# United Yards 1A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 10.2.26

- Date: October 2, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 26:37
- Topic: Openings and groundbreakings
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiA94G5qveg)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 3,944 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/KiA94G5qveg.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=0) Project history and vision
- [2:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=128) Grand opening remarks
- [7:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=434) Alderwoman's perspective
- [9:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=565) Mayor's address
- [14:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=848) Housing commissioner insights
- [17:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1056) Resident testimonial
- [21:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1282) Closing and acknowledgments

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the United Yards 1A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

## Transcript

[0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=0) Due to the violence that we saw in the community, right, it was a response to the conditions that we saw here in the Back of the Arts neighborhood. And it really started as a small group of five to six principals. And of course, Father Bruce or Bruce from Holy Cross, who brought these stakeholders together to begin to have a dialogue about what kind of solutions we needed to bring into our communities. And since then, this coalition has grown to up to 30 to 40, even 50 stakeholders who attend our monthly stakeholder meetings to continue to talk about the resources and assets that we can come and bring together to make sure that we better the back of the arts and the greater southwest side more than anything.

[0:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=48) But once again, thank you all so much for coming. And also, these kind of developments like the United Arts spaces, you know, really help foster that kind of community more than anything. Having grown up in the back of the arts neighborhood, unfortunately, I got to see a lot of my friends who were, you know, victims of our environments. And really, the reason was because we didn't have a lot of safe spaces. We had a storefront library at one point who they would leak often and it wasn't always very accessible to a point where we were out of a library for a couple of years.

[1:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=84) And these libraries, these spaces for young people are, you know, what provide these hubs more than anything, right, to foster safety and more than anything, keep our youth safe. So spaces like these that we hope to see in the future, you know, foster a lot of this more, foster a lot of safety for our youth more than anything.

[1:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=115) Next, I want to go ahead and introduce Jose Duarte from the Blackwood Group. If you want to go ahead and take care of that. All right. Good morning. Can everyone hear me okay? All right. Beautiful. Well, it could have been yesterday, right? This would have been a totally different event, but thank you all for coming today. Good morning, everyone. Welcome. Thank you for joining us in the celebration, this official ribbon-cutting and grand opening

[2:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=146) for the United Yards housing portion of United Yards Development. Today represents far more than a completion of a development. It represents a vision realized, a commitment fulfilled, a partnership dedicated to creating opportunity, stability, and a brighter future for our residents of this community. It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you and reflect on the journey that has brought us here today, a project of this magnitude never accomplished by just one organization or a handful of people.

[2:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=178) They require partnerships, leadership, persistence, collaboration, and a shared belief that investing in communities does transform lives. So, thank you. So, if I start at the beginning, that takes us to a journey about five years ago. I'm not going to start there. Our goal was clear, however, is to create high-quality housing development that would serve residents with dignity, strengthen our surrounding neighborhood,

[3:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=208) and contribute to the long-term growth and success of back-of-the-arts. Today, we come to celebrate new opportunities, new possibilities for our families, and new opportunities for this neighborhood. I would like to extend a special thanks to our development partner, Celadon. Aaron Wisner, Scott Henry, Aaron is here today. Their vision, experience, and unwavering commitment were critical to the success of this complicated development.

[3:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=239) Together, we navigated a lot of complexities, while never losing sight of the people that it was intended to serve. We are grateful for their partnership, their trust, their shared dedication, their meaningful community and impactful developments that they continue to work on today. I also want to express sincere appreciation for the Department of Housing and the Department of Planning and Development. Those partnerships guided us and helped us move this from a vision to concept to reality.

[4:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=272) Their commitment to responsible development and equitable investment in neighborhoods continue to make transformative projects like United Yards possible. Their collaborative effort and work makes sure that working families have a shot at a brighter future here in the city of Chicago. Also, Mayor Brandon Johnson, thank you so much for being here with us today.

[5:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=302) You have consistently emphasized the importance of investing in neighborhoods, in communities on the south and west sides, creating housing opportunities, and supporting community-centered developments. We appreciate that leadership and your commitment of your office towards expanding affordable housing throughout the city of Chicago. Thank you. I want to give a special shout-out to our team in the trenches on this project that's been with us since the beginning.

[5:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=335) Design Bridge, our architect, Skender, Tandem Ventures, Reyes Kersen, and everyone else who's contributed to this effort, thank you for believing in this vision. Your contributions made this possible today. And there will be more shout-outs and thanks at the end to Aaron. Make sure you catch anyone that I forgot. I want to recognize the residents. The community development, this community development was built for you. Long after the speeches are over, we cut the ribbons, we take the pictures, the true success of this development will be measured by the families who call this home, the children that grow up here, the neighbors who start building community here.

