . . . . Good morning, how are you?

[29:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM?t=1789) I don't know if they let anybody in. I just, I know what this one is. Oh. I know it's a lot of this. It would be fun. Who? Are you? Are they coming to your house? Yeah. I know. Look at the money. Hey, your shoes. How are you doing? I didn't want to put these. You get to this. Y'all come in. Come on. We got to. Congratulations. Thank you.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DBJbc4qNABM · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt