A rendering of Englewood Square and Whole Foods at 63rd and Halsted (City of Chicago)
The high-end, organic-heavy Whole Foods Market broke ground Tuesday in a South Side neighborhood marred by poverty and violence.
But revitalization is exactly why Mayor Rahm Emanuel targeted the Englewood neighborhood, “wooing” Whole Foods to build there, he said.
“Today’s groundbreaking is symbolic of the millions of dollars in investments that are already being made in Englewood,” Emanuel said in a press release.
The Whole Foods store is the centerpiece of Emanuel’s Englewood Square project, a 13-acre mixed development space at 63rd and Halsted for fresh business, new infrastructure and jobs. Meanwhile, the grocery store minimizes Englewood’s food desert.
Whole Foods, usually known for higher prices and specialty items, says the Englewood store won’t skimp on quality and will offer more than groceries.
“We will continue to meet with city and community members to build a store that serves the neighborhood the highest quality natural and organic food,” Michael Bashaw, Whole Foods Market midwest region president said. “[and offer] residents free educational classes on healthy eating and nutrition, shopping on a budget and cooking demonstrations.”
Englewood Square is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
