Zoning application submitted for Sunshine Gospel Ministries community center

A zoning application has been filed for a new community center at 6000 S. Martin Luther King Dr. Planned by Sunshine Gospel Ministries in collaboration with Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, the project site is bound by E. 60th St to the north, E, 61st St to the south, S. Martin Luther King Dr to the east, and S. Calumet Ave to the west.

With Civic Projects Architecture designing the project, the three-story community center is planned for use by families, seniors, and youth that will participate in its after-school programs and athletic programming. The project will foster community engagement among its neighbors.

On the first floor, the building will feature health and wellness spaces, including a fitness center, exercise studios, a two-court gymnasium, a cafe/restaurant, community rooms, a senior room, and multi-use space for pop-up retail and healthy cooking demonstrations.

The second floor will have programming rooms for media and technology, visual and graphic arts, a recording studio, youth lounge, youth program rooms, multi-use programming rooms, and a gym viewing deck. The third floor will include administrative offices and office rental space for future tenancy.

The larger site will include outdoor multipurpose facilities and seating areas as well as a surface parking lot with 90 parking spaces. 44 bike parking spaces will also be provided.

Sunshine Gospel Ministries and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives are in the process of negotiating the sale of the city-owned property and have already secured a $13.5 million grant from the State of Illinois. 

To allow for the development to move forward, the team is looking to rezone the property from RM-5 to B3-1 with an overall Planned Development designation. Approvals will be needed from the Chicago Plan Commission, Committee on Zoning, and City Council.