Woodlawn Central

What Woodlawn Central does

Woodlawn Central is a real estate development entity self-developed by ACOG Ventures, the LLC arm of the Apostolic Church of God (ACOG), executing an 8.5-acre, 1.25 million gross square foot mixed-use district at 63rd Street and Cottage Grove on Chicago's South Side. The project is grounded in the 2060 Woodlawn Community Plan developed with The Network of Woodlawn and is designed to deliver approximately 870 residential units across workforce, affordable, market-rate, luxury, senior, and theater-loft tiers; roughly 215,000 square feet of commercial office and ground-floor retail space prioritized for Black-owned businesses; a 154-room hotel; a 21,500 square foot Black Box Theater with theater lofts; a 530,000 cubic foot vertical greenhouse; a 13,000 square foot microgrid energy facility; and a restored 15,000 square foot Metra transit head house. Underlying technology is physical infrastructure rather than software, distinguished by community land trust structures, transit-oriented design, and integrated energy and food systems.

The business model relies on recurring revenue from residential and commercial leases, hotel operations, theater rentals, parking, and fractional investment vehicles that enable community ownership. Customers span mixed-income South Side residents, Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, artists and cultural workers, hospitality and service workers, the ACOG congregation, and impact investors. Phase One, comprising 140 mixed-income residential units, the hotel, and the Metra Head House, is the active development scope under a joint venture with P3 Markets and Bowa Construction announced February 2025, with a targeted groundbreaking in Summer 2026.

Go-to-market is community-led, anchored in ACOG's 20,000+ member congregation, The Network of Woodlawn, the Central Story newsletter, and direct leasing pathways, complemented by engagement with mission-aligned commercial tenants and institutional investors. The entity itself is small (1-10 employees), with capital markets advisory, owner representation, and construction management outsourced to Transwestern, P3 Markets, and Bowa Construction respectively.

Name

Woodlawn Central

Legal name

Woodlawn Central Developers LLC

Website

https://woodlawncentral.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Woodlawn Central is a faith-anchored, community-led developer of an 8.5-acre, $895M mixed-use district on Chicago's South Side, delivering ~870 residential units, 215,000 sq ft of commercial space, a 154-room hotel, a theater, and sustainability infrastructure for Black-owned businesses, residents, and impact investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mixed-Use Real Estate Development

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Land Subdivision (2372)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Housing Programs (FSALAKAO)

Keywords

• Mixed-use real estate development
• Affordable housing development
• Commercial property leasing
• Community-led development
• Transit-oriented development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Residential Lease and Sale Revenue: Woodlawn Central generates revenue from approximately 870 residential units including workforce housing, market-rate, luxury, senior housing, and theater lofts. Units are offered across a spectrum from affordable to market-rate, with mixed-income and multigenerational housing options.
2. Commercial and Retail Lease Revenue: Approximately 215,000 gross sq. ft. of commercial space including office and ground-floor retail leased to Black-owned businesses, startups, and established businesses. Additional 12,500 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail in Block F+H and 7,000 sq. ft. in Block I.
3. Hotel Hospitality Revenue: A 154-room hotel operated by a hospitality management company, generating room revenue, F&B, and event rental income. Hotel is part of Phase One development alongside Block C (154 guest rooms).
4. Performance Venue Revenue: A 21,500 gross sq. ft. Black Box Theater with an 180-200 seat main theater and two 20-seat smaller theaters generating event, performance, and rental revenue. Includes 40 theater loft residential units above.
5. Transit and Parking Facility Revenue: Revenue from consolidated parking structure serving the Apostolic Church of God, adjacent residential, and retail uses. Metra transit head house provides infrastructure support for the transit-connected district.
6. Fractional Investment and Community Ownership: Through fractional investment models, residents and community members gain ownership stakes in the development, with wealth-building and ownership pathways central to the project's mission of keeping opportunity in community hands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Woodlawn Central is developing an 8.5-acre mixed-use district at 63rd Street and Cottage Grove on Chicago's South Side. The $895 million project delivers approximately 870 residential units (workforce, market-rate, luxury, senior, and theater lofts), about 215,000 sq. ft. of commercial and retail space, a 154-room hotel, a 21,500 sq. ft. Black Box Theater, a vertical greenhouse, a microgrid energy facility, and restored Metra transit infrastructure — self-developed by ACOG Ventures to prevent displacement and retain wealth within the Woodlawn community.

