# Boulevard Apartments Preservation Ribbon Cutting 9.16.26

- Date: September 16, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 30:28
- Topic: Openings and groundbreakings
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHWNuc7QHfE)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 3,884 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/NHWNuc7QHfE.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=0) Opening and invocation
- [1:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=93) Invocation reflections
- [3:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=214) Project overview
- [7:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=445) Aldermanic perspectives
- [11:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=711) Partners and stakeholders
- [18:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1092) Remarks by Mayor Johnson
- [22:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1344) Commissioner insights
- [26:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1595) Closing and ribbon cutting

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Boulevard Apartments Preservation Ribbon Cutting.

## Transcript

[0:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=43) Good morning everyone. Thank you so much for coming today for this wonderful event, the ribbon cutting of Boulevard Apartments preservation, providing 70 affordable apartments to low and moderate income families in West Town and Humboldt Park and Logan Square.

[1:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=74) And yes, we have three buildings and they are in all three communities. I want to start with an invocation. And so I'm going to bring up Pastor Juan Pablo Herrera. Thank you. Let us pray. God of justice, abundance, and beloved community, we give you thanks for this joyful day and for everyone whose vision, courage, and hard work made the preservation of the Boulevard Apartments possible.

[1:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=109) As a Puerto Rican, I'm reminded of the Taino word yukakeyeki, meaning village or community. It reminds us that a neighborhood is more than buildings standing beside one another. It is people sharing life, caring for one another, and creating a place where everyone belongs. We know that a home is more than walls and a roof. A home is where families grow, where children dream, where elders rest, and where neighbors become community. And so today we celebrate the promise that those who have helped make this neighborhood what it is

[2:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=145) can continue to live, thrive, and belong here. Bless Bicker Dyke, the residents of the Boulevard Apartments, the community partners, public leaders, builders, advocates, and everyone whose work made this moment possible. May this ribbon-cutting remind us that preserving affordable housing is more than completing a project. It is an act of justice, dignity, and love. Bless these homes and all who enter them. May their doors open to safety, their tables make room for fellowship,

[2:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=179) and their shared spaces become places of laughter, friendship, and care. May every resident know that they are worthy of stability, joy, and a place where they truly belong. And may we continue building a Chicago where longtime neighbors are not pushed out, every person is valued, and everyone has a safe and dignified place to call home. Amen.

[3:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=209) Thank you so much. That was very inspiring. Thank you. I wanted to just take a moment to talk a little bit about the project in Bickerdike. We have a lot of really great people here that I won't be able to acknowledge everyone, but some of them are going to speak today, which is fabulous. So welcome, everyone, to this momentous occasion. And I see a lot of friends out there and a lot of partners, and that's what it takes to do an affordable housing development.

[4:03](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=243) Many partners. And we are delighted to have so many partners on the opportunity to have done Boulevard Apartments. This project actually was done about 35 years ago by Bickerdijk Redevelopment. It was the first project that Bickerdijk did with low-income housing tax credits without the Section 8 subsidy. And we did this with just the tools that were available at the time and made the apartments affordable.

[4:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=279) But underwriting was so different then that it was a very tightly budgeted project. And we didn't always have the money to keep it, to keep everything in the order that we like to keep our apartments. And so we went to the city. and put in an application to recapitalize this project and renamed it Boulevard Apartments Preservation. And I think that you'll agree that the three buildings that comprise this project,

[5:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=315) this is one of them. The other two properties, one is at Sacramento and Lindale, and the other is at 1956 North Humboldt. and that they provide important, safe, quality, affordable housing for people in our neighborhoods. This is a big issue because when we did this project, nobody wanted to build on the boulevard. Nobody. And that was because, if you remember the boulevard, for those who may have that memory,

[5:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=347) 35 years ago, this community was not the community it is today. and there were a lot of safety issues and it was there were many gangs in the neighborhood and the boulevard was a very popular place for them to have war with one another and so but we came in all those years ago and made an investment along with the city and partners at the time to to make this affordable and we are delighted that we've been able to extend the

[6:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=381) affordability of this project when today our community is faced with gentrification and people are having a hard time affording the housing that is in our community. So not only do our people have a wonderful apartment to live in, but it's a wonderful apartment to live in in a community where it's more and more difficult to find an affordable place to live. So we are very happy to be able to provide that housing stability for the 70 families

[6:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=416) that live here. I'd like to introduce someone who helped make this possible. There are so many that made it possible, but somebody who is near and dear to my heart and very, very delighted to have her a partner, to call her a partner. She was instrumental in helping get this done. Older person, Jessie Fuentes of the 26th Ward. Thank you, Joy.

[7:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=446) I want to start with a little story. You know, I was elected in 2023, and the first two weeks of inauguration, I get a call from Joy Arugate. And she tells me, hey, older person, I want to talk to you about housing. But more importantly, I want to ensure that when you go into City Hall, you understand the tools and the mechanisms that make it happen. So that when you are fighting for housing for families, you know how to get it done.

[7:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=477) And I remember I had two sessions with Commissioner Lissette Castaneda, who then was the executive director of Lucha, and Joy. And we spent three hours in each session together, and they walked me through every single tool that is required to build housing. Because they wanted to make sure that I was prepared. Prepared to do a job that is extremely important in a ward like the 26th. On this same boulevard, there is a two-flat six months ago that sold for $2.1 million.

[8:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=511) On this same boulevard, there are apartments that are renting for $3,000 and $4,000 a month. On this same boulevard, we have had dozens of families displaced at the hands of gentrification. On this same boulevard, I have small landlords that have lived here for 30, 40 years and are trying to figure out can they afford to stay with the property tax bill that they just received. Some owners paying $20,000 a year to live across the street from the most beautiful design park in the city of Chicago, Humble Park.

[9:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=546) A Jen Jensen design park that allows our families to have the green space, the recreational activity, and the type of support that is needed for families and children to live long, thriving lives. So this project, the Boulevard Preservation Project, allows 70 families to stay in a community that they've called home for most of their life, to live across a beautiful green space like the one that's behind you, and that they don't have to outbid anyone else to get to stay, but that they get to live in an apartment that is rehabbed and dignified.

[9:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=586) That they get to have more than just a key and a roof, but an organization that shows up for them every single time. You see, 30 years after a project is funded, it is real hard to keep affordability. And a lot of us who are doing housing work know that. But to have a champion organization like Bickerdijk who said, you know what? We're not going to let those 70 families get displaced because this community is a place they deserve to live in.

[10:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=620) When we are fighting for preservation or we're building new construction or we're bringing new family single homes that working class families can buy, that is the essence. That our families don't have to outbid capital. They don't have to outbid the next developer. They can stay in a place that they call home, that's made them who they are. And it is going to be this project, the Boulevard Preservation Project, that allows 70 families to do just that. And so I just want to quickly thank our partners, and I am happy to share this preservation project with my colleague, Alderman Daniel Espada.

[10:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=659) But if we could just give a round of applause to the folks that make it happen. We have Mayor Brandon Johnson here with us today. Under the leadership of Commissioner Lissette Castaneda, this preservation project was possible. The Chicago Housing Authority CIBC Bank And so many other financial partners That has made this project possible I think for those of us who love to get into the weeds This requires a robust financial stack

[11:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=691) And it was because of every single one of you That there are going to be families with keys in their hand That get to call this place home Thank you Now please help me welcome my partner in the struggle in City Hall Your first word, Alderman, Daniel Espada. Thank you so much for having me today on a hot mic earlier. And I'll tell you, if you're going to be on a hot mic, you should be self-deprecating rather than other deprecating. But to get back on topic, I'm so proud to be here today.

[12:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=727) I'm so proud of the wonderful collaborators I see in front of me to my left, to the great neighbors, to the right, and in the back to the folks sitting behind me, some of whom I have known since I was 23 years old. And it makes me reflect on this project because when I met Lissette Castaneda and Congresswoman Ramirez and Joy Juanita Irizarry and Joy,

[12:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=758) Like when you talk about 30 years, when you're 23 and you're talking about 30 years of affordability, 30 years feels incomprehensibly long when you're 23. Turns out 30 years is just 30 years. And when I think about our ARO units, when I think about our LIHTC units, the need to figure out affordability past 30 is a question that weighs in front of this city council. as I'm sure does our state and our country.

[13:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=791) I'm so proud of the tools that we have that are renewing the affordability here as they do for communities like the Lorington Apartments, Lindell Place, and the First Ward. And the last thing that I would reflect on here, because I cannot speak to the cultural moment better than my colleague, Alterwoman Fuentes, is I think about courtyard buildings and I think about a zoning code that currently would not allow this building to be rebuilt today.

[13:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=821) How beautiful it is to think about whether we could stand here four years from now and think about the next generation of courtyard buildings in Chicago, the way we are thinking about the next generation of ADUs in this city and a monumental victory brought forward in the last four years by the folks sitting behind me. So to housing for all, to affordable housing for all, to the wonderful beauty of this day, thank you all for being here. Thank you. Thank you, Alderperson La Spada.

[14:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=851) And I'd like to thank some of our partners on this project, the city of Chicago, the Department of Housing. We're going to be hearing in a moment from our mayor. And Commissioner Lisette Castaneda, who you'll also be hearing from, and the Department of Housing. Our legal representation on the team was Applegate Thorne Thompson, and they are here representing. Our Chicago Housing Authority, and Janae, where are you?

[14:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=885) Okay, right back there. They are here representing CIBC Bank, who is the lender on this project. And are you here? Anyway, we can give them an applause. All right, there they are. All right. Awesome. And the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund, who has provided subsidy for a number of the residents to help make their rent more affordable. LBBA Architects is also in the house, who have done many Baker Dyke projects, including this one.

[15:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=922) Leopardo Construction, and I saw there in the house. So Leopardo, they're also a partner on our next project. And the National Equity Fund, who is also here. I saw him. There he is, who is the investor on this project. Thank you for your partnership in this and almost all of Bickardyx projects. Reuben Brown, Chris Langley over there. Our residents who help make all of our housing affordable, who come out to help, you know, get all of the approvals that are needed, like the Finance Committee on Monday, where our Broadway project will be going.

[16:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=967) But I'd also like to recognize and thank some folks who are here, my representative, Gabriela Guzman, Representative Will Guzzardi, and Noemi Avelan, who is representing Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, who's been a true partner in affordable housing. and

[16:37](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=997) I already said Representative Will Guzzardi so what? Who did I forget? Oh, I'm so sorry. Representative Aquino who also a true partner in affordable housing Tamara, I'm going to mention you anyway she likes to be in the background but we all know Tamara she's from Department of Housing she makes it happen and my board there's several board members here raise your hand they make it happen so thank

[17:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1032) you for being here my development staff my property management staff because we self-manage our properties and that's so important and really all of the Bickerdijk team thank you so much for what you do every day because Bickerdijk is surely the not just we're not just the sum of our parts but we're the synergy of our parts so thank you for helping make us great so without any further ado I want to introduce somebody who's very important and to the city of Chicago and somebody who I think who has really been prominently a supporter of

[17:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1066) housing and out there on many housing issues I think he's put himself forward on this and so many other issues on behalf of our city and he has a very long resume which I don't have in front of you but I have had it in my hands before and trust me when i say he has a lot of accomplishments let me introduce mayor brandon johnson thank you so much joy and good morning everyone i'm grateful to be joined by our alders

[18:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1099) fuentes and laspada thank you to senators okino and guzman for being here state representative will guzzardi the representative who i remember when we were just starting this experience and Will decided to run for state rep and so grateful now that the progressive movement has certainly enlarged itself. It's a great day when we can come together to cut the ribbon on new affordable housing. I was just reminiscing with Alder Fuentes when I lived in the corner of Washtenaw and Lemoyne.

[18:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1132) I had a two-bedroom apartment in Humboldt Park with a washer and dryer for $675 a month. And that's not the case anymore. And the work that Alder Fuentes is doing and La Spada and the great work of Bickerdike is to make sure that we move with expediency in building affordable housing. And the people and some of the folks who have already been recognized, but I do want to lift up again a couple of folks who have made today possible.

[19:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1163) Thank you to our Department of Housing Commissioner, Lissette Castaneda, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, and all of you who are involved in this project. If there is one thing that we can all agree on is that affordable, safe, accessible housing is a human right. And that is why my administration is working so hard to remove barriers and build more sustainable and affordable housing throughout our beloved city. And through programs and initiatives like the Cut the Tape, Build Better Together, and Green Social Housing,

[19:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1198) we have been able to break ground and complete more than 100 affordable housing sites across the city of Chicago. And today's ribbon cutting adds to the number of affordable and sustainable housing here in our city. The Boulevard Apartments Preservation Project adds 70 units of affordable housing across three separate walk-up buildings in West Town, Humble Park, and Logan Square. They will feature energy-efficient and sustainable appliances, upgraded and modernized building repairs, and multi-room options that will fit the needs of any family looking to call one of these spaces their home.

[20:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1235) And these three locations let residents build community by being within walking distance of local schools and, of course, this beautiful park. Now, I'm going to let Jesse's comment slide, you know, about the most beautiful park in the entire city of Chicago. I know where I am, but it's great to have easy access to public transportation and all of our public accommodations, easing the barriers to traveling for jobs and school and recreation. But more importantly, by rehabbing and preserving this building and units,

[21:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1268) we are holding on to the history of these buildings, reducing the need for new construction and preventing these buildings from being abandoned and sitting empty in these communities. I want to give, again, another big shout out to Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation for leading this rehabilitation and preservation effort and their commitment to creating affordable housing throughout our city. And I want to thank Chicago Housing Authority for their continued efforts to provide affordable housing to Chicago, all over Chicago, regardless of their zip code.

