‘The Plans Are Big’: Chicago State University Sets Its Sights On Revitalizing The 95th Street Corridor

Ten years from now, Hubert Morgan envisions Roseland’s 95th Street Corridor as a vibrant hub for shopping, living and getting an education. 

But for that vision to become a reality, Morgan, who is the founder of Stanhope Consulting and partner with Chicago State University on the corridor’s revitalization efforts, urged audience members at Bisnow’s South of Roosevelt event and the wider CRE community to help execute the development plan.

“We have a responsibility to say, if 95th Street is going to be successful, we have to not only professionally, but in our own lives, be a part of supporting that,” Morgan said at The Penthouse Hyde Park event this week.

To do that, CRE decision-makers need to develop places along the corridor where people want to stop and spend money, like restaurants, grocery stores and shops, Morgan said. Successfully doing so will encourage people to keep their money within the neighborhood, he said. 

The time is now, panelists said.

Last year, CSU unveiled a plan for a $250M revitalization of the half-mile stretch of 95th Street between Martin Luther King Drive and Cottage Grove Avenue. The proposal outlined four possible development sites, adding between 35K to 45K of commercial and academic space and between 220 to 240 student and family housing units. 

“We have some really strong examples in Chicago alone on how a university can really anchor development,” said Erin Steva, vice president of external affairs at CSU. “You can look at [University of Illinois Chicago], look at University of Chicago, and see how a university being very intentional about development can really change the landscape of the neighborhood.”

The university contributes $1.6B to the Illinois economy annually and supports over 17,000 jobs, according to an economic impact study included in the plans. 

When the project was announced the university hadn’t secured any funding for it, but that changed this month.

Steva said that earlier in September, CSU received philanthropic funding that will allow the university to move forward in hiring a technical team to “make this work a reality.”

The next steps for the university’s project are a series of public engagements for community members and other interested parties to give input in the development process, she said. 

Effectively executing on the project’s vision will require buy-in from both the public and private sector, Steva said. 

“I know that to achieve the university village experience that so many other neighborhoods have will require public-private partnerships,” Steva said. “I don't know the path that we will exactly take to get there … because there's not actually one way to do it.” 

The area has already netted major investments for its public transit infrastructure. 

The Chicago Transit Authority is planning to begin work next year on the extension of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street at an estimated cost of $5.3B. In June, Metra approved a $33.4M contract to renovate its 95th Street station and improve “the station’s accessibility and its connection to the university,” the transit agency said in a press release. 

With those projects moving forward and CSU gaining momentum with its investments and partnerships, Steva said she is looking forward to making a big impact on the surrounding area. 

“The plans are big, and we're just getting started,” Steva said.