In the last year or so, Bronzeville has been a center for development and construction. The South Side community welcomed the 35th Street pedestrian bridge last November, and the Bronzeville Arts and Recreation Center a few months prior.

Most recently, the Chicago Plan Commission approved vacant land in Bronzeville for a total of 12 dwellings, according to Curbed Chicago. The two empty lots on the 3700 block of S. Lake Park Ave. will feature a four-unit building and an eight-unit building, both from Tampa-based developer Grus Corporation and Northbrook’s AP Architects LLC. These newly approved properties are within walking distance of Bronzeville’s newest community amenities.

At the start of the year, homebuilding firms announced plans to fill 42 vacant lots in the area. The lots were all city-owned and located sporadically on the 3900 to 4500 blocks of Prairie, Calumet, and Indiana avenues. Once the homes are completed, they are expected to be priced between $440,000 and $589,000.

The lots were scattered throughout the community on purpose, so as to not have one new isolated block. Instead the intention is to provide “reassurance both for buyers of the new homes and residents of existing homes,” Lenox Jackson from Urban Equities told Crain’s.

This past year’s development news in Bronzeville is Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s effort to foster more residential development as well as commercial development in the neighborhood.