A ribbon cutting has been held for the new plaza at the former Overton Elementary School at 221 E 49th Street in Grand Boulevard. Located on the intersection with S Indiana Street, the space is a part of the city’s Public Outdoor Plaza (POP!) initiative. The project was led by Borderless Studios, the city, and Ghian Foreman from the Washington Park Development Group.
The Planning and Development Department launched the Public Outdoor Plaza (POP!) program in 2020 and has continued in its mission to create and fund plazas and parks “located within moderate- or low-income areas.” One of the latest projects to open is POP! Heights, located at 11249 S Halsted Street in the Roseland neighborhood.
The City of Chicago has celebrated the grand opening of the Winthrop Garden POP! Plaza at 4628 N Winthrop Avenue in Uptown. Located on the short back road just north of the intersection between N Kenmore Avenue and W Wilson Avenue, the new space replaces an existing community garden which has stood in its place for nearly 20 years. Building off of the upcoming Platform 4611 apartments, the efforts were led by the neighborhood run Uptown United along with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
The Department of Planning and Development has launched a new community-centered program designed to help make use of underutilized spaces in residential and retail corridors. The program is called the Public Outdoor Plaza or POP! program and includes the Mahalia Jackson Plaza which YIMBY previously reported on earlier this month.