A Safe Haven, KMA Companies and McCaffery Partner to Propose Marquee $170 Million Plan for Chicago’s Invest South/West Project

A Safe Haven, KMA Companies and McCaffery Partner to Propose Marquee $170 Million Plan for Chicago’s Invest South/West Project

 


 

Chicago area based companies, organizations vie to help 10 Chicago impoverished communities in Mayor Lightfoot Chicago INVEST South/West Initiative

(Chicago, IL) Feb. 26, 2021—A Safe Haven (ASH), an internationally acclaimed top Chicago-based 501 ©3 nonprofit dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness, has partnered with KMA Companies, a Chicago affordable housing real estate developer and property management services firm and McCaffery, a Chicago-based full service real estate firm, to submit a $170,000,000 plan to build Industrial distribution space, a wealth engine incubator, 60 units of affordable housing and community green space. The INVEST South/West project will be located in Chicago’s North Lawndale Community an “opportunity zone.” A Safe Haven’s headquarters is located in the same community and is known as a long-time anchor in the community serving and meeting the social service, education, employment and housing needs of over 400 people daily. The INVEST South/West project was created by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. It is a $750 million initiative to rebuild the commercial corridors of the city’s most distressed communities located on the South and West sides.

Lightfoot has asked multiple city departments, community organizations, and corporate and philanthropic partners for their plan proposals. Public and community input is being solicited. To view the plan and respond to the survey please visit this link.

“The community project is designed to serve as a powerful and innovative economic engine that has the ability to quickly reignite one of Chicago’s most distressed and historically dis-invested communities,” said Neli Vazquez Rowland, ASH’s president and co-founder. “We are proud to be on an experienced team with a proven track record for success combined with a deep and established commitment to helping lift up the lives, buildings and economy of those who live in our most impoverished communities.”

McCaffery, KMA Companies and A Safe Haven have partnered and assembled a world-class team of top architectural and engineering firms like Nelson and Urban Works (M/WBE), General Contractors W.E. O’Neil and GMA Construction (MBE), commercial real estate leasing firm JLL and the founder of veteran business incubator Bunker Labs, Todd Connor. The proposed concept offers Chicago Alderman Michael Scott, the community and all stakeholders one of the boldest, most comprehensive and integrated plans with multiple industrial uses, an entrepreneurial incubator program aimed at local wealth creation, as well as affordable, professionally managed apartments.

The McCaffery/KMA/ASH Plan also features an inviting outdoor space with amenities that include an outdoor amphitheater for local artists to perform and families to gather or walk along the beautifully landscaped rails to trails walkways. The project aims to build, preserve and enhance the employment opportunities, standard of living and the overall atmosphere for families to live, learn, work, grow, play and stay.

“Our goal is to work together with the City to make a decisive, significant and catalytic investment that will be able to make an immediate impact in helping amplify and scale our collective efforts to intentionally and strategically create over 2,000 jobs, including temporary construction and permanent jobs. It will also provide access to A Safe Haven’s established social enterprises and job training for immediate skilled labor employment opportunities as well as access to entrepreneurial opportunities, access to capital, wealth creation. The overall project will serve as an economic, housing and community hub that will allow for all stakeholders to achieve an improved quality of life for our neighbors that reside and raise their families in the North Lawndale Community,” Rowland said.

Lightfoot has asked multiple city departments, community organizations, and corporate and philanthropic partners for their plan proposals. Public and community input is being solicited. To view the plan and respond to the survey please visit this link.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qc02cC0GUUGBRJfdxW5wJ9HRhreW8spGsBMi7T6YB25URTlKNEg4MkNPWUNMUTZJQzA4UkMyRVNTRy4u&wdLOR=c8F21E23A-99C6-403A-AD9E-DC80041F0F56