[6:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=382) And lastly, this does not happen by accident. All of this is intentional. It's deliberate. It's anchored by the leadership and the vision that starts with the 20th Ward. Alderwoman Taylor, thank you for your vision. And thank you for showing us what community-centered development looks like. You have held all to account in ensuring community involvement at every step. And now we are here to celebrate the fruits of your process and your leadership.

[6:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=416) And so with that, I would like to invite you up here to share some words. I guess y'all wanted to make the short people feel tall. Good morning. How y'all doing? Can y'all believe we started this during COVID? Like, this is a long time coming, and so there's a bittersweetness to what I'm feeling right now.

[7:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=451) Back of the Yards deserve investment, not just promises. United Yard represents what happens when we put real resources behind a community that has carried Chicago for generations. Affordable housing means working families can stay rooted. It means our seniors can remain in the neighborhoods they help build. It means young people can see a future where they don't have to leave their community to find opportunity. And let me be clear, community development does not mean pushing people out.

[8:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=485) Investment must come with affordability, opportunity, accountability to the residents who have been here through the hard times. Back of the Yards has a history. It has culture, it has organizers, it has workers, it has families, and it has people who have fought to make this community better. Now we have to make sure the investments coming into the community works with this neighborhood and the people who call it home. This is more than about a new development. It's about hope.

[8:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=516) It's about dignity. It's about making sure working families have a place in Chicago's future. This is the kind of investment I will continue to fight for. Back of the Yards isn't waiting for the future. We're building it. You know, sometimes you've got to write stuff down before you start all that crying and sniffling. And so I have the pleasure of introducing somebody that I knew before I got this seat. I always say he wore hoodies and gym shoes when we would go to Springfield in D.C.,

[9:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=550) and he is now our illustrious mayor of the city. So I introduce to you all my brother, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Well, good morning, everyone. Thank you, Alderman Taylor, for your leadership in that introduction. I'm happy to be here and continue celebrating the growth of affordable housing across our wonderful city. And I say continue because just yesterday I joined the near north side community

[9:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=585) in cutting the ribbon to the park side of old town development, transforming the former Cabrini Green site into 99 new homes, including family-sized homes, and 65 of those homes are affordable. And here we are today. We're on the southwest side, where I understand that there are a lot more Sox fans over here than are. Over here on the southwest side, cutting the ribbon to Union Yards 1A, a 100 percent affordable housing development and another step in our journey to build more accessible housing in every single community.

[10:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=630) All 51 of these units here, ranging from one, two, and three-bedroom households, offer Chicagoans an opportunity to put down roots in the back of the yards, raise a family with the stability of affordable housing, and, of course, building generational wealth for years to come. And when we provide affordable housing, the benefits extend beyond the tenants into the community. This investment will help ensure Back of the Yards remains a community where working people, working families, can afford to live, grow, and build a future in.

[11:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=667) Affordability is the top priority for Chicagoans, and rightfully so. Across the nation, gas is rising, rent is rising, grocery prices continue to rise. and we have a responsibility as government and as community leaders to meet this moment with urgency because that is what is required. This development is a prime example of the public and private sectors coming together to meet this moment. Out of our belief in the potential of this transformative project,

[11:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=698) the city supported United Yards 1A with up to $25 million in tax-exempt bonds and approximately $14.5 million in TIF funding and Chicago Recovery Plan resources. The project was led by Solidown Partners, LLC, and Blackwood Development Partners, LLC, who responded to a city request for proposals and responded to the need for high-quality, mixed-use, new development in back-of-the-yards. The project was intentionally designed to benefit its residents and the broader community.

[12:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=732) From the business support center focused on entrepreneur youth to the revitalization of the 47th Street Corridor, which will catalyze further investment in this community. And this is the kind of investment that my administration will continue making, creating affordable homes along with the spaces, opportunities and amenities that enable a whole neighborhood to thrive. With initiatives like missing middle housing that leverages city land and financing for contemporary homes being constructed on vacant lots across the south and west sides of our beloved city.

[12:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=764) Or the LaSalle Street Reimagined Initiative, which is transforming underutilized office spaces into affordable housing downtown in the heart of our city. My administration will continue to think and build boldly housing. And the $1.25 billion bond, $625 million of which is dedicated to housing, shelter, and home ownership priorities, will continue to invest in housing in a bold way. And of course, we cannot do this work alone. As I close, I want to thank the partners and leaders who are crucial in the mission of developing and revitalizing communities who ensure that United 1A could come to life.

