“More homes and spots for businesses and shopping could be coming to Roseland as the city looks to redevelop three large sites in the neighborhood.
“The city’s Department of Planning and Development soon will open the process to pitch redevelopment ideas for the closed Gately’s Peoples Store, the former Roseland Theatre building and the site of the proposed Michigan Red Line station, a station that would be built as part of the suggested Red Line expansion.
“A request for proposals could go out as soon as the fall, officials said.
“The projects would have to build on recent investments in the Roseland and Pullman areas and create more residential options, Michael Penicnak, a project coordinator for the development department, said at a Tuesday meeting of the Community Development Commission.
“The Community Development Commission also approved a request for acquisition for properties at 11331 S. Michigan Ave., allowing the city to try to buy the property, the home of the now closed Roseland Theatre.
“The city’s development agency wants the theater’s building to be restored so it can potentially be reused in a variety of ways: for businesses and shops, as a shared kitchen and for food production, for cultural uses, as an office and incubator space, or something else, Penicnak said. Officials would also want nearby vacant land to be used, he said.
“Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) said he wrote a letter of support for those plans in exchange for development Commissioner Maurice Cox supporting a 100-room hotel in his ward.” (McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 8/12/22)
“Roseland’s South Michigan Avenue Commercial District is the commercial center and heart of this Far South Side community, located approximately 15 miles from downtown Chicago. Situated on a hilltop ridge, the corridor extends between 100th Street and the viaduct just south of 115th Street, with the central core of the existing commercial district located between 110th and 115th Streets.
“Once referred to by local residents as ‘The Avenue,’ the street’s viability as a commercial corridor began to deteriorate and fade in the mid-1970s. Over the decades, some historic buildings have been remodeled and covered with new facades, and many other notable and significant commercial buildings, which further helped to define the district, have been lost to demolition.
“However, it is important to protect, restore and reuse the remaining structures, many of them noteworthy in their overall design and materials. This would honor the legacy and history of this remarkable community and encourage a holistic approach to further promote economic revitalization along the South Michigan Avenue commercial corridor.” (Preservation Chicago)
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
3 Sites In Roseland, Including Former Gately’s Location, Could Become Homes, Shopping, Business Space And More; The city wants to redevelop the site of Gately’s Peoples Store and the Roseland Theatre — and hear plans for how the proposed Michigan Red Line station site could be used, Maia McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 8/12/22
Roseland’s Michigan Avenue could become magnificent under city’s new plan, It’s early yet, but we like the rebound plan for the beleaguered shopping district under the city’s marquee Invest South/West initiative, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 8/15/22
Roseland Could Get Street Upgrades, Sidewalk Pavers, Welcome Signs Inspired By Its Flowery Name; The project is meant to provide street improvements in the Far South Side neighborhood. During a Tuesday meeting, neighbors weighed in on visual upgrades to the community’s main corridors, Block Club Chicago, Maia McDonald, 8/24/22
Link to watch Roseland’s South Michigan Avenue Commercial District: “The Avenue’s” Past, Present and Future