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Could Used Shipping Containers Become South Side Paradise?

By Justin Breen | February 7, 2017 5:43am
 Last summer, Kevin Smith's group cleared the 1½-acre spot between 58th and 59th streets and Hoyne and Damen avenues. The plot is across the street from a CSX Railroad central hub.
Last summer, Kevin Smith's group cleared the 1½-acre spot between 58th and 59th streets and Hoyne and Damen avenues. The plot is across the street from a CSX Railroad central hub.
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CHICAGO — Kevin Smith sees a bright future in discarded shipping containers.

Smith's grand vision for a vacant lot in West Englewood is to convert old CSX Railroad shipping containers into a sustainable business incubator, an aquaponics farm to raise catfish and tilapia, and an urban greenhouse filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.

"In West Englewood, we import everything and we don't export out anything," said Smith, the head of the nonprofit West Englewood Community Center. "This can help us create resources that can be part of the economic system that will help our community."

Smith, a West Englewood native and Lindblom High School graduate who's also a drummer and entertainer, has coordinated an April 1 concert at Roosevelt University's Auditorium Theater featuring Sheila E. and Morris Day, with its proceeds being donated to his organization's efforts.

 Kevin Smith's grand vision for a vacant lot in West Englewood is to convert old CSX Railroad shipping containers into a sustainable business incubator, an aquaponics farm to raise catfish and tilapia, and an urban greenhouse filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Kevin Smith's grand vision for a vacant lot in West Englewood is to convert old CSX Railroad shipping containers into a sustainable business incubator, an aquaponics farm to raise catfish and tilapia, and an urban greenhouse filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.
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Last summer, Smith's group cleared the 1½-acre spot between 58th and 59th streets and Hoyne and Damen avenues. The plot of land is across the street from a CSX Railroad central hub.

The shipping containers would be the "foundational points of the structure," said Smith, who has a bachelor's degree from Chicago State. Smith doesn't know how much the project will cost and said everything is "in the very preliminary stages."

"We're looking for any kind of support we can get," Smith said.