[13:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=803) Thank you to the 20th Ward Alderwoman, again, my sister Jeanette Taylor, to our Department of Housing Commissioner, Lissette Castaneda, who you will hear from shortly, the Blackwood Group LOC's founder and principal, Jose E. Dorote, and principal, Rafael Hernandez, Saladon Partners' principal and co-founder, Aron Weissner, Chicago Community Trust Vice President, Marissa Navarra, and the executive director of the Peace and Education Coalition, Bruce L. Wellems. Thank you for all of you for your commitment to this community and equitable growth across our beloved city.

[13:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=839) And so thank you to the residents of United 1A. Welcome home. So with that, please welcome our Department of Housing Commissioner, Castaneda. Good morning, everyone. Today is an exciting day as we have reached another milestone in a journey that has spanned more than a few years.

[14:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=875) I am thrilled to welcome residents to United Yards, where 51 fully affordable homes are now available to support the workers and families who need safe and reliable housing. Not only will these homes expand the city's housing supply, but they will also provide affordable options to keep people in the community they may already call home. our efforts to bring new development to new city are coming to fruition as we welcomed local retailers and

[15:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=905) small businesses in the Goldblatt's building last year. As the Commissioner of the Department of Housing, I've made it my mission to support the working-class families, the engine of the city, who deserve to be able to stay in this city. The homes we are opening today, both here and down the street, come in a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units across all levels of affordability. In fact, all 51 of these homes are going to be affordable for individuals and families between 15 and 80 percent of the area's median income. It can often be hard to picture

[15:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=940) what that means, but ultimately this is for the grocery store worker at El Guero on 47th. This is for the worker taking your order at S2 Grill on Halstead. It's for the bus aides at Hamline Elementary School. This project ensures that even as we grow our communities, those workers who call this neighborhood home will not get left behind. To cement this community first perspective, the ground floor will host an opportunity hub that offers technology training and business support center

[16:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=971) specifically targeted to underserved youth. This development will also meet Enterprise Green Communities criteria, meaning we do not need to decide between environmentally friendly buildings and affordable housing. Both can happen at the same time. We could not have achieved a successful outcome without our community partners, both public and private, as well as Alderwoman Taylor and the community leaders who made this possible. I want to thank my team in the Department of Housing, particularly Veneta and Tamara. I want

[16:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1002) to thank the Department of Planning and Development, who went out with an RFP knowing that we could build more community in underserved places. I want to thank Celadon Partners and Blackwood Development Partners for their work to make this project a reality, as well as Design Bridge and Skender Construction for their efforts in creating the beautiful developments here. And of course, I want to thank Mayor Johnson for supporting this project from start to finish to make sure that our community is the strongest that it can be.

[17:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1035) We should all be proud of the work we've done here and to the future of this wonderful and historic neighborhood. Thank you. I'm going to bring up Aaron Wisner from Celadon Partners to introduce one of the residents. Okay. Welcome, everybody. Good morning. So I'm going to introduce Ms. Thompson in just a moment, but I do just want to recognize the three leaders that you see here in the front row

[17:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1065) and who are speaking today. A lot of people show up and are here to give us a little pat on the back. When this administration came in, we were about halfway down the road of developing this property. It would have easily been a property that could have been left on the wayside, as a lot of projects in the past have been in back of the yards. Kenya Merritt, Mayor Johnson, thank you so much for standing by this project, increasing the commitment from the city to allow us to get this project done the right way, allowing us to keep rents not just at an affordable rent but what's affordable in back of the yards.

[18:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1098) We had market rents here that are actually below the technical high rent so that it is affordable to the people living in this community, which was important to Alderwoman Taylor coming into this process. So with that, I want to introduce one of our first residents who moved in. I just want to point out this property filled up in two months, 51 units, two months, and I'm embarrassed to even list how many people are on our waiting list. We could do 10 of these and keep them full that quickly. So I just want to say thank you again for all of your support throughout this process.

[18:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1128) And I now want to introduce Deirdre Thompson, who is our resident in Unit 510. I hope I'm not exposing too much. Y'all, it's hard out here with a limp. All right, so if I'm not careful, this speech could end up like my life, bogged down by my fears and excruciating memories of my trauma,

[19:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1160) with the constant agony and suffering from mental and physical illness. You all just asked for someone to speak about how much they enjoy living here, and I realized that I actually feel like I'm living for once. My elation at being chosen to live here demands that I say more. However, my brain fog still runs the slow show. I was able to sift through several depressing drafts of this address of adulation, but my mental acumen fell short of statistical research.

