Alderman Gives Update on Major Development Project Planned For Former Hospital Site

4th Ward Alderman Sophia King recently hosted a community meeting to give residents an update on the Michael Reese Development plan (rendering pictured) which will bring new housing, dining, retail, and entertainment options to the neighborhood. Photo Credit: Provided by the Office of 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King.
4th Ward Alderman Sophia King recently hosted a community meeting to give residents an update on the Michael Reese Development plan (rendering pictured) which will bring new housing, dining, retail, and entertainment options to the neighborhood. Photo Credit: Provided by the Office of 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King.

Alderman Gives Update on Major Development Project Planned For Former Hospital Site

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

After hearing from the community that they were against the idea of a casino being developed on the site of the former Michael Reese Hospital, 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King and the project development team re-envisioned the plan. King recently held a meeting at the Carruthers Center, 700 E. Oakwood Blvd., to give community residents an update on what will be going into the project as of now.

“The community is adamantly against a casino at the former Michael Reese site. Casinos are known to have deleterious impacts on existing communities, especially communities of color. They siphon all of the inviting amenities that sustain vibrant communities. The juxtaposition of a casino in the historic Bronzeville community is appalling and offensive given the deep and storied African American history in Bronzeville. It would be like putting a casino in Harlem,” said King in a written statement that she shared at the community meeting.

New details of the Michael Reese Development plan include mixed-use and mixed-income opportunities for new retail, commercial, and residential space along with adding public green space to the neighborhood and keeping the development focused on the community.

Phase one of the development will include affordable and market-rate housing for seniors, families, a high-density residential tower, a new community center, a life sciences campus, a data center, community space, and a 31st Street Metra station will be incorporated into the development, according to information provided by the Office of 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King.

“The Michael Reese Advisory Committee has been diligently working with the development team, GRIT, on a mixed-use community that would offer the best and highest use of the former Michael Reese site and add vibrancy to the community,” said King during the meeting.

The GRIT team which is acting as the developer of this project is a collaborative made up of several different partners including Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, Farpoint Development, Loop Capital, the Bronzeville Community Development Partnership, and a few others.

During the meeting, Alderman King shared that the Michael Reese Development plan was created with significant input from community members who expressed that honoring the history and culture of Bronzeville as well as incorporating community space was extremely important to them on this project.

The timeline for the Michael Reese Development plan has the preliminary master plan coming out in early 2020 and the final master plan going to the Chicago City Council for approval in the fall of 2020, according to information provided by the Office of 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King.

To learn more about the Michael Reese Development plan, visit www.aldsophiaking.com.

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