Business in South Chicago 60617

South Chicago: Past & Future

The South Chicago neighborhood, which has an area of 3.34 square miles, is a vibrant community located about 10 miles southeast of the Loop along Lake Michigan near the mouth of the Calumet River. to South Chicago. During its heyday, South Works produced steel used in the John Hancock Center, the Sears Tower, the Standard Oil Building and many other Chicago skyscrapers, as well as in structures around the country. The thriving steel industry helped lead to the development of a successful business area on Commercial Avenue and 92nd Street. Employment at South Works, as in other steel mills, decreased during the last quarter of the twentieth century as the U.S. steel industry went into a decline. USX, the successor to U.S. Steel, shut down the South Works plant in 1992 in order to consolidate steel production at its larger plant in Gary, Indiana. Ethnic mix According to the 2010 census, South Chicago has a current population of 31, 198 people. 75% of the population identifies as non-Hispanic black, 22% identifies as Hispanic, 2% as nonHispanic white and 1% identifies as multiple races or other. The neighborhood is home to a variety of ethnic businesses, including Afro-Caribbean and Mexican food and retail stores. Chicago Lakeside Development manufacturing plant into a flourishing lakefront community with residences, retail areas, parks, entertainment centers, a marina, a new high school and more. The area is nearly 700 acres, bounded on the north by 79th Street, on the south by the Calumet River, on the west by Burley Street and Green Bay Avenue and on the east by Lake Michigan. Work on the development project began in 2012. While the project is estimated to take 30 years to complete in its entirety, steps in the process have already begun to benefit the South Chicago community and will continue to do so in upcoming years. The first phase of development will take place in the a 76-acre plot bounded by 79th St., 83rd St., Brandon Ave. and US Route 41. This phase will involve the creation of The Market Common, an 800,000square-foot area that will include residences, retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as the construction ofnew roads, sewer lines, and other public infrastructure. Lakeside will help drive broad economic growth in the Southeast Chicago area. Lakeshore Drive will be extended to connect to Lakeside, and the area will also include increased CTA bus and Metra service and bike paths for easy transportation to, from and within Lakeside. Lakeside will also be a LEED-ND certified community, with innovative energy and waste programs. Altogether, the development will help revitalize Southeast Chicago as a whole.

Steel History In the 1800s, the proximity of the Calumet River led to the development and growth of steel, grain, railroad and lumber industries in the South Chicago area, which was originally known as Ainsworth. During that century, work in those industries drew immigrants from various countries, including Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, Wales and Germany, to South Chicago. In 1901, U.S. Steel took over a South Chicago steel manufacturing plant and renamed it South Works. South Works prospered during the first half of the century and was the South Sides largest employer, employing approximately 20,000 people and covering nearly 600 square acres of land during its peak. Beginning around the time of WWI, South Works and other steel mills drew many African American, Mexican, Polish and Italian immigrants

Chicago Lakeside Development is a project to transform the area formerly occupied by the South Works steel

South Chicago: Open for Business

A Community thats Alive Properties Available South Chicago has a variety of properties available for lease or purchase: retail, office, or industrial. Commercial Avenues prime retail district, from 85th Street, to South Chicago Avenue (about 9300 south), has storefront spaces available ranging from 500 10,000 square feet. As of print date, those storefronts include spaces formerly in use as a bakery, a restaurant, an insurance office, and a variety of retail uses. Those seeking ready-to-use space can find it, as well as those wishing to turn rough space into something beautiful. We also have office space available in several buildings: a recentlyconstructed bank, an older elevator office building, or in first- and secondfloor-walkup spaces. South Chicago also has a variety of industrial and auto-related space available: warehouses, auto repair shops, and auto sales lots on Commercial Avenue or tucked away into the neighborhood, in spaces ranging up to 30,000 square feet. We also have mixed-use space, in which rental revenue from upstairs apartments can subsidize the cost of locating your business in first-floor commercial space. South Chicago is an affordable community in which to invest or rent this is an excellent buy-low time for businesspeople and investors to get into commercial property before prices go back up. Investors are already picking up numerous residential properties in the community; we can expect that commercial properties will follow.

