Renovation update: Q3 2025
- Jonathan Pereira
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
Slow and steady wins the race. It also tests patience. We reported back last quarter that we had finally received our building permit, which triggered the next steps: finalizing our Redevelopment Agreement (RDA) with the City of Chicago and repricing the project with our contractors.
We know what we did this summer: spend a lot of time dealing with paperwork!
Since we are receiving a significant portion of our funds from the city, we are required to enter into an agreement somewhat like a mortgage. This ensures that public funds are not used to flip a property for a profit. This makes sense as a protective measure, but it also results in even more delays and increased legal costs. There were upwards of 100 hours spent on collecting documents and assembling all of the paperwork needed!
Meanwhile, we also worked with our General Contractors to reprice the project. Labor costs have gone up and on again off again on again tariffs have caused volatility and increased costs across the board. While the costs for the project went up significantly, we decided to move forward on construction as we technically have the funds in place to do it. That said, we are still actively fundraising for the project we have had to take on more debt than planned in order to move the project forward.
All said, after an additional 3 months we were able to close on our RDA with the city and give the go ahead for our contractors to start work!I We are looking forward to a more accessible, functional, and beautiful building that reduces carbon emissions! Please consider supporting this vision with a donation for our BRICK campaign.
Deconstruction begins!
Two of our rolling overhead doors were removed this past week. Naturally, we wanted to make sure that these doors could be reused.. It's almost always easier and cheaper to throw things away than to reuse, most folks that demo items like this will chop them up and send them off to to the landfill or perhaps be recycled. So we worked with our contractors and networks to ensure that these doors would get a second life. Our long time collaborator, Czubin Industries, came by with their truck to salvage the doors to be reused at another building. At close to 1,000 pounds each, the doors required a forklift to be safely taken down and placed in a box truck.
Next up for renovations in the farm is the decommissioning of some old gas heaters and prepping for new floor drains and plumbing for the ADA bathroom.
Our IVG is empty and ready for major changes!
