Business
Pullman Community Sees $1.5B Economic Boost From Decade of Investment
A neighborhood on the city’s Far South Side is seeing the benefits of economic investment.
A $693 million investment into the Pullman neighborhood has generated a $1.5 billion economic impact, according to a newly released study commissioned by the nonprofit real estate developer Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI).
The report, conducted by the Anderson Economic Group, analyzed the effects of CNI’s involvement in Pullman, West Pullman, Roseland and Riverdale from 2010 and 2023.
Some of the more dramatic findings show that unemployment in Pullman dropped from 21% to 13%; median household income rose from $37,947 to $56,317; and the number of residents with graduate or professional degrees more than doubled. Of the more than 7,800 jobs created, 4,571 were in Pullman.
Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward) said the neighborhood has come a long way over the last decade.
“It was a food desert,” Beale said. “And we didn’t have any jobs or opportunities, and the Red Line was still not in existence.”
One of the starkest visual differences in Pullman is the transformation of the former Ryerson Steel site — now known as Pullman Park — a 180-acre mixed-use development that houses a Walmart, Advocate Urgent Care Clinic, Planet Fitness and Method Home Products factory.
“All of these things resonate originally from the community,” said David Doig, president of CNI. “As a community developer, our job is to execute on those aspirations and those ideas.”
Longtime Pullman resident Fylinda Wiley said the transformation is evident in her everyday life. Namely, in the Passion of Pullman Community Garden, which celebrates its groundbreaking Thursday.
“They can expect fresh food growth, they can expect social activities,” Wiley said. “We have a lot of activities planned that we think will be good for the community.”
Looking ahead, CNI plans to restore the shuttered Hotel Florence located across from the Pullman National Historic Park.