[19:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1197) There are plenty of correlations. to causations of the positive possibilities a person can experience when their basic living necessities are met with decent accommodations. I want to do what I can to give back. So I am finally tackling my fear of public speaking because who the heck curtsies at the end of a statement to the Board of Commissioners? This silly goose did last week. As I joined a group

[20:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1229) of my peers with Union for Guaranteed Income to put the program's initiative on the budget. That extra money would go great with the recipe of success I got cooking in my fabulous apartment with my brand new appliances, but I don't want to get ahead of my blessings. I want to remember and remind others that I am privileged in so many ways to even be able to speak coherently So, je m'excuse if I drive home the fact that taking care of the community's most vulnerable promotes a healthy foundation and living for all.

[21:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1269) Thank you, guys. I would not have known that that was someone who was afraid of public speaking. So, thank you so much, Deirdre. That was really, thank you so much. Okay, we're going to wrap up here in just a moment, but I do just want to just reflect on a few things. Alderwoman Taylor mentioned that this is a project that came together in the pandemic. We sort of joked that this project began in sweatpants and ended in suits, but really it did.

[21:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1304) We met in basements of schools for public meetings to make sure we got exiting. Originally, we were doing Facebook Live because we couldn't meet in person. Alderman Taylor made sure that we had consistent community feedback, actually predating even our involvement in this to make sure this project really represented what the community was looking for. I do also want to mention our partner in overall United Yards, Jesse Uniguez of Back of the Yards Works, who couldn't be here today but is a big part of this project as well. So just wanted to mention Jesse as a part of this too.

[22:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1337) I do want to say our brothers in this process, Jose and Rafael from Blackwood Group. Again, we met early in this process. Gabi from Design Bridge brought us together and with a vision for what this project could be. and I can't tell you how many times they came here at 5 in the morning or 10 o'clock at night to make sure that things were being done the right way, checking in on things with the property as we were bringing this through. So thank you. It's been one of the best parts of this project, getting to know you guys.

[22:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1369) We've had mention of a number of the people here. I do want to also call out, Jose briefly mentioned Tandem Ventures, who really, they're stepping in, really put our community engagement process into high gear, making sure that this ran in an organized way. So Tawana Tang, who also couldn't be here today, but do want to really just acknowledge the great work they do in making sure that these processes involve so many different people, so many different parts, was a big part of this process.

[23:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1399) Some of the people who don't always get called out in these things are our management company, R&M, that managed that wild lease-up process in their first now really successful year of operations. So Ashley and Whitley from RMM, thank you for all the love and care that you guys put into this property on a daily basis. You really are the face of this building, so thank you. Also, projects like these don't actually, despite all the public resources that came into it,

[23:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1431) it's really the private resources that cover about half of what causes to get these done. And that started early. Speaking with Gina from IFF earlier, she first did a loan for us for the free flats in 2020. when nothing was happening in investment, doing a loan that we weren't able to pay off until 2024. So groups like the Chicago Community Loan Fund and IFF putting an early-end capital at risk to make sure projects like this get done. Thank you so much. And I also want to mention Andrew O'Mara from Regents Bank is here today.

[24:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1463) Regents Bank took a risk. This is one of their first investments, both on the equity investment and on the debt for this project, stepping in and a growing presence here in Chicago. And really, one of the things we're most proud of is we're bringing new sources of capital into properties like this. So thank you, Regions Bank, for helping us to get to this point here today. Last thing I wanted just to point out, Department of Housing, we went through a lot together.

[24:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1493) I think I said something about this to the DPD team when we were at the commercial space, but I do want to call out particularly Veneta Jones. And Victor Gutierrez from the CAC group here who countless times came down here for community meetings, to see the property, to walk the property with us. I don't even want to know how many hours of yours we used over the last couple of years. So thank you to the Department of Housing team for all you do to make projects like this happen. So I hope I'm – thank you. Last thing, and then we'll get to pictures.

[25:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1523) I do want to just say we actually just last night won our first – we were finalists for several awards and never quite got there. Gabi Djakovic and Aldera Renteria, wherever you both are, can you stand up for a second? So this is a three-block vision of this development. And just last night, this project won the ULI People's Choice Award. All of the architecture that's done by architecture firms in the city of Chicago, this won People's Choice Award. The vision here is really what got this project going.

[25:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg?t=1554) We can help put it into actual physical form, but your vision for this was incredible. So thank you both of you for what you did. So anyway, thank you for enabling me to go through that long list of people. Thank you so much for being here today. Let's take some pictures.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/KiA94G5qveg · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt