BRONZEVILLE — Other neighborhoods might offer tours of Frank Lloyd Wright houses or mob hangouts, but in Bronzeville they're touring vacant storefronts.
And that's a good thing, according to the Quad Communities Development Corporation, sponsor of the Open House Bronzeville Vacancy Tour set for May 7.
"We've done property tours in the past," said Tracy Lewis, the agency's business development program director, "but we've noticed our area has a high level of vacancy, and property owners need support."
Although Quad Communities has primarily focused its attention on North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas and Grand Boulevard, the emphasis of this event is on economic development in greater Bronzeville, and Lewis said the tour will visit nine properties in "a variety of stages" of readiness from 35th Street to 51st Street.
They'll tour everything from gut-rehabs to turnkey-ready sites, storefronts and mixed-use retail and residential buildings.
The purpose of the "sneak peek" is to "connect people who are interested in all this development that is going on in Bronzeville with some actual opportunities" to invest, Lewis said. Among the improvements drawing people to the area is a series of new bridges and pedestrian bridges spanning Lake Shore Drive to the lakefront.
Quad Communities has already arranged for a trolley bus, which will leave the Connection, 4321 S. Cottage Grove Ave., at 11 a.m. Saturday for what's scheduled to be a three-hour tour. Light refreshments will be offered, and cost is $25, with registration open through Friday.
"It is a different marketing approach," Lewis allowed, but it's simply intended to bring potential investors directly to available properties in Bronzeville.
They intend to "see what the genuine interest is out there," Lewis said, while also giving current property owners feedback on what's attractive and what turns developers off. They'll make improvements ahead of another trolley tour set for the fall.
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