CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Ground has been broken for what will be more than $40 million in developments in the Auburn-Gresham community.
79th and Halsted was buzzing with excitement on Wednesday. The first project of Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative was getting shovels into the ground.
Carlos Nelson, CEO of the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, praised Lightfoot for following through on her promises. He said a movement to re-develop Auburn Gresham has been catapulted by Lightfoot's initiative.
“I am so thankful that in my lifetime I see a day when a mayor has a plan which incorporates South and West Side communities,” Nelson said.
The Mayor agreed, Invest South-West has exceeded expectations.
“We had an aspiration of $750 million city dollars and a hope that we would attract private investment, philanthropic investment. We will end this year with $2 billion in private and public investment on the South and West Sides," Lightfoot said.
17th Ward Alderman David Moore was also beaming as ground was broken for the Auburn Gresham apartments, a two-building mixed-use complex. A couple of years ago, he remembered urging the then new Mayor Lori Lightfoot to help the South and West Sides. He said they needed a Marshall Plan. He said Lightfoot chose to call it INVEST South/West.
Lightfoot said the simple fact is people in the INVEST South/West neighborhoods want the same things all Chicagoans do- safe walkable streets and no necessity to travel miles to buy groceries- “the things that we know are absolutely essential to make sure that our lives are just as vibrant and respected as anyone else.”
Now, there’s a lot of development underway along 79th Street.
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