Upgraded CTA station, affordable TOD headed to Chicago’s Woodlawn

Just days after developer Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) formally broke ground on a four-story, mixed-income transit-oriented development dubbed Woodlawn Station, the City of Chicago has announced plans to overhaul the adjacent Cottage Grove Green Line CTA stop. The latest news is encouraging for Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood which has been building momentum lately thanks to its renewed, community-oriented approach to development and the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center.

The upgrade would include “architectural enhancements” in addition to street level improvements below what is reportedly one of the city’s oldest elevated rail line stations. While design, financing, and a timeline for the project are still being worked out, the details are expected to be finalized some time later this year. The CTA did release a pair of conceptual renderings showing what the new station and ground level lighting elements could look like.

Upgrades will include architectural enhancements to Cottage Grove-63rd St station and improving the elevated underpass for pedestrians. @cta pic.twitter.com/EK6veuuBqT

— ChicagosMayor (@ChicagosMayor) April 24, 2017

CTA

CTA

Meanwhile, the nearby Gensler and Nia Architects-designed Woodlawn Station development is working towards delivering a mix of 55 market-rate and affordable apartments plus 15,000 square feet of retail space. The project also includes two new buildings of 15 mixed-income rental apartments at 6408 and 6432 S. Maryland.

“We are investing in the future of the CTA, and in the future of Woodlawn,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel via official statement. “Investments like this one strengthen communities, attract private investment and drive neighborhood growth.”

POAH via Architects Newspaper

• Gensler designs affordable housing TOD for Chicago’s South Side [Architects Newspaper]
• Cottage Grove Green Line Station Getting Upgrades [DNAinfo]
• In Chicago’s Woodlawn, community development sparks talk of neighborhood renewal [Curbed Chicago]