The South Halsted Corridor Plan Market Study is now live! Read on for high-level insights from the Project Team’s analysis.

Community Demographics

• The Corridor houses approximately 14,660 residents within a larger 106,000-person Community Trade Area. The community is predominantly Black (94.8% Corridor)
• Slightly older median age (45.3 vs. 42.3), indicates needs for health services, aging-in-place, and senior amenities.
• 40.8% of Corridor residents hold a post-secondary degree (vs. 37.6% Trade Area), suggesting readiness for job training, healthcare, and professional services growth.
• Median household income is $62,384 (above Trade Area’s $57,246 and close to citywide), and owner-occupancy is strong (63.2% vs. 54.3%), indicating a stable homeowner base that can anchor infill and rehab.

Owner-occupancy along the Corridor is strong, with 63.2% of homes being owner-occupied.

Housing

• One in two renters is cost-burdened, versus one in five owners.
• Among households under 65 earning ≥80% AMI, estimated capture is 233-364 market-rate units (4–5% penetration).
• Significant need at ≤60% AMI yields 393–526 affordable units (4–5% penetration).
• With more than one in five residents over age 65, senior housing demand is the largest cohort: 608–760 units across AMI levels, not currently met in the pipeline.
• Three active projects (Morgan Park Commons, Jackie Robinson Village, The Rise) add 422 units total (134 affordable; 288 market/mixed). These meet ~13–16% of affordable need and 0% of senior need. Family-sized units (≈118+) are a bright spot.

More renters along the Corridor are burdened by housing costs than owners. There is significant need for affordable units in the Corridor area.

Retail

• Far South retail vacancy is 23.2% (Q2 2025) with negative quarterly absorption (-26k SF), pointing to a soft leasing environment in older stock even as anchors near the Corridor perform better.
• Corridor spending is projected to rise 10.5% from $150.0M to $165.8M (2025–2030). Trade Area growth exceeds $98.5M, translating to demand-based supply of 26k–40k SF from 2026–2030. (5% capture rate at $375/SF).
• Moody’s CRE projects 145k SF of retail to transact in the Corridor (2026–2030), favoring reinvestment and repositioning over large new builds.
• South Chicago Submarket fundamentals remain resilient (rents trending toward ~$7/SF; low-to-moderate vacancy after 2021 surge). Historic transactions indicate 2.7M SF average of activity with a potential of almost 680M SF of transactional potential in the Corridor (2026-2030). Proposed new supplies could land near the submarket, with an aging stock and underutilized parcels creating a modernization opportunity.

Corridor spending is projected to rise 10.5% in the next five years, translating to additional retail square footage demand.

Transportation & Tourism

• Metra access (West Pullman Station), major arterials (I-57/I-94), planned Pace Pulse service, and proximity to Pullman National Historic Park and the Obama Presidential Center position the Corridor to leverage tourism/visitor experiences, especially if paired with a marquee cultural/food hub and Major Taylor Trail placemaking.

The Corridor’s location and transit access makes it advantageous for potential investments in tourism and visitor experiences.