POAH Chicago

Preservation of Affordable Housing Chicago
1 N LaSalle St #1750, Chicago, IL 60602 | 312-283-0032
www.poahchicago.org | @POAHchi | Printed Summer 2016
Renewal by Design

Woodlawn – A Neighborhood Renewed
Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood is on the rise – a place where new housing
developments, schools, restaurants and retail stores are filling its historic boulevards
and generating economic and community activity just to the south of the University of
Chicago.
The heart of this community revitalization is South Cottage Grove Avenue, where the
nationally-renowned housing nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH)
has created Woodlawn Park – a mixed-income, mixed-use development that is
transforming this South Side neighborhood.
Attractive, handsomely-built and well-landscaped housing has replaced the former
Grove Parc Plaza, and lively cultural events bring energy and excitement showcasing
past and present generations of artists, writers and musicians.
Working with tenant organizations, community members, elected leaders and the
business and education sectors, POAH has created a neighborhood that is responsive
to the people who call Woodlawn home. At the same time, new residents and
businesses are choosing to live, learn and do business here.
For hundreds of families and residents, the Cottage Grove corridor from 60 th to 63 rd
street has become the gateway to opportunity.
Preservation of Affordable Housing Chicago | www.poahchicago.org | @POAHchi | 312-283-0032
In the five years since POAH and the City of Chicago were awarded a $30.5 million
HUD Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant that supported this planning and
investment, the Woodlawn neighborhood has undergone profound improvements
buoyed by the involvement and partnership of dozens of organizations, institutions,
neighbors and developers. Because of their efforts, Woodlawn is once again
becoming a neighborhood of choice.

Cottage Grove Avenue – The Heart of
the Community
Just east of the gracious boulevards of Washington Park and south and west of the
storied Midway Plaisance, Cottage Grove Avenue today is a welcoming street, lined
on either side with attractive, well-built Woodlawn Park housing for families and
seniors of all incomes.
The well-appointed market-rate and affordable housing for families and seniors is
complete with lush landscaping, ample community space and playgrounds that serve
this growing community. Both the Jackson and the Grant have been designated as
LEED Platinum buildings, the highest level possible for energy efficiency and
sustainability.
POAH’s properties are run by its management company, POAH Communities, that
delivers high-quality property maintenance and customer service and develops
partnerships that improve the lives of residents.
“The opening of the Burnham is another significant step toward fulfilling the vision of what it takes to
create a ‘Choice’ community. This deliberate process of leveraging resources responsibly and in partnership,
with holistic emphasis on community, is positively impacting the Woodlawn community in a way that we
can all be proud of.”
20 th Ward Alderman Willie B. Cochran

Soon, Trianon Lofts, the first new market-rate rental housing to be built in Woodlawn in
decades, and Woodlawn Station, a mixed-income family development, will add to the
diversity and vibrancy of the street at 61 st and 63 rd street, respectfully.
And changing dynamics and perceptions of the community have allowed POAH’s
investments to leverage more than $400 million more for housing, retail centers,
community services and educational institutions.
In the spring of 2015 MetroSquash, the nationally renowned organization that
combines sports, tutoring and mentoring to prepare underprivileged youth for college,
celebrated the opening of its first free-standing facility on a former Grove Parc site.
Farther south along Cottage Grove at 63 rd Street the historic Strand Hotel has been
restored into 63 studio and one-bedroom market rate and affordable apartments
with ground floor space for retail.
“Through MetroSquash, I applied to and won scholarships, attended
academic programs and worked as a counselor at MetroSquash’s
summer camp. This experience has enriched my life and afforded me
options that I never knew were available.”
Gabriel Johnson, Sophomore at UIC & 2012 MetroSquash Team Member

