Access South Cook Ribbon Cutting

Accessible, affordable housing to revitalize a town center

WJW recently celebrated the grand opening of Access South Cook, a new affordable housing community in Park Forest, IL. Todd, Parahita, and Marcelo attended the ribbon cutting event, which featured remarks from Dena Bell, head of IFF Home First; Kirby Burkholder, CEO of IFF; Kristen Faust, executive director of IHDA; Todd Krumwiede, senior vice president of PNC Bank; U.S. House Representative Robin Kelly; and Mayor of Park Forest Joseph Woods, who did the honors of cutting the ribbon.

What was once a parking lot has been transformed into 44 one- and two-bedroom affordable apartments for people with disabilities, plus a community building, outdoor seating, picnic areas, and an accessible boardwalk over a beautifully landscaped bioswale rain garden. The site is located directly across the street from the Park Forest Village Hall, helping the Village to fulfill its dream of reclaiming the defunct site of one of the first and largest post-war suburban shopping malls. Access South Cook will be an important component of creating a vibrant, transit-oriented, mixed-use town center.

Access South Cook is designed to meet Enterprise Green Community certification standards, and features an on-site EV charging station, heat-pump water heaters, all-electric equipment and appliances, a bioretention system with native planting, and pervious paving as part of an advanced stormwater management system.

This project was made possible by tax credit financing through IHDA, as well as a grant from the ComEd Affordable Housing Energy Efficiency program. Thank you to our project partners, IFF Home First and Blackwood Construction Group.