A WNBA Champion Is Turning a Shuttered West Englewood School Into 132 Units of Affordable Housing

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/West Englewood · June 28, 2026

West Englewood's long-vacant Bontemps Elementary School — one of nearly 50 schools shuttered by CPS in 2013 — is about to get a stunning second act, and a former professional basketball champion is leading the charge. Former WNBA player Reshanda Gray Peters, who suited up for the Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever, and Phoenix Mercury before pivoting to housing development, is spearheading the Bontemps Apartments project: an ambitious plan to transform the idle school building into 72 units of multifamily housing plus 60 units of senior housing — 132 units of affordable homes total for West Englewood families.

The project recently cleared a major milestone, receiving federal low-income housing tax credits through the City of Chicago, and LISC awarded pre-development funds through its Next Gen program to help accelerate the timeline. Peters says speed is the name of the game. 'The thing about these projects is, the longer it takes, the more expensive they're gonna be,' she said. Her vision goes beyond just bricks and mortar: 'These could actually be beautiful spaces that are absolutely necessary and that will uplift communities.'

The Bontemps Apartments project is part of a broader surge of momentum on West Englewood's housing front — joining the recently broken-ground $22.5 million, 44-unit development at 63rd & Western to signal that the neighborhood's revival is accelerating. Keep an eye on this one: construction is targeted to begin within the next two years. To stay connected to West Englewood's growing future, follow updates at ragenglewood.org and news.wttw.com.

Sources:
1. https://news.wttw.com/2026/05/01/former-wnba-champion-leads-affordable-housing-development-effort-west-englewood
2. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/14/44-unit-affordable-housing-development-to-open-in-west-englewood-by-2027/