Skate Park Saved & $2.5M Small Business Boost: McKinley Park Is Having a Moment on the Southwest Side

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Mckinley Park ·

McKinley Park neighbors have two big wins to celebrate this week — one rescuing a beloved community hangout, and another flooding the neighborhood's main corridor with serious economic fuel.

First, the scrappy Marshfield Courts DIY skate park — a grassroots fixture in the neighborhood — looks to have a new lease on life. After the City of Chicago put the property up for consideration, a pending adoption agreement is now in place that could secure the skate park's future for the community members and young riders who built and maintained it. It's a hard-fought victory for the neighbors who rallied to keep this unique, self-made space alive.

Meanwhile, the McKinley Park Development Council has landed a transformative $2.5 million City of Chicago investment for the 35th Street Commercial Corridor. The funding includes

.8 million earmarked specifically for property improvements, with additional dollars flowing toward beautification, marketing, entrepreneur education, and wraparound services to support small businesses along the strip. Combined with the recently announced $200K public art grant, 35th Street is stacking up investments that signal a commercial corridor on the rise. Whether you're a longtime shopper, a small business owner, or just a neighbor who loves your block, this momentum belongs to all of you. Track every development at mckinleypark.news.

Sources:
1. https://www.facebook.com/McKinleyParkNews/
2. https://www.mpdcchicago.org/news