“POAH has been a positive addition to community development efforts in Woodlawn, particularly
related to preserving housing options for the very poor. POAH’s work began with an invitation from
Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors (WECAN), local tenants and others, and POAH has worked
closely with us ever since. “
Mattie Butler, Executive Director, WECAN
Ripples Throughout the Community
Beyond Cottage Grove Avenue, POAH has expanded its housing efforts on
surrounding streets, buying and renovating nearly two dozen vacant and abandoned
buildings with the help of the City of Chicago and the Community Investment
Corporation. Across the neighborhood, POAH has created 400 – plus more market
and affordable rental opportunities.
POAH’s significant investments are inspiring confidence in other community and
educational institutions to invest as well. Woodlawn welcomed a new University of
Chicago dormitory on 60 th Street, a block east of Cottage Grove Avenue and the
Logan Center for the Arts at 915 E. 60 th Street.
Nearly 50 new single-family and townhomes are planned to begin construction by
well-known developers such as Greenline, Fleishman/Steel and KMW.
POAH’s participation in Renew Woodlawn, a partnership with Neighborhood
Housing Services in West Woodlawn, identifies prospective home buyers and
provides them with funds for renovations and a discounted purchase price for
existing, architecturally significant neighborhood homes.

Building a Sustainable Community
While this new and renovated housing is the core of this vibrant new community, it has
been enhanced by the nearby amenities and services available to its residents from
restaurants to parks, farmers markets and community learning centers.
Robust Coffee and Greenline Coffee in the Woodlawn neighborhood have become
popular stops for commuters, students and neighbors who want to socialize. These
business ventures will soon be joined by a new day care business on 61 st street and
additional retail at 63 rd and Cottage Grove.
The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School and the Hyde Park Day School opened in
2014, and the University of Chicago recently began construction on a new 6 th through
12 th grade charter school that focuses on STEAM learning on 63 rd street between
University and Greenwood Avenues.
International Baccalaureate programs have been established at Hyde Park Academy,
Woodlawn’s area’s high school, and at the Fiske Elementary School, in a program for
middle schoolers that prepares them for any area high school.
“At Robust Coffee Lounge our concept is to provide the best
of what can be sourced locally to showcase in our shop. If it’s not
found locally and it’s in our shop or on our menu then we make it
ourselves, in house.”
Jake Sapstein, Owner, Robust Coffee

Community Engagement
While POAH’s investments may have been Woodlawn’s catalyst, partnerships with
others have created the change which, in turn, is creating greater partnerships and the
building of an ever-closer-knit community. From block clubs to the creation of arts
groups, the civic life of Woodlawn is stronger than ever.
Violent crime in this neighborhood is down 40% in the last eight years through the work
of the local police district, the Woodlawn Public Safety Alliance and others.
POAH collaborated with the Woodlawn Public Safety Alliance and hired local residents
to create “Safe Passage” corridors for Woodlawn children attending school.
In partnership with a local arts group and the Chicago Community Trust, POAH hosted
“Sol Fest,” an arts-themed family festival designed to encourage neighbor-to-neighbor
connections through an afternoon of live performances.
POAH has constructed a new 15,000 square foot community center at the heart of
the Woodlawn Park development. The Woodlawn Resource Center offers
social service support to Woodlawn Park residents and employment/workforce
development opportunities to the entire community. In 2015, approximately 115
residents secured employment through the Woodlawn Resource Center.
“I am grateful for the help that I have received at the center and I’m now teaching what I’m
learning in class to my family. I developed better spending habits, reduced my debt, rebuilt my
credit, and was able to take care of my family’s necessities because of the resource center.”
The Woodlawn Children’s Promise Community, in conjunction with Urban Education
Institute, has designed a comprehensive educational initiative to improve access and
outcomes from early childhood through college, for all Woodlawn children.
Denise Benton, Client, Woodlawn Resource Center

The Future is Bright
After eight years of work and investment, Woodlawn is alive with new housing,
schools, economic development and, perhaps most important, greater engagement
by residents in all aspects of community life. POAH’s vision, supported by the City
of Chicago and others and the Choice Neighborhoods grant, has infused new energy
into local institutions, services and people, drawing attention to Woodlawn from
across the region and across the country.
With the exciting news that the Obama Presidential Library will be built immediately
to the east or west, Woodlawn can look forward to becoming an even more vibrant
neighborhood that contributes to this City’s proud and rich history. Some say
Woodlawn’s renewal will be a model for the nation. For POAH, it is enough to be
part of a neighborhood that people take pride in calling home.
Preservation of Affordable Housing Chicago | www.poahchicago.org | @POAHchi | 312-283-0032