DNA Info: Woodlawn Hasn't Gentrified Despite $400 Million In Investments, Report Says

Woodlawn won the 2016 Curbed Cup. With that said DNA reports that the south side neighborhood to be the recipient of former President Obama's presidential library has yet to gentrify:

Woodlawn has seen more than $400 million in investment in the last five years. In some neighborhoods, that kind of money would have inevitably led to gentrification, forcing longtime residents from their homes.

But that's not the case, the largest developer in the neighborhood said in a new report about the investments.

Preservation of Affordable Housing, a national nonprofit which has sought to revitalize some of the nation's largest cities while keeping housing affordable, released a report Monday showing $400 million was invested in the neighborhood in 2011. That year, the group started redeveloping Grove Parc Plaza through a $30.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Bill Eager, vice president for the nonprofit’s Chicago branch, which is behind more than $100 million of that investment, said the neighborhood has improved greatly and is still a ways away from gentrification.

“There’s lots of room still for everyone,” Eager said. “There can be lots of development still in Woodlawn before gentrification becomes a problem.”

Local religious and political leaders agree the development has not led to displacement, at least not yet.

As you'll see in this article there are some construction projects going on in the intersection of 63rd & Cottage Grove.

Perhaps if there is a tipping point in this community perhaps someone can advocate for a reconstruction of the CTA Green Line to send that line back past Cottage Grove. Time will tell on that.