In the Spring of 2016, Camiros donated nearly 2,200 planning books and reports to the UIUC Funk Library. Read more about this donation on the University’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning blog here.
Camiros helped celebrate the much-heralded arrival of the Whole Foods Englewood store, located at 63rd and Halsted Streets, which opened its doors Wednesday, September 28th at 9AM. Before the grand opening, a Community Partner Appreciation Dinner was held at Sikia Restaurant, located across Halsted Street from the Whole Foods store. The event, attended by Camiros Principal, Bill James, brought together the diverse group of community partners involved in realizing the dream of a Whole Foods store in Englewood. Partners in attendance included community leaders, the developer, Whole Foods officials, and representatives from the City of Chicago.
Camiros was part of the original design team retained by the developer, DLK Realty, to reinvent the site of the former Englewood Mall as a modern retail center, known as Englewood Square. Camiros contributed site plan concepts and landscape plans that demonstrated the viability of the site as a retail center, which were used to recruit Whole Foods to the site.
Camiros is involved in other community initiatives in Englewood. Camiros and Kathy Brown Associates are working with Alderman Toni Foulkes (16th Ward) to gain support for the 63rd Street Corridor Plan, which would build upon the momentum generated by Whole Foods to focus investment westward along 63rd Street. The portion of 63rd Street between Halsted Street and Ashland Avenue is well suited for transit-oriented development, having Green Line stations located one-half block to the south at both key intersections. Alderman Foulkes’ vision would include the adaptive reuse of older buildings that embody the heritage of Englewood, as well as promoting new mixed-use development on vacant land.
In addition, Camiros is also working with Alderman Foulkes to bring mixed-use development to City-owned land on Halsted Street immediately north of Englewood Square, on both the east and west sides of the street. Camiros and Kathy Brown Associates have assisted in recruiting Columbus, OH-based developer KBK Development, Inc. to submit a proposal for development to the City of Chicago, which calls for approximately 275 residential units and 75,000 square feet of retail space. This major project would follow the Whole Foods/Englewood Square development and represent the next stage of investment in the rebirth of the Englewood Community.
(Image Source: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-whole-foods-englewood-opening-0929-biz-20160928-story.html)
The Rockford Housing Authority (RHA) recently broke ground on the first phase of replacement housing as recommended in the Ellis Heights Choice Neighborhoods Plan, which can be read about HERE. The Grove at Keith Creek is a 49-unit mixed-income development located in an area of opportunity on Rockford’s east side, close to jobs, services and community amenities. Camiros strongly supports the RHA, City of Rockford and Gorman & Company on this important first step towards reinvestment and support for families currently living in the distressed Fairgrounds Valley development.
To learn more about the ground breaking, click here:
“Developer Gary Gorman pledges to be good neighbor on Rockford’s New Towne Drive”
Bowling Green community members gathered on Tuesday August 30 at Crim Elementary to kick off a year-long process to develop a Community Action Plan that will provide revitalization strategies for all neighborhoods in the City while identifying relevant projects that have specific application to the City’s East Side. During the meeting, residents and stakeholders in attendance worked together to highlight the assets, issues, and opportunities that exist in their community and offered ideas for early action projects that can be implemented quickly to jumpstart the revitalization process.
To read more about the project, please visit the project page:
“Bowling Green Community Action Plan”
You can also follow progress of the plan at the project’s Facebook page:
On Wednesday September 7, residents from the Buena Vida Development and the larger Brownsville, Texas community celebrated the award of a $500,000 Choice Neighborhood planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The event marked the kick-off of a two-year planning process to revitalize the Buena Vida area, which is being led by the Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville in partnership with the City of Brownsville. Camiros is serving as planning coordinator in collaboration with Borderless Studio.
Read more about the event here:
“City, HACB celebrate award of HUD help for Buena Vida”
This project is one of many examples of Camiros’ involvement in Choice Neighborhoods planning. Learn more about our Choice Neighborhoods work HERE.