Chicago Politics

Auburn Gresham Apartments Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 4.2.25

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Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Auburn Gresham Apartments Ribbon Cutting.

Transcript

0:00 Applause just for making it out on today. All right, my name is Tori Barrett, and I'm the principal of Imagine Development Group, along with my partner, Fred Spencer, and we're just happy and honored to have you here with us on today. There are a lot of people that we're going to be thanking throughout this project. It's been a long time coming. I grew up on the south side in the South Shore area, but my second home was right here on 78th and Everdeen.

0:30 And so this is very near and dear to my heart. But like I said before, there's a lot of people and a lot of things that we need to get through. But I want to kick it off with a young lady who is a 23-year-old young lady who is from this neighborhood. And she just wants to come up and talk about what this project means to her. So let's give a round of applause to Dominique Hampton as she comes up. Good morning, everyone.

1:00 My name is Dominique. As mentioned before, I am a student at Kennedy King College. I major in political science, future criminal defense attorney in the making as well. I've always wanted to be a part of a positive impact for the community, especially in Chicago, growing up on the south side of Chicago. As living in this area, Auburn, Gresham, I've always been passionate about the work that I do.

1:30 impactful work as in like the community as well I've seen I've seen potential development in this community Auburn Gresham in the community I've seen potential development in this community that could benefit young adults as for

2:03 myself in residence in the area a lot from people just hanging out in vacant lots to having more small businesses more jobs and more residential buildings in the area is amazing absolutely amazing and also inspiring inspiring to young adults like myself it's also inspiring to young adults and myself to

2:37 make more commitment to the community as well. I gracefully look forward to seeing more investment opportunities for Auburn Gresham. Thank you to all the organizers, the mayor, and notable people who helped invest into this community. Thank you to all for giving the youth and I a voice. Thank you. Come on, give her another round of applause. They should do a good job. Thank you, Dominique.

3:08 And like I said, we have a lot to get through, so now I'm going to thank some people, and I'm going to speak very quickly, but Honorable Mayor Brandon Johnson, Commissioner Sierra Voltrite, Commissioner Lizette Castaneda, Alderman David Moore, Alderman Ronnie Mosley, Representative Michelle Crawford, Greater Alderman Gresham Development Corporation with Carlos Nelson and his leadership, from Melinda Kelly at the Chatham Business Association, Principal Shaka Rawls from Leo. They were very instrumental in our first bid on trying to come over to this neighborhood.

3:41 I'll tell you a little bit about that in a second. And then from the city of Chicago, Jaya Essenguire, Daveed Scully, Lisa Washington, who's been at it a very long time, Chris Jag, Edward Solis, Chip Hastings, Tim Jeffries, Patrick Murphy, Anna Robles, Tamar Collins, Jesse Salgado, Fred Doss, Chris Smith, Jaya Kalayi, Brian Gallardo, Michelle Imparto, Grant Eltrich, Hall Hutchison, Dixon Payson, Sarah Rubin, and Deputy Mayor Kenya Merritt.

4:21 So let's give them all a round of applause because they were very instrumental in making this project happen. And for the next person I'm going to bring up is the contractor that actually built this building. And those that do not know, it's this building and the one on 79th and Halsted. And you know, I've said it before, very intentional to make sure that in neighborhoods that we develop are developed by us, built by people that look like us. So let's give it up for Cornelius Grieg from GMA Construction.

4:55 Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I think it's a very joyous morning that we're here today. Today, we want to give a round of applause to the Evergreen and Imagine team for putting two beautiful buildings on the south side of Chicago. Give them a round of applause. In communities like this, just like the ones I grew up in on the west side of Chicago and North Lawndale and Austin and the near north side and Cabrini-Green, there's been a lack of investment for years. Today, though, that investment has been made and has been delivered on.

5:27 In 2020, Tori and I embarked on this journey to build two buildings on the corner of 79th and Halston and 79th and Green, something that had not been done in nearly three to four decades. It was intentional. We wanted to make sure that not only were the people who were going to build the facility looked like the community, but also the people who were going to develop it and own it looked like the community. So I want to give Tori and David Block from Evergreen a round of applause for making sure that the community was a part of what we did.

6:02 But not only that, the contractors that worked on the project, including myself as the general contractor and my entire team, I want to give them a round of applause. They're around here somewhere. GMA team, if you're in the house, raise your hand, give them a round of applause because they did the hard work. But also the subcontractors. Nearly 60% of our folks that worked on this project were minority businesses. Nearly 10% of them were women-owned businesses. We were intentional about making sure that people from the community had an opportunity to work on this project, whether it was security, whether it was labor, whether it were carpenters, making sure they had an opportunity.

6:35 But that's what it's about, a $45 million investment on the south side of Chicago built by people from Chicago. Extremely important, and that's what we want to do around the city of Chicago. I know the mayor is here today. He's going to talk more about his build better together, But we want to make sure that our people who are in these communities have a fair shot and a fair opportunity to build and live off of the work that's being done in our community. So I want to thank, again, Tori Barrett, Fred Spencer, and David Block for giving me the opportunity to be the contractor on a project like this.

7:07 Thank you very much. And at this time, so I can keep the program moving, we're going to bring up David Block, the real estate development partner for Evergreen Development Group. Good morning. Good morning. Everybody, I'm sure, is nice and toasty, but to keep things moving here a little bit, I'm going to try to be really brief. I think the first thing that I wanted to say is thank you.

7:41 Thank you to the Auburn-Gresham community. I've said this to the Roundtable group before, but it took a while when we first started this project in 2020 for the community to understand what we were trying to do, to trust that what we were trying to do was actually going to be something good, and that we were going to work with the community to make sure that if there were things about the project that the community didn't like or wanted to see differently,

8:14 that we would listen to those concerns and make changes. So those of you who remember, back in 2020, the original vision for the project was a single 62-unit building on this site. And we went to our first roundtable meetings there, and the community said no. Said no, we don't like that. That is too big, that is too many units, too much density on this site. And we said, okay, let us take this back, let's take this information and figure out what we can do.

8:46 And thankfully, with the support of the roundtable process, which the Chicago Department of Planning and Development helped facilitate, we listened to that information and we worked with our design team, many of whom are here today, to change the vision so that we really scaled the building down on this site so that the building on this site, we hope you'll agree, is more in keeping with the scale of this community and the building over on the Halstead site is what the building actually used to be

9:18 on that Halstead site. It's a four or five story building there and today you've got a five story building on that site. So again, we wanted to say thank you to the Auburn Gresham community for making your voices heard, for helping us understand what you wanted here and again, we want to be here for the long term. to continue to be good neighbors. So we are here, and, again, we are excited to be part of this community.

9:49 Wanted to do a few thank yous of our own here. Wanted to thank our financial partners on this project. So Enterprise Community Partners is our investor in this. This project, Mike Rossi, Chad Courtney, and Denise Bobut, Fifth Third Bank is our lender and part of our investment team, David Beatty, Vincent Haynes, Justin Marshall, Shelley McFannin. Without their funding, this project would not have been possible. Our legal team, Applegate and Thorne Thompson, and we had a whole lot of lawyers in this project,

10:23 so I'm not going to mention all of them, but they like to be thanked, so thank you. and Greater Illinois Title. Our design team has worked with us from the very beginning, and so we'd really like to thank our design team. We have architects here from Ross Barney Architects and from NIA Architects. I don't know, architects, can you stand up or raise your hands or something? Thank you. Great job.

10:55 And we wanted to thank the engineers who work with the architects to make this happen. So engage civil engineers, IMED, consulting engineers, Stern-Jawakar, structural engineers, and eco-achievers, along with MAPS, who helped shepherd this project through the Department of Buildings process. We've already heard from Cornelius Griggs at GMA. Again, I want to offer a round of applause to GMA's entire team. See them back there. Wonderful job, guys. Thank you.

11:29 And last but not least, I wanted to thank Evergreen's team. And so our founder, Jeff Rappin, is here today. So thank you, Jeff, for believing in this vision and believing in this project and allowing us to move forward with it. Our internal team, our property management folks, there are some folks here and back there. So thank you. Thank you, Evergreen. We really appreciate it.

11:59 And finally, I have to thank our partners on this project. Tori Barrett and Fred Spencer have been just about the best partners that we could hope for here. And so we really are grateful for their continued partnership and friendship and look forward to other opportunities still to come. So, again, thank you, Auburn Gresham, and thank you, Mayor Johnson, and we're delighted to be here today.

12:30 All right. Thank you, David. And I do want to recognize some of the elected officials that I saw come in the house. We have Senator Jackie Collins. Let's give her a round of applause. Thank you for being here on today. Commissioner Bill Lowry is in the house. Thank you, Commissioner. Close personal friend, Alderman Jason Irvin. Okay, we got the west side in the building. West side. West side. All right. Former state rep, Mary Flowers, who was very instrumental in this project. Thank you, Mary.

13:01 Former State Senator Jackie Collins was another one that was, oh, all right, sorry. And then Charlotte Roberts from Procurement Office. I'll let the mayor recognize his team, but thank you. And what can we say about the next lady who is coming up? She has been a very huge supporter of mine and the work that we're doing, and we just appreciate her for being here. Commissioner Boltrite, let's give her a round of applause as she graces the table. Thank you, Tori.

13:31 Good morning, everyone. Good morning. It's great to join you all today after this long-anticipated project coming to an end, a ribbon-cutting. I was privileged to grow up on 79th Street, just a little east of here. And so growing up, I was all too aware of the street's opportunities, but more so its challenges, especially the lack of investment. That was all too familiar for many of my neighbors. In fact, the site was vacant since 1997.

14:03 The other site since 2012. So to see this $47 million project funded with $18 million in TIF and other incentives replace more than an acre of city land is incredible and a sign of more investment to come. By way of background, the RFP that produced these amazing buildings was among three RFPs that DPD issued in 2020. There was a lot of excitement, and more than 100 interested parties attended the pre-submission meeting.

14:37 But it was the Evergreen Imagine team that emerged as the necessary vision and resilience that this project required. There were twists and turns along the way, including lots of community meetings and incredible public feedback, a major design revision that relocated 28 buildings to the corner at Hostet Street, and all the post-pandemic challenges involving materials. and inflation that are common to projects everywhere. But as we like to say, perseverance is the mother of success.

15:07 I'm pleased to report that this is the first of the three RFP sites to be completed. Thanks to the incredible team effort that made it possible. Alderman Moore, Imagine Group, Evergreen Development Group, Carol Ross Barney and Nia Architects, GMA Construction Group, the Department of Housing, my incredible Department of Planning team staff, including Jaya, David, Cindy, Team, Tim, Jeffries, and a slew of other incredibly committed team members,

15:42 plus all of Mayor Johnson's cut-the-tape improvements that collectively pushed us over the finish line. I like to say that retail follows rooftops, and that's what we have today. So congratulations to the development team and all the partners. I'm excited and proud of the collective effort. Thank you, Commissioner. We appreciate that. And I don't see it on my sheet, but Commissioner

16:14 Costaneda, let's give her a round of applause as she comes up to give her remarks. Good morning, everyone. I'm so glad to be here with all of you today as we celebrate the ribbon cutting of the Auburn Gresham Apartments. It's an exciting day for the community as this development provides 58 new families an opportunity for quality, affordable housing. I want to start by expressing my sincere thank you to those who worked so hard to make this

16:45 development a reality, including Alderman Moore, the Evergreen Real Estate Group, Imagine Group, CLEO, the Greater Auburn-Gresham Community Development Council, GMA, and each member of the community who shared their feedback. Of course, also many thanks to my incredibly dedicated doh team at doh we do not just believe that housing is a human right we believe that chicagoans deserve quality housing this development will provide just that as these residents will

17:15 now have the chance to thrive in a beautiful amenity filled space mayor johnson's administration and the department of housing are committed to building a better chicago together and that is not possible without working in partnership with the community. The Auburn Gresham Apartments is a perfect example of what this looks like in practice. So much of what you see here today, the retail space, the community rooms, the public green space, is a direct reflection of community engagement and feedback. The impact that 58 new units, all affordable at 60% of the area median

17:52 income can have on a community cannot be understated. When residents are not overburdened by costly rent, they have a little more flexibility to support the local businesses down the street. As we work to revitalize areas of our city that have been historically disinvested, affordable housing can be a cornerstone. The impact of this development will ripple through the 79th Street Corridor and the Auburn-Gresham community. Creating quality and affordable housing for all is at the core of what DOH does, but we do not just provide funding for construction.

18:26 When we support a project like this, we ensure that affordability is preserved for decades to come. This means residents can plan for a future knowing that despite all other uncertainty, their housing will remain within their means. We are committed to working until these opportunities are available to all Chicagoans across all 77 communities and today we get to celebrate the progress towards realizing that goal here in Auburn-Gresham. Once again thank you all for being here today as we recognize this important

18:59 achievement. All right so we only have two more speakers and then we can get to a warm area so I want to give some thank yous on my end. First I have to thank my lovely wife who's allowed me to go out here and run the streets and try to build these beautiful buildings so thank you all to my appreciate that and then my parents are here too my father and my mother without them it would be no me so thank you all for being here and then I've got to say a special thank you to the Cleo team everything that you see that was

19:32 done today was coordinated by my team and they also said hey Tory we can't bring the people out here in this type of weather and not provide entertainment and food for them so right after the press conference is over if you look to the right there's a tent there's going to be food There's entertainment from Classic Entertainment, and you all will be able to be warm and enjoy your lunch. So for my Cleo team, in particular, led by Jessica Moore and Myesha Roberts, let's give them a round of applause. Raise your hand, Cleo, if you're around. And please get to know them.

20:03 Security, thank you for everyone who's been involved. And then lastly, I'm going to bring up the Alderman, and he's going to bring up the mayor. And I want to publicly say thank you to Alderman David Moore and the Alderman Gresham community. So those that have never worked with Alderman Moore before, you are in for a treat if you do. And what I appreciate about the Alderman is that it's not about his ego.

20:35 it's about his community and if you don't come into and you can't come into his community and tell his community what you're going to do which I'm going to leave that alone but that wasn't us but somebody else tried to do that and Alderman Moore got them right real quick but thank you old Patrick Brutus thank you he's been very instrumental in making this happen thank you so much for your leadership over here in Auburn Gresham, but let's give a round of applause

21:07 to Alderman David Moore, who will then introduce the mayor. I hear of showers of blessing. There are scattered full and free. Showers the thirsty land refreshing. Let some drops now fall on me. Even me, even

21:39 me. Let some drops now fall on even me. That was not part of my script when I woke up this morning. But when I saw this rain, I didn't think negative. I thought about the drops of blessing. It reminded me of my brother and my friend that I graduated from college with Lonnie Hunter and the St. Mark Choir saying drip, drop, drip, drop, drip, drop, drip, drop. Fall on

22:11 me. Good morning everyone. What an incredible day for Auburn Gresham and the 17th Ward. I'm honored to be here today as we celebrate this monumental achievement in our community's journey. The Auburn Gresham apartments represent more than just new housing and business opportunities. These buildings are a testament to the resilience, advocacy, and unwavering determination of our residents, community leaders, and partners who work tirelessly to bring this vision to life. The path to today was not an easy one. Auburn-Gresham, like many

22:48 neighborhoods on Chicago's south and west sides, has faced decades of disinvestment. But our community is resilient and we never stopped fighting for the resources, the investment, and the opportunities that we knew or that we know that we deserve. Before I go on, I want to thank the following electeds who were not announced and that's our new state representative Michael Crawford of the 31st district please stand up and Lisa Davis at a 32nd district I'm always

23:27 reminded no man is an island unto himself and this 17th Ward community has a foundation and that foundation was put down by many people who are helped us get here today. So again, I want State Senator and State Representative Mary Flowers to please stand again. But because without your partnership over the years, watching

24:01 you and you two showing me how to be independent, have your own voice, let nobody wag you. And y'all stood that way for many years, and I appreciate both of you. Again, a foundation. I invited my brother, my friend, former Alderman Terry Peterson, to step from behind there. The reason why I invited him out today is because he was my political mentor.

24:32 We've had battles, we've had everything, but you have to tell the truth. And Arvin Gresham helped stand because of his leadership as alderman here. There are a lot of people who have blood, sweat, and tears in Arvin Gresham in this 17th Ward community. I see my brother Montel Gales. Montel, raise your hand. I don't know if our COO, John Robertson, is still here. John, raise your hand. These are people who have tarried on.

25:05 There he is over there. There are people who have tarried on for many years to get us to this day. But more importantly, I promise you all, my seniors, y'all stand up, please. Ms. McNeil, no, don't play with me. Stand up, Mama. Some had to come and leave because they are serving in this community. Ms. Newsom was here. And then I'm thinking of the memory where we're close to.

25:39 of Mr. Drake and Ms. Betty Swanson, all who held it down so that Auburn Gresham wouldn't look like a third world country. No man is an island unto himself. And so I thank you all so much. When former Mayor Lori Lightfoot launched Invest Southwest, and I want to thank her for having that vision to bring Invest Southwest to the city of Chicago, In 2019, naming Arbor Gresham as one of 10 prior communities, it was a turning point.

26:15 It was our moment to shape the future of our neighborhood and ensure that new development reflects our community needs and aspirations. More than 500 residents came together that year to share how they wanted to invest Southwest to look in Arbor Gresham. A year later, city agencies, automatic offices, neighborhood organizations, small business, and resident groups came together to form the Auburn Gresham Neighborhood Roundtable. This group amplifies community voices, meaning that these buildings are not just the work of elected officials and developers.

26:48 They are a product of every engaged resident who joined the conversation. Today, because of those efforts, we are welcoming 58 new state-of-the-art homes that will provide families with stability, safety, and security. The commercial spaces will bring new businesses, jobs, and essential services to right to our doorstep, strengthening the 79th Street Corridor for years to come. This project would not have been possible without dedicated community partners. I want to express my gratitude to Evergreen Real Estate Group, Imagine Development Group, and Clio Enterprises for their partnership and dedication to this project.

27:27 Please give them a hand, absolutely. I want to thank the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and the Chicago Department of Housing for their investment into this award. And additionally, as I stated before, also former Mayor Lloyd Lightfoot for starting this initiative. And I'm going to stick a pin right there because our CPD officers are here. And if you don't know, Commander Tate, I don't know if you're still here, raise your hand. Don't do like that. Raise your hand.

28:00 Because one of the things we preach in the 17th War, a clean community is a safe community, is a working community. When you keep your community clean, it tends to be safe. And when it's safe, we can have development and we can put people to work. So again, as she brought this Invest Southwest initiative here, I'm happy because our mayor, Brandon Johnson, was going to continue to help us build together as he invested money so that these commercial places can be developed in this war.

28:36 Y'all make some noise. And to the residents of Auburn Gresham, this achievement also belongs to you. People like Cynthia Love and the entire team of Block by Block of Auburn Gresham. Block by Block, y'all, stand up. Stand up, Block by Block. Stop being scared. You're out there in those streets keeping this and building block clubs.

29:09 Again, the 6th District Police who's engaged with the community as well as pastors in our community like Reverend Flager, Tim Howard, and Pastor Dishman praying over us. I believe in the power of prayer. Everybody's vision and perseverance and a wavering commitment to this community made today possible. You spoke up, you stayed engaged, and you ensured that this development reflects the needs and aspirations of the people who call this neighborhood home.

29:41 Please continue your hard work and spread the word to your neighbors. The more community voices we have, the better. This is a milestone in Auburn Gresham's continued journey of revitalization. And it's a reminder that when we work together, invest in our neighborhoods, and focus on the voices of residents, we can create lasting change. So let's keep doing this work together. Now before I say thank you and bring up the mayor, I want my 17th Ward staff to stand up. Please, stand up. Y'all moving too slow,

30:11 but raise your hand if you're already standing. I tell people you may see the glory, but you don't always know the story. And the story of them being up late at night, taking my calls at midnight so we can continue to keep this community clean, safe, and working, I strongly appreciate my team. I got the best team in the city of Chicago.

