The Legacy Project is a GO!

[VIDEO] In the vid above Pastor Charles Jenkins of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church discusses the donation of property located at 8522 S. Lafayette Ave. was donated to his church for their plan for redevelopment. That property vacant for a period of 11 years was once the HQ for Johnson Products Company and later Soft Sheen after their acquisition by L'Oreal.

Here's a press release and an excerpt:

The 14.5-acre site will be the new location of the church and a mixed-use development project, which promises to enhance the social fabric of the community holistically, marking a major milestone in a broad vision for the property at 8522 S. Lafayette Ave.

The irrevocable, landmark multimillion-dollar donation comes from the foundation of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., an Oklahoma City-based national arts and crafts chain that has contributed to faith-based initiatives nationwide for many years.

"I offer my sincere gratitude to the Green Family for their unparalleled generosity to Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and our work in the city," Pastor Jenkins said. "We are excited about this huge step and other amazing friends and partners who are already joining us on this meaningful and impactful journey to serve inner city Chicago."
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The mission of the Legacy Project is to build people and community by focusing on personal growth, job creation, education, youth development, healthcare, economic development, and community empowerment.

Plans additionally call for renovation of the 229,000-square-foot office building to include a school, health and wellness center, a center for youth programming, a casual dining restaurant, as well as construction of up to seven retail stores at an estimated cost of $26 million.

"The church is committed to working toward reducing unemployment, crime and violence, raising resident morale, and providing hope to the community overall," said Pastor Jenkins. "This donation is the first I have heard of in this community and one of many examples of God blessing our effort and dedication to serving Chicago."

Want to learn more about this project, you may go to the official Legacy Project website. Here's a Sun-Times story.

Mellody Hobson and Mayor Richard Daley endorse the Legacy Project by Fellowship MBC

This is the redevelopment of the Soft Sheen facility. Do you agree with the project and because the mayor endorses this project does it mean that we will see a bridge over the Dan Ryan at 85th Street.

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