Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently announced over $42 million worth of grant money for neighborhood development projects across Chicago, including nine based in Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale and South Lawndale.
The grant money, announced June 24, are funded by Johnson’s $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development bond.
The largest dozen projects, receiving between nearly $500,000 and $5 million, were also funded by Tax Increment Financing and the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. They include:
- $2.1 million to 22 mixed-income residences and six spaces for arts organizations and artists at 5544 W. North Ave. in Austin, where there’s currently a vacant building. The total cost of the project is projected at $4.2 million.
- $5 million to Floreciendo: La Villita Erie House Community Center in South Lawndale. The 22,000 square foot space at 2659 S. Kildare Ave. will include art studios, classrooms, a gym and green spaces. The community center is expected to cost over $21 million.
- $4.7 million to MLK East, an arts, enterprise and community hub at 1600 S. Lawndale Ave. in North Lawndale. Once a vacant building, the property will become a space with a gallery, restaurant and chocolatier for over $12 million.
Another 20 projects got up to $250,000 of grant money from the city. On the West Side, that included:
- $115,085 for A House in Austin, 533 N. Pine Ave. in Austin
- $250,000 for Moochie’s Pizzeria at 4212 W. Madison St. in West Garfield Park
- $250,000 for Chicago Eats Pancake & Waffle House, 4100 W. Madison St. in West Garfield Park
And 20 businesses got grants up to $250,000 for employee training for existing workers and new hires, funded through Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development Workforce Solutions program. Three recipients are located in Austin.
- $116,290 for Clean Community, 5213 W. Potomac Ave.
- $92,106 for Excel Community Development Corp., 4825 W. Chicago Ave.
- $37,332 for New Moms, 5317 W. Chicago Ave.
Grant money launches Chicago Eats Pancake & Waffle House
Licensed caterer Shawnie Jones has run Chicago Eats Market catering over the last seven years. Now with a $250,000 grant from the City of Chicago, she’s opening Chicago Eats Pancake & Waffle House at 4100 W. Madison St.
Jones said, not only are there no pancake and waffle houses in West Garfield Park, “There’s not even breakfast.”
Jones hopes to start construction on the pancake and waffle house come fall and open next March.
In addition to serving her fluffy pancakes — “If it’s flat, I don’t want it,” Jones said of her recipe — Jones wants to offer fresh, healthy and affordable breakfast options. She also wants to include a small coffee shop in the corner of her new restaurant.
She envisions walls wrapped with images of families from old-school sitcoms eating together, like those from “All in the Family,” “The Brady Bunch,” and “Good Times.”
“I want it to look more like a family museum,” Jones said. “It’s like breakfast at home.”
Jones also owns Chicago Eats Sports Bar at 5312 W. Chicago Ave. in Austin, which she opened with city grant money during then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration.