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News > In the Headlines
CHICAGO, IL - Chicago's community development world celebrated its present and future Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 East Wacker Drive) with the 16th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, recognizing the community leaders, architects, businesses, government leaders, foundations and community development organizations that keep Chicago's neighborhoods vibrant and strong. Created by LISC/Chicago and now attracting nearly 1,400 leaders each year, CNDA is the nation's largest awards program dedicated to neighborhood-based development. A total of ten awards were given out: seven for various aspects of community development leadership (recognizing programs, projects and individuals) and three sponsored by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for Architectural Excellence in Community Design. Many of the awards were accompanied by monetary gifts, ranging from $2,000 to $20,000. Before the ceremony, attendees had the opportunity to hear a panel of experts discuss how neighborhoods are charting their own course for the future, especially absent the 2016 Olympics. "This event is about all those people and organizations who are dedicated to community development in Chicago with a commitment to build on its successes and invest in its most important asset - its neighborhoods," said Harrison I. Steans, founder of Financial Investments Corporation and president and CEO of the Steans Family Foundation. "As tonight's program demonstrates, this important work requires forward-thinking leaders of every stripe, from community organizers to elected officials to civic-minded business and philanthropic entities." This year's winners are: The Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community Strategy of the Year ($20,000): The Pilsen Quality-of-Life planning process - The Pilsen Planning Committee which produced the plan includes community organizations, local businesses, elected officials, faith-based groups and other stakeholders. In crafting the Plan and now in implementing the strategies of this living document, the Planning Committee and experience of all stakeholders, ensuring that all voices are heard and all ideas are considered. Five task forces meet monthly on the five main strategy areas outlined in the Plan - education, housing, family, economy and image. Building on this firm foundation, Pilsen has already achieved important milestones; including 118 units of new affordable housing; new festivals and other cultural events; education summits and school improvements including a new school-based health center; and improved green space. In addition, as a direct result of advocacy outlined in the Plan, Pilsen now has a requirement that 21 percent of new housing developments be affordable units, a percentage above the city standard. The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project ($15,000): Homan Arthington Foundation for the Charles H. Shaw Technology Learning Center - The Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center is a dramatic rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Power House facility of the original Sears, Roebuck and Co. world headquarters in the North Lawndale community. In August of 2009, the building welcomed the students of Henry Ford Academy: Power House High, a public charter high school affiliated with the Henry Ford Learning Institute of Dearborn, Michigan. By preserving historical elements of the old power plant, including some of the equipment that produced power for the sprawling Sears complex, the Homan Arthington Foundation created a living laboratory and a unique learning environment. In addition, the building provides community space so that all of Homan Square has access to this piece of their neighborhood's history. From its multi-layered financing to its careful combination of historical preservation and green elements, the Charles H. Shaw Learning Center epitomizes creative problem solving and thoughtful design. For example, the old paned windows were painstakingly restored and fitted with thermal insulated glass to both reflect the building's history and increase energy efficiency. The Polk Bros. Foundation Affordable Rental Housing Preservation Award ($15,000): Mercy Housing Lakefront for Malden Arms Apartments - When the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits used by Mercy Housing Lakefront to develop the Malden Arms Apartments in Uptown into supportive affordable housing in the 1990's were expiring, the organization brought together residents, community members, and layers of private and public financing to create a model for future efforts to both preserve and improve existing affordable rental housing.. Mercy Housing Lakefront took the opportunity of the resyndication of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to address the financial strength of the Malden Arms Apartments and ensure its long-term affordability. The organization brought together residents, community members, and layers of private and public financing to create a model for future efforts to both preserve and improve existing affordable rental housing. As a pilot project for the Clinton Climate Initiative and the City of Chicago's Multi-family Energy Retrofit Program, Malden Arms is a model for affordable housing projects looking to incorporate sustainable elements. The Outstanding For-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project Award: Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation and Turnstone Development for Whistler Crossing - In an area lacking in investment and affordable housing, Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation and Turnstone Development worked with an extraordinary array of partners and funding sources in completing a project that is responsive to the needs of its community. In order to bring Whistler Crossing to fruition, the development team, already experts in multi-layer deals, incorporated fully 17 layers of funding into the project. The result is a development that mixes sustainably designed historical and modern buildings, offering a range of affordability levels in a neighborhood more accessible than ever to the surrounding community thanks to infrastructure improvements completed by the development team. Special Recognition Award ($5,000): Community Economic Development Law Project (CEDLP) - Founded by the Chicago Lawyer's Committee, the Legal Assistance Foundation and the Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association in 1985, CEDLP performs the essential function of linking individuals and organizations in neighborhoods throughout Chicago to needed legal assistance, then often fades into the background and lets their clients get to work. CEDLP has helped thousands of community organizations and hundreds of small businesses and first-time homebuyers connect with volunteer lawyers to guide them through the legal requirements of starting a business, navigating zoning law, purchasing real estate and more. Over the years, CEDLP's work has expanded, filling the gaps as it discovers needs for legal services. In addition to providing business law representation to non-profits, programs now include legal support for low-income individuals starting their own businesses, buying their first home or writing a will. CEDLP continues to be the only public interest legal organization dedicated to assisting non-profit groups with their neighborhood revitalization efforts. Today, CEDLP marshals an average of $2 million in pro bono legal services each year. Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, First Place ($15,000): UrbanWorks for UNO Veterans Memorial School Campus - Once an abandoned industrial bakery, the UNO Veterans Memorial School Campus is now a unique link between past and future, industry and community, need and opportunity. This school campus is comprised of two elementary schools and a high school, all within the shell of a former warehouse bounded by residential neighborhoods. The use of natural light in all cases ties the classrooms, offices and hallways together into an integrated learning environment while the planning ensures a social interaction that is both constructive and informative. With an inviting glass façade and community space, the building embodies UNO's commitment to schools as a community focal point, providing wrap-around services to support students, their families and the neighborhood. The project also incorporates a host of environmentally sustainable elements - including a green roof, energy efficiency measures and solar panels - leading to the expectation of LEED Gold certification. Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, Second Place ($3,000): Farr Associates for Whistler Crossing - In a wonderful reversal that is both unexpected and almost unprecedented, a neglected low-rise subsidized housing project in Riverdale was transformed into a working neighborhood again through the dedicated efforts of both local government and focused design professionals. The redevelopment process, which began with a technical assistance panel of stakeholders in 2003, resulted in ninety historic townhouses restored and rehabilitated and two new mixed-use buildings, all providing housing opportunities for low- to moderate-income families. The project also included infrastructure improvements and the creation of much-needed commercial space. Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, 3rd Place ($2,000): SMNG-A Architects for Langston Hughes Elementary School - Both inside and out, the Langston Hughes Elementary School responds to the needs of its students, which include kids with developmental disabilities and special health needs. Adherence to the principles of universal design led to elements like the use of abundant natural light, which is better than fluorescent lighting for students with certain disabilities, and classrooms specifically designed to accommodate equipment for special-needs students and to provide them with a sensory experience that encourages them to participate more actively in their education. An extensive green roof and an innovative radiant air dual duct floor heating system also contributed to the design, which is expected to achieve a LEED Silver certification. The Norman Bobins Leadership Award ($20,000): Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, Executive Director, Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC) - Bernita is a leader who can plan while doing - who can build common ground and move forward in the face of uncertainty - to make neighborhoods better. Bernita came to the Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC) in 2003, then led the 18-month planning process, stewarding a diverse group of resident, business, institutional, City and religious leaders to complete the Quad Communities Quality-of-Life Plan. Bernita wasted no time in leveraging new resources to implement the Plan. From the Bronzeville Community Market to the designation of Special Service Area #47, Bernita has demonstrated what can be accomplished when "failure is not an option." Just as important, she has built an organization with talented staff and an active board to continue reviving the Cottage Grove Commercial Corridor, beautifying the neighborhood to support economic development, and turning schools into centers of community life through education, youth and family programs. The Friend of the Neighborhoods Award: Michael W. Scott, President of the Chicago Board of Education - Born in Lawndale, Scott was instrumental in many North Lawndale developments early in his career as a staff member of Pyramid West Development Corporation and the Lawndale People's Planning and Action Council, where he became well known as a talented organizer. Scott also served the City under every Mayor since 1979 in a variety of positions, most notably as President of the Board of the Chicago Park District, and as President of the Chicago Board of Education, a position that he particularly loved and held at the time of his passing. Scott was also a long-time respected member of Chicago's business community, with interests in real estate and the city's cable and telecommunications industries. Political activist, community organizer, business leader, husband, father, friend - to each role he brought a fierce intellect, a demanding standard, and an integrity that made him trusted by all. Whatever his post, Scott's achievements in his many vital public roles have left a lasting mark on virtually every community in Chicago. With Scott's tragic death, Chicago and its neighborhoods lost one of their most steadfast champions. Applications representing a wide range of community organizations and development efforts were submitted for the four CNDA awards. Each application was assigned to a team of three or four judges who reviewed the application and visited the facility or project. Volunteer judges from the non-profit and for-profit sectors participated. Judges rated applicants on development process or organizational effectiveness, community impact and project or organizational challenge. The Awards Committee reviewed all of the applications and judges' score sheets and discussed the merits of each application in detail. Applications were taken separately for the three Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Architectural Excellence in Community Design. A Driehaus jury of volunteers evaluated the applications and conducted site reviews of the finalists. Their decisions were based on the quality of a project's design within the constraints imposed by funding and regulatory agencies, the project's contribution to the comprehensive development of the community, and the extent to which the project can be viewed as a model of design for developments in other neighborhoods. The principal underwriters for this year's awards include: Allstate Insurance, Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C.; Bank of America; Brinshore Development; Camiros, Ltd.; Charter One; Chase; Chicago Bears; Chicago Community Loan Fund; The Chicago Community Trust; Citibank; Cole Taylor Bank; Community Investment Corporation; Community Reinvestment Fund, Inc.; Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.; Exelon Corporation; Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago; Fifth Third Bank; The Habitat Company; Harris; Holsten Real Estate; Illinois Housing Development Authority; LISC/Chicago; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; MB Financial Bank; Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.; National City; National Equity Fund; Northern Trust; Polk Bros. Foundation; the Private Bank; Reznick Group; the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; ShoreBank; Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP; State Farm Insurance; Teska Associates, Inc., Urban Development Fund, LLC; US Bank; and The Walsh Group. Established in 1995, CNDA recognizes outstanding achievements in neighborhood real estate development and community building, especially the achievements of community development corporations, other community-based organizations and for-profit developers working to build healthier neighborhoods in the Chicago metropolitan area. LISC/Chicago is proud to organize the work of volunteers, judges and sponsors that in partnership produces CNDA each year. |
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