$580M Cultural Complex in Woodlawn Snags Approval

Around a half-decade after the Apostolic Church of God unveiled plans for the Woodlawn Central $580 million megadevelopment, key rezoning changes are giving an indication that the project is ready to move forward on the city’s South Side.

The initial zoning change application for the 8-acre first phase space was filed in December 2025. The new change could allow the first phase, which includes a 14-story residential building with 104 units, to move forward. 22 of the units created would be affordable. The residential building would also include a 160-key hotel, 23,000 square feet of retail space, 3,500 square feet pegged for commercial space and a smattering of car and bicycle parking spaces. The project, at 6320 South Dorchester Avenue, is billed as a cultural complex, built by black entrepreneurs in order to serve Woodlawn’s population, which is around 75 percent black.

Developer J. Byron Brazier, the son of Apostolic Church pastor Byron Brazier, applied for the zoning change, according to Block Club Chicago. The developers working on the project think they can lock in building permits in the early months of 2027 and complete construction by late 2028, according to a presentation to the Chicago Plan Commission cited by the outlet.

The plans still need a green light from Chicago City Council’s zoning committee and the rest of the governing body. The full plan calls for a blend of around 1,000 affordable, market-rate and senior housing units, a performance venue and various restaurants. The first phase of the plan has been scaled back, according to the outlet.

The lack of housing density and economic development is a chief concern among the plan’s supporters. Supporters call the mostly-vacant parking lots earmarked for redevelopment “wasteful,” and are hopeful that recent developments in the area, such as the Obama Presidential Center, can bring synergy to the project.

— Hunter Cooke