30:43 So I thank you. Now, please, as we build better and stronger together, as we build better together in this community, this next mayor and our mayor that's coming to this podium is going to continue to take us there because he believed in what I believe in and that's making sure black people are at the forefront. I am unapologetically black. I am unapologetically making sure that we have contracts

31:15 and I'm happy to have a mayor that I met before I became alderman where we stood and fought against school closures where we both believe that our communities deserve to look like any other great community in this city And so y'all make some noise when I introduce this man, our mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson.

31:46 Thank you. Please be seated. I'm just here to do the benediction, apparently. This is going to go really quick, so close those doors real quick in the back. Thank you, Alderman Moore. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Let me just thank Dominique again. You are such a bright example of why we do what we do.

32:18 Let's thank our young people again, Dominique, for your leadership. And Dominique, I want to borrow that jacket. I don't know if I'm slimming up, but you're sharp, sister. You know, big thanks to the city leaders and all the workers and developers, the partners. Your leadership is so important, and that's why this project came to fruition. And let me just say this for the record. You all know we're just getting started, right? And so I do want to thank Clio Center for contributing so much to this project,

32:52 but their overall work to continue to uplift the community. all the wonderful things that have been said this morning about Auburn-Gresham make a west side I feel real good about the south side but I'm really thrilled, this ribbon cutting is an exciting day we're talking about well over $40 million for this project 58 units that are affordable, this community and communities like Auburn-Gresham really deserve the best and it's great that Auburn-Gresham is leading the way and so as we

33:25 move and embark upon another milestone, I just want to make sure that we're all very clear about what our overall objective is. For the South Side communities and communities like the South Side need more housing and more community development and this is a significant day, but in order for us to build an economy that works for everyone, as Tori and Cornelius has indicated, the people who participate in that development have to reflect the values of that community and the complexion.

33:56 And Auburn-Gresham residents can find opportunities and dignity and stability in this new housing and what the Cleo Community Center is doing and this club. And let me just say for the record, the fact that you have a pastor that believes in a club, it's just a new day, Bishop T.L. Barrett, because I just, I'm just going to put Toro in the spot. Now, you know, Goodwill, we were not raised to open up clubs. But if you're going to have one

34:27 But this is really about the future of Chicago David, these are not in my notes either Let me hurry up But for the future of Chicago To do this in an equitable and a safe way To create vibrant communities That's what this is about And again, these apartments are an indication that the city of Chicago recognizes where we have to ensure that our treasure and our heart have to be aligned, and that's Matthew 6 and 21. And that alignment needs to reflect the values of our community.

35:00 It certainly has to reflect equity, love, and making sure that we are investing in community. And this housing really creates space for safety and dignity, as well as an opportunity for us to do something even greater. And that's why my administration, as we solidify our efforts to repopulate the west and south sides of Chicago, we announced our Build Better Together initiative. And what it ultimately does is it creates a comprehensive approach, a citywide economic strategy that focuses on quality, affordable housing.

35:33 But it also ensures that business innovation and job growth and community development is also part of that. The $1.25 billion economic plan that we put forth, the largest investment for housing and economic development in the history of Chicago. You know, just this week, you know, we broke ground, 79 West Monroe, because we also believe that not every single neighborhood should have affordable housing.

36:06 And whether it's Auburn, Gresham, or Streeterville, our people should be able to live and play and enjoy all aspects of the city. And as mayor of the city of Chicago, as we build better together, we're going to ensure that affordable housing exists in all of our 77 neighborhoods. The last thing that I'm really grateful to report is our initiative, like the Missing Middle Housing Expansion Program, where developers are getting the opportunity to own and occupy more affordable housing units so that we can build generational wealth.

36:44 Housing and economic development is a pathway to make sure that our children's children's children inherit the benefit of these investments. And these apartments today that are being built right here in this community, they're unifying our city. It's extending the citywide vision that we have for more housing. But it also continues our effort to ensure that it's housing and our people who anchor the strength of our communities. And so today, again, is a demonstration of what's possible when we work together.

37:18 So I hope this development, and I pray that this development, becomes a warm place where families can grow, where business can thrive, and Auburn Gresham can truly accentuate, of course, the soul of Chicago. Thank you all very much. God bless you. God bless the greatest city in America, the city of Chicago.

38:32 ANDREA Gamma, two, five, four, three, two, one.

39:09 SETTING THEME SONG Thank you.

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