Product overview

Woodlawn Central is a single unified real estate development project - an 8.5-acre mixed-use district on Chicago's South Side. It is not a platform-plus-modules architecture but rather an integrated neighborhood development combining residential housing (~870 units across workforce, market-rate, luxury, senior, and theater lofts), commercial/office space (~215,000 sq ft for Black-owned businesses), a 154-room hotel, a Black Box Theater venue (~21,500 sq ft), a Vertical Greenhouse for urban agriculture, a Microgrid Energy Facility, a restored Metra Transit Headhouse, a business incubator, co-working/creative spaces, a faith-based worship center, and public plazas/festival streets. The development is self-developed by ACOG Ventures (Apostolic Church of God) to ensure community-led economic empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Housing Units Approximately 870 mixed-income residential units including workforce/affordable housing, market-rate apartments, luxury units, senior housing, and theater lofts offered for lease to individuals and families across multiple income tiers.
• Commercial and Retail Space Approximately 215,000 gross sq. ft. of commercial office and ground-floor retail space leased to Black-owned businesses, startups, and established commercial tenants.
• 154-Room Hotel 154-room hotel within Block C operated by a hospitality management company, generating room revenue, F&B, and event rental income.
• Black Box Theater 21,500 gross sq. ft. performance venue with an 180-200 seat main theater and two 20-seat smaller theaters, plus 40 residential theater lofts above, generating event, performance, and rental revenue.
• Business Incubator Business development support program providing resources and dedicated space to help Black entrepreneurs launch and grow ventures within the district.
• Co-Working and Creative Spaces Shared workspaces and creative studios within the district available to entrepreneurs, artists, and innovators for collaboration and creative production.
• Faith-Based Worship Center Cutting-edge worship center anchoring the community's spiritual and social life, serving as a hub for outreach programs, mentorship, and youth initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 870 residential units added to the South Side housing market, including workforce, affordable, market-rate, luxury, senior, and theater loft options
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wells Davis (Chief Strategy Officer)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2025Veteran brand strategist and former C-suite executive at Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, and other major marketing agencies appointed Chief Strategy Officer. Davis brings over two decades of experience in advertising, content strategy, and public policy advocacy. His role focuses on inclusive community engagement and elevating Woodlawn Central's promise to drive economic transformation without displacement.
• P3 MarketscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2025P3 Markets, co-founded by Phillip Beckham III and Juan Saldana, joined Woodlawn Central as development partners for Phase One in February 2025. P3 Markets specializes in equitable transit-oriented development and projects that promote community ownership and long-term value creation. They bring expertise in public-private partnership structuring and community engagement.
• Bowa ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2025Bowa Construction, led by President & CEO Nosa Ehimwenman (a South Side native), was named construction manager and community partner for Phase One. Award-winning firm known for high-quality execution and workforce development practices. Known for industry 'firsts' on major projects including The Row, a 43-story high-rise in Fulton Market.
• Transwestern Real Estate ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 14 March 2023National commercial real estate firm hired as owner's representative for the $895M development, providing brokerage activities, marketing and research efforts, project capitalization and financing coordination, and project/construction services. J.C. Griffin of Transwestern's Midwest Capital Markets Group serves as owner representative reporting to J. Byron Brazier. The firm was selected for its broad, integrated capabilities, innovative collaborative model, and demonstrated commitment to the project's equity mission.
• The Network of WoodlawncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2023A community-building collaborative founded in 2009 (with ACOG involvement from 2015) to improve the neighborhood's quality of life by building infrastructure supporting better education, safety, health, and economics. The Network of Woodlawn co-developed the 2060 Woodlawn Community Plan for Urban Regeneration and Social Sustainability, which serves as the foundational planning document for Woodlawn Central.
• Apostolic Church of God (ACOG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 December 2021The Apostolic Church of God (ACOG), with over 20,000 members, is the faith-based institution that conceived, planned, and is self-developing Woodlawn Central through its LLC entity, ACOG Ventures. ACOG has served as the spiritual and strategic anchor of the Woodlawn community since the 1930s. Bishop Arthur M. Brazier (deceased) is the honorary developer whose vision guides the project; Dr. Byron T. Brazier (Senior Pastor) carries the mission forward.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit affordable housing developer with mixed-use and mixed-income projects. Comparable mission focus and integrated community services approach.
• L+M Development Partners: New York-based mixed-income and mixed-use developer with strong community partnership orientation. Comparable in combining affordable housing with market-rate components in mixed-use districts.
• The Community Builders: National nonprofit developer of affordable and mixed-income housing with deep community-led planning processes. Most directly comparable to Woodlawn Central's mission-driven, community-anchored approach to large-scale mixed-use development.
• BRIDGE Housing: Bay Area nonprofit developer of mixed-income, mixed-use communities with explicit anti-displacement mission. Closely aligned with Woodlawn Central's equity ownership and community wealth-building framework.
• Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH): Nonprofit developer preserving and creating affordable and mixed-income housing with mixed-use components. Comparable in community-anchored mission and integrated service approach.
• Jonathan Rose Companies: Mission-driven real estate firm developing mixed-income, mixed-use, and transit-oriented communities nationwide. Comparable in scale, mixed-use program, and equity-first development philosophy.
• P3 Markets: Equitable transit-oriented development firm and Woodlawn Central's Phase One joint venture partner. Directly comparable mission and TOD focus, making them a peer as well as a partner.

Regional players

• Riverside Investment & Development: Chicago-based mixed-use developer with comparable urban district-scale projects. Operates in same geography with mixed-income residential and commercial programs, though without Woodlawn's faith-anchored community ownership model.
• Sterling Bay: Chicago-based large-scale mixed-use developer known for neighborhood-transformative projects (Fulton Market). Comparable in scale of district development in Chicago though focused on commercial rather than community-led.

Broad incumbents

• Related Companies: One of the largest US developers of mixed-use, mixed-income, and affordable communities (e.g., Hudson Yards, The Related Midwest portfolio in Chicago). Broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities though at much larger scale and without community-led anchor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WoodlawnCentral
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/woodlawn-central

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Woodlawn Central