Two new affordable apartment buildings are now open in Auburn Gresham, as part of a larger citywide strategy to bring more development to Chicago’s South and West sides.City officials and project partners celebrated the opening of the Auburn Gresham Apartments on Wednesday, after nearly three yea rs of work on a project that replaced vacant city-owned land. The development, a joint-venture between Evergreen Real Estate Group and Imagine Group, started under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Invest South/West program. The project partners won a request for proposals that was managed by the city’s Department of Planning and Development.The project consists of a five-story building at 757 W. 79th St. with 30 units and a three-story building at 838 W. 79th St. with 28 units. Both properties have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. A resident’s apartment at the Auburn Gresham Apartments, 838 W. 79th St.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times The rent is priced for households earning at or below 60% the area median income. A one-bedroom apartment rents for $995 a month, according to Evergreen. A two-bedroom unit is $1,195 a month, and a three-bedroom unit is $1,600. The real estate firm, which also manages the buildings, said the project is already 75% leased.Both buildings also have commercial space with tenants such as the Italian restaurant The Auburn, development and property management firm KLEO Enterprises and youth development nonprofit K.L.E.O. Community Family Life Center.DPD Commissioner Ciere Boatright grew up on 79th Street. She said the experience made her aware of the opportunities and challenges in the corridor, including a lack of investment.The land where the apartment building at 838 W. 79th St. stands was vacant since 1997, Boatright said during Wednesday’s ribbon cutting. The other site, 757 W. 79th St., was vacant until 2012.“To see this $47 million project … replace more than an acre of city land is incredible and a sign of more investment to come,” Boatright said.The development was originally pitched as a single building at 79th and Green streets. But after neighborhood roundtables with city officials and community stakeholders, the developers pivoted to two shorter, less-dense buildings.David Block, Evergreen’s director of development, said the team’s priority was listening to the community.“We went to our first roundtable meetings there, and the community said no,’” Block said. “We really scaled the building down on this site so that the building … is more in keeping with the scale of this community.” Related While national policy shifts loom, Evergreen Real Estate Group sees bright future Ald. David Moore (17th) said Auburn Gresham being selected as an Invest South/West priority neighborhood marked a “turning point” for the community.“Auburn Gresham, like many neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides, has faced decades of disinvestment,” Moore said. “Our community is resilient, and we never stop fighting for the resources, the investment and the opportunities that we know that we deserve.”The Invest South/West program was started to encourage development along busy but neglected commercial corridors, including South and West Side neighborhoods like Auburn Gresham. The neighborhood’s priority is the intersection of 79th Street and Ashland Avenue and city blocks in the vicinity.“This week, we broke ground [at] 79 W. Monroe because we also believe that every single neighborhood should have affordable housing. And whether it's Auburn Gresham or Streeterville, our people should be able to live and play and enjoy all aspects of the city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “As we build better together, we’re going to ensure that affordable housing exists in all of our 77 neighborhoods.” Mayor Brandon Johnson joins other city leaders and Imagine Group Principal Torrey Barrett (in glasses), during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Auburn Gresham Apartments.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Last week, Johnson unveiled his new economic development strategy called Build Better Together, which serves as an umbrella for the city’s business, housing and infrastructure pushes.He said Wednesday that Build Better Together will help support more housing and development across all of Chicago’s neighborhoods, with a focus on creating affordable and “missing middle” housing.City land was donated for the Auburn Gresham Apartments. The project was supported by $18 million in tax increment financing, in addition to tax-exempt bonds and sales tax securitization funds.KLEO Enterprises, DPD and the city’s Department of Housing were also partners on the project.“The Auburn Gresham Apartments are more than just new housing and business opportunities,” Moore said. “These buildings are a testament to the resilience, advocacy and unwavering determination of our residents, community leaders and partners who worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life.” ...read more read less