WASHINGTON (March 8, 2018) – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel broke ground on the new Jewel-Osco on the northwest corner of 61st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. The full-service grocery store and drive-through pharmacy store will bring high-quality fresh food options to the Woodlawn community.
“Today we are breaking ground on the next phase of the renaissance and resurgence happening across Woodlawn,” Mayor Emanuel said. “This new grocery store will bring fresh food options to a community that is witnessing an unprecedented level of investment, growth and progress.”
The 48,000-square-foot store will employ approximately 200 full-and part-time workers when it opens in early 2019. The full-service supermarket will offer fresh produce, a deli counter, ready-to-eat meals and a variety of service for customers. The store will be developed by a joint venture of Terraco and DL3 Realty, which will lease the facility to Jewel-Osco.
“This is a proud moment for Jewel-Osco,” said Doug Cygan, President of Jewel-Osco. “This new location underscores our commitment to providing good jobs, fresh produce and other essentials in order to help enhance a community.”
“Woodlawn is in the midst of a renaissance, and we are pleased to partner with Mayor Emanuel to bring Woodlawn its first full-service grocery store in over 40 years,” said Leon Walker, Managing Partner of DL3 Realty. “This new Jewel-Osco store will bring fresh food options to residents, provide hundreds of jobs to the community, lead to even more revitalization efforts and help ensure Woodlawn becomes a community of choice for families in Chicago.”
The new store is the latest in a surge of developments along Cottage Grove Avenue near 61st Street, which is just minutes from the future home of the Obama Presidential Center. The new grocery story is steps from MetroSquash, a recreational and educational center, the Woodlawn Resource Center, a new residence hall for University of Chicago, five new POAH apartment buildings, the first market-rate apartment development to be built in Woodlawn in decades, a rehabilitated Strand Hotel, new dining options, coffee shops and more. Earlier this year Mayor Emanuel announced the upcoming modernization of the 63rd and Cottage CTA station.
A dozen Woodlawn businesses participating in the City’s SBIF program have used more than $655,000 in grant funding to make nearly $1 million in building improvements, and more than 200 homes have received Neighborhood Improvement Program grants for basic repairs. Other nearby investments include the Shankman Orthogenic School and Hyde Park Day School.
