News Articles

City Club of Chicago | April 6th, 2022 (Click Here for Original Article) After progressing in a series of leadership roles in City government, Eleanor Esser Gorski was appointed Executive Director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) in August 2021. Gorski brings more than 25 years of planning, design and economic development experience to the CCLBA as it embarks on plans to expand its inventory to create more affordable housing and economic opportunity partnerships within Cook County. The Cook County Land Bank works to efficiently return vacant properties to productive use in underserved communities throughout the county by [...]

North Lawndale News  |  April 15th, 2021   (Click here for Original Article) Declaring it time to put an end to a system that perpetuates redlining and the growth of vacant properties, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced she is joining the Cook County Land Bank Authority, Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, and Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer in calling for reform of the Cook County Scavenger Sale, a limit on interest rates charged to homeowners under a county lien, and a new strategic plan to recover and revitalize blighted communities.  Preckwinkle joined other city and suburban leaders to support [...]

By Pascal Sabino, Block Club Chicago  |  April 7th, 2021   (Click here for Original Article) GARFIELD PARK — The owners of a West Side clothing brand were thrilled to finally open a brick-and-mortar store in 2018 after five years in business. But the brand has faced challenges since then: The entrepreneurs’ dreams were nearly crushed when their landlord’s unpaid property taxes almost forced them to close. In a last-minute twist, the brand ended up being able to buy the property and keep their business. Now, they’re looking forward to many more years on the West Side. The flagship Fort Maner shop opened [...]

CBS Chicago  |  April 10th, 2021   (Click here for video of the event) CHICAGO — Declaring it time to put an end to a system that perpetuates redlining and the growth of vacant properties, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today announced she is joining the Cook County Land Bank Authority, Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, and Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer in calling for reform of the Cook County Scavenger Sale, a limit on interest rates charged to homeowners under a county lien, and a new strategic plan to recover and revitalize blighted communities.  “The county has a responsibility [...]

By Pascal Sabino, Block Club Chicago  |  February 18th, 2021   (Click here for Original Article) AUSTIN — Neighborhood groups want to transform vacant lots on the West Side into community facilities that will provide housing, health and career services for children and families. The project is part of the ASPIRE Initiative, an effort to invest in local assets so Austin residents of all ages will have access to education and economic opportunities. The initiative, which aims to create a cradle-to-career pipeline in the area, implements several of the strategies outlined in the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan for achieving resident-driven improvements to the [...]

By Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago  |  December 23rd, 2020   (Click here for Original Article) Englewood neighbors can get a first look at a new house this weekend, the product of a community initiative seeking to help more residents become homeowners. The virtual community reveal is 10:30 a.m.-noon Sunday. The red brick two-flat at 6219 S. Bishop Ave. is a two-year-long “buy the block” renovation project spearheaded by the Englewood Development Group, a collective formed by R.A.G.E. Founder Asiaha Butler and E.G. Woode’s Deon Lucas. Potential buyers would have to live in the home, which will go on the market for $199,000. In [...]

By Stacey Sheridan, The Wednesday Journal of Oak Park  |  October 5th, 2020   (Click here for Original Article) After over 10 arduous years of trying, the Animal Care League (ACL) has successfully purchased the dilapidated building at 1009 Garfield St., which sits directly between three other ACL-owned properties. Once renovated, the building will serve as an extension of the ACL's animal adoption and care services. "It'll be a part of our whole operation," said Chatka Ruggiero, longtime ACL board member, who was instrumental in the purchasing process. ACL will join the fourth building to the others by constructing a covered [...]

By Leslie, The Chicago Crusader  |  August 5th, 2020   (Click here for Original Article) Until recently, the vacant lot at 75th Street and Stewart Avenue on Chicago’s South Side was full of weeds and trash, and it was marked by a history of violence. Now, with the help of the Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA), the same lot is being transformed into a school and community resource center by a group of neighbors who have been fighting to end violence. Since 2015, MASK (Mothers/ Men Against Senseless Killings) has occupied the corner of 75th and Stewart daily, grilling meals, [...]

By Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune  |  June 13th, 2020   (Click here for Original Article) To fight the generations-spanning, discriminatory housing practice known as redlining with nine homes in a pocket of the South Side might seem, at first, like David going up against Goliath. But Lamell McMorris has big plans for several lots in West Woodlawn, which he sees as one step toward building up the neighborhood where he grew up. McMorris, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate developer and civil rights activist, has formed a new property redevelopment firm meant to right the wrongs of redlining, in partnership with the [...]

Noticiero Bilingue Lawndale News  |  May 21st, 2020   (Click here for Original Article) Now that COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, Luis Castro and his wife Marsha, co-owners of L&MC Investments, are determined now more than ever to pursue their mission of creating affordable housing in communities like Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Berwyn and East Garfield Park. “This is the right time to create affordable housing for people,” said Luis Castro, president of L&MC investments, and a Humboldt Park resident. “With affordable housing, people might still be able to carry their mortgage and have a little bit left over.” L&MC [...]