A long-vacant school in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood is getting a $26.6 million overhaul.
Block Club Chicago reports that the City Council has approved plans for the Regenerator, a four-story project at the former Woods Elementary building.
The development will transform the vacant school closed in 2013 into 48 affordable one- to two-bedroom units, a 22,000-square-foot health center and a community center.
The building will have 48 bicycle slots and two parking lots with 80 total spaces. A “small playground” and a “community gathering space” will be next to the residential parking lot.
The work to revitalize the former school and bring “a holistic set of projects alongside the Racine corridor” began a decade ago, said Rami Nashashibi, executive director at the Inner-City Muslim Action Network.
Of the 48 units:
- Nine will be set aside for people earning 20% of the area median income (AMI)
- Nine will be for people earning 30% of the AMI
- Eight will be for people earning 50% of the AMI
- 22 will be for people earning 60% of the AMI
The median income in Englewood is $22,127, according to developers.
Developers will add a fourth floor to the three-story building and an elevator to make the space accessible for residents. The school’s gym will be converted into a community room and meeting space for neighbors, developers said.
