Initiative to host kick-off events for community engagement

Ten neighborhoods in Chicago have been chosen for the INVEST South/West initiative. Kick-off events will take place later this month.
Ten neighborhoods in Chicago have been chosen for the INVEST South/West initiative. Kick-off events will take place later this month.

Initiative to host kick-off events for community engagement

INVEST South/West will host kick-off events in South Shore and Roseland this month.

In October, Mayor Lori Lightfoot launched the INVEST South/West initiative as a way to revitalize 10 neighborhoods on the South and West sides by providing resources.

The initiative will leverage $250,000 in existing business development and infrastructure funding from the Department of Planning and Development, as well as Tax Increment Financing, Neighborhood Opportunity Fund programs and the Small Business Improvement Fund.

Neighborhoods included in the initiative are Auburn-Gresham, North Lawndale, Austin, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Quad Communities, New City, Roseland, South Shore and South Chicago.

According to Chicago Department of Planning and Development Deputy Commissioner Peter Strazzabosco, the neighborhoods were chosen because of their existing assets – buildings and streetscapes, transportation resources, business activity, community partners and potential for growth.

“These targeted areas will each serve as a foundation for strategic, public and private investments and prioritized community improvements,” he said.

Strazzabosco added, these areas historically served as focal points for pedestrian activity, shopping, services transportation, public spaces and quality of life amenities for residents.

A kick-off event took place in Englewood in December 2019, as well as one in Austin earlier in January 2020.

The events are open to the public. Those who are interested in the future of the South and West sides are encouraged to attend. During the events, attendees will learn more about the initiative, through presentations.

“Participants will have opportunities to provide formal input and feedback involving community goals and needs through interactive activities involving a variety of planning and development issues and subjects,” Strazzabosco said.

There will also be local entertainment, refreshments and family-friendly activities. Strazzabosco said city staff are working with local stakeholders to prioritize neighborhood goals that will be implemented during the next three years.

“The kick-off meetings are part of the community engagement process, especially in terms of the specific geographies that provide the most potential for improvements that will benefit the entire area, as well as what those improvements should be,” he said.

The improvements could include new businesses or services that are needed in the area, what public amenities should be added or enhanced, or what destabilizing factors should be reduced or eliminated.

The Department of Planning and Development also opened up an application round for Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grants on Monday, Jan. 20. Existing businesses, entrepreneurs and others can submit proposals for projects that serve neighborhood needs and goals. Those projects can be up to $250,000.

The application process for the grant will close on Saturday, Feb. 29. An information session will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Feb. 6, at Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd. To apply, visit https://nof.datamade.us/apply.

The event for South Shore and South Chicago will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside. The event for Roseland and Pullman will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at Pullman Community Center, 10355 S. Woodlawn.

Attendees must RSVP for the INVEST South/West kick-off events. To RSVP, visit www.chicago.gov/investSW.

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