After Mayor Rahm Emanuel cut the ceremonial ribbon to the much-anticipated Whole Foods in Englewood in September 2016, locals on the South and West sides of the city had mixed feelings. The project was a win for the community, bringing more jobs and fresh food to an area of the city that was severely lacking those resources.

However, Emanuel still had more work to do to fulfill his campaign promise to eliminate Chicago’s “food deserts.” The city’s newest announcement to bring grocer Jewel-Osco to the Woodlawn neighborhood at 61st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue is a step in the right direction.

Community members have long waited for the turnaround of the neighborhood that is set to be the home of the Obama Presidential Library, and development is finally be taking shape.

In early April, real estate developer DL3 Realty proposed a plan to develop a 10-story residential tower with retail on the ground floor. The development would include 135 residential units at 63rd Street and South Blackstone Avenue. Dubbed the Park Station Lofts, the development is one of several expected to change the landscape of the South Side neighborhood.

The nearby Green Line CTA station at 63rd and Cottage Grove is also expected to go through a transformation, along with a four-story, mixed-use building adjacent to the station.

With all the new development in the neighborhood, the need for a new grocery store seems to be even stronger. The proposed Jewel-Osco would be 48,000 square feet with a drive-through pharmacy. It’s set to take over the last piece of undeveloped land in the old Grove Parc Plaza, which is a plot of land previously dotted with subsidized affordable housing. Slowly the parcels have been demolished and redeveloped.

A 74,000-square-foot Mariano’s store opened its doors in October along Martin Luther King Drive and Pershing Road in Bronzeville. The store was slated to bring 400 jobs to the neighborhood.