A proposal for a mixed-use development on Parsons Avenue has grown from 12 units to 43, while also adding a couple of familiar names to its tenant mix.
The project, from the Parsons Avenue Redevelopment Corporation (PARC), originally called for replacing two single family homes at 921 and 923 Parsons Ave. Those homes have since been demolished, but the footprint of the development has grown – it now encompasses the All People’s Fresh Market site, with the market now slated to take up residence in the first floor of the new building.
Also planning to make a move to a first-floor storefront in the proposed building is Bikes for All People, a bike shop currently located across the street. Bikes for All People and the All People’s Fresh Market are both run by Church and Community Development for All People.
All together, the new proposal calls for 5,000 square feet of commercial space in the four-story building, with a covered parking lot big enough to fit 62 cars.
PARC Executive Director Brian Higgins said that the goal is for the majority of the units in the building to be affordable, but it may take some time to work out exactly how many, and at what level of affordability – factors like construction costs, financing, and whether or not the organization is able to bring other partners into the project will all figure into the final rents.
Although the initial, smaller proposal already went through the zoning process – it was approved by City Council in 2021, after positive reviews from the Schumacher Place Civic Association and the South Side Area Commission – the redesign will need to go through that process again, something Higgins hopes to get started before spring.
The project is keeping its name – The Eleanor – after Eleanor Edgar, mother of Reverend John Edgar, the former Executive Director of Community Development for All People.
For more information, see parsonsavenue.org.