Baker College Prep: Baker College Prep is a charter school that opened in South Chicago for the first time during the 2013-14 school year. Baker shares a campus with Bowen High School, a public school that has served the South Chicago community for over a century. Arts & Crafts Fair: In September 2013, the South Chicago Chamber and SSA #5 organized an arts and crafts fair where artists from the neighborhood and the broader Chicago area sold their work from 30 tables set up on the 9100 block of Commercial Ave. Snackfest: In October 2013, the South Chicago Chamber sponsored the first annual Snackfest, a food and art tour where eight area restaurants provided samples of their food and showcased the work of local artists as a part of Chicago Artists Month. Mexican Independence Day Parade: Organized by the Mexican Patriotic Club, the South Chicago Mexican Independence Day Parade draws a crowd to Commercial Avenue each year. Current statistics Area: 3.34 sq. miles Population: 31,000

Opportunities & Incentives

Business Opportunities The South Chicago Chamber has surveyed the neighborhood to find out what kinds of businesses are most in demand from local residents. Apparel: South Chicago has a number of clothing stores catering to our younger residents, but seeks specifically retailers offering apparel for adults, and in womens larger sizes in particular. Restaurants: South Chicago has a wealth of fast-food and Mexican restaurants, both chain stores and independent restaurants. We also have two diners, two ice cream shops, and an African restaurant. We seek to add to that mix a coffee shop or cafe, and a mid-range sit-down restaurant that will add to our restaurant mix. Retail: Our communitys retail composition includes several supermercados; a number of clothing and shoe stores; several cell phone stores, furniture stores, and thrift shops; three auto parts stores; a Walgreens and a CVS; two hardware stores; an African fabric shop, an Afro-Caribbean grocery store, a discount grocery store, a florist, a hat shop, a health food store, a medical supply store, an optician. Residents have said many times they would welcome an office and art supply store. We would also be glad to add to our community an electronics shop, hobby stores, a toy store, a video game store, or other specialty retailers. Services: South Chicago boasts six banks, a number of attorneys and insurance agents, a few daycares and accountants, and a couple of hair and nail salons. We have general contractors, electricians, welders, a plumber, a telecommunications contractor, and a fencing company. South Chicago might be an excellent opportunity for a realtor, an appraiser, a print shop, a flooring company, a roofing company, an HVAC company, and pet- and entertainment-related businesses. Business Incentives and Assistance Our community is home to two Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts and a Special Service Area (SSA), meaning that there are a number of programs in place to help businesses get started in South Chicago and reduce the cost of opening up. The TIF districts each have a Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF), which provides up to $100,000 (and potentially more for industrial or multi-unit buildings) for commercial building owners or tenants to make a wide variety of improvements to their properties even their parking lots. The SBIFs are open for applications for a month at a time, roughly every couple of years as funding becomes available through the TIF. TIF districts also feature the TIFWorks program, which subsidizes training costs for businesses in the area; and businesses can apply directly for TIF money for such purposes as a developing the site for a new business location.

for locating in South Chicago

The Special Service Area offers a facade rebate program which provides up to $5000 to building owners or tenants for improvements to the front of a building: windows, doors, awning, lighting, signage, masonry, etc. The rebate is set at 50% of costs of approved projects, up to the $5000 rebate limit. The SSA also developed a security rebate program, which provides a 50% subsidy of up to $1000 for approved costs incurred in making permanent security improvements to a building: gates, security doors, window bars, fencing, etc. The SSA is creating a new rebate program which we hope to debut in 2014, providing a larger subsidy to assist with costs of improving the efficiency of buildings systems: heating, electric, the buildings envelope, etc. No details have been set, but the expectation is that this rebate would offer up to $10,000 or $20,000. Apart from the rebate programs, the SSA also provides a range of services to the business district to make sure it is safe, clean, and attractive for our shoppers, employees, and business owners: sidewalk cleanup six days/week; a security camera system; sidewalk planters; streetpole banners; a security patrol six days/week; holiday decorations; support for public art; special events; and more.