[21:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1300) And so finally, by preserving and creating affordable housing across our city, we are giving individuals and families the opportunity to create a strong foundation and really experience what a community is all about. They're also able to lay their roots and create generational wealth. And again, thank you to everyone who helped make today possible. I look forward to seeing more affordable, sustainable housing on every single corner throughout Chicago. We'll continue to work together to make Chicago the safest, most affordable, most sustainable big city in America so that families can grow old and watch their families grow in safe and

[22:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1334) affordable housing. Thank you all. God bless you. Joy? Thank you. Thank you for your inspirational remarks, Mayor Johnson. I want to bring up somebody who, anybody who works in affordable housing knows this person, and I have the pleasure of knowing her for even longer than that because we go back really far. I don't know how far, but I don't want to get my age or hers, right?

[22:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1365) But she's younger than me for sure. But she's somebody that I've known for many years and somebody who has played an important role in the affordable housing community and in partnering in so many projects. Let me bring up Lisette Castaneda, Commissioner of the Department of housing. Good morning, everyone. It is always lovely to have a ribbon cutting on this side of

[23:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1395) town. I am a proud product of the northwest side. I was raised in Logan Square, and it's such a privilege to be here with all of these folks who have known me for a long time, for the folks from Humboldt Park who took me in as a housing practitioner and taught me so much of what I carry with me every single day as housing commissioner one of the things that i love the most about the northwest side is that uh we get stuff done and this project was no exception

[23:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1426) this is a really unique project because we're fortunate to be able to celebrate affordability across three separate beautiful classic chicago buildings but even more unique it's that this project preserves already existing affordable housing. See, sometimes in this work, affordable housing will get built and even with the best intentions over time that affordability will wane. But in moments like these, when we're fighting back against the onslaught of gentrification and displacement, we have to ensure that the work that was started

[24:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1460) in the 1990s with Bickerdike is protected. That is why it's important to recapitalize and rehab these properties. The Department of Housing is so proud to have partnered with Bickerdike for their vision for these homes and fund the rehab of these 70 units across Logan Square and Humboldt Park. In total, the Department of Housing provided $12.75 million in financial assistance to make these projects a reality. With this effort, these units will remain affordable for at least another 30 years.

[25:03](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1503) 30 years is a child growing up into adulthood in a stable home and being able to bring their family back to see their parents in the same home. It's a young family raising their child and then moving out and passing the unit on to the next family to raise their small children. The preservation of these units is not an abstract concept of affordability. It is working-class individuals and families living through the experiences of life in a stable home

[25:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1533) and having that home always be available for them to come back to. Because these units will be preserved, that home to return to will remain for decades to come. I want to take a moment to thank my friends at Bickerdike for all of their work over the years on the northwest side and across Chicago. to their partners, Leopardo Companies and LBBA Architects, as well as CIBC and CHA. I want to thank my team at the Department of Housing, particularly Tamara Collins.

[26:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1565) Thank you to Alderperson Fuentes and La Spada for their constant advocacy for community housing needs. And I want to thank Mayor Johnson. It means the world over that you choose to invest not only in building affordable housing, but in preserving that work in every corner of the city, including in this community, that means so much to me. Thank you all. Thank you, Commissioner.

[26:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1596) We had a resident who was going to come and speak, but she felt ill this morning, so she was unable to join us, but she sensed her regrets. And I know all of the residents. I can tell you that of the 70 apartments, many of them were reoccupied by the original residents that lived here. when the rehab started so so we are happy to do that and then a number of people also found Boulevard Apartments Preservation newly their home so so we're

[27:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1632) gonna go ahead and close and now we're going to cut the ribbon why we're all here the ribbon cutting is going to be up here they're gonna come and swoop in and take all the chairs down, and I would ask our senators to come up and our representative, wherever she went, to come up to be part of the ribbon cutting as well as everybody behind me.

[27:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1670) Thank you so much for being here. Please stay for the ribbon cutting, and there's more food and stuff, so enjoy. We got scissors.

[28:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1738) This is another one who is right handed. Stay up yourself.

[29:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/NHWNuc7QHfE?t=1771) Okay, everybody ready? We'll cut on three. One, two, three.

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