Chicago TREND is a social enterprise initially funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Chicago Community Trust. It is a centralized resource for real estate developers, retailers and community development organizations seeking to invest in and improve Chicago neighborhoods that are underserved and undervalued. TREND provides market information and financial incentives to developers interested in investing in profitable retail projects that can drive transformative change. Chicago TREND offers a suite of services to identify neighborhood and strategic retail opportunities, shorten the typical retail development timeline, and provide a variety of financial “gap” financing mechanisms that share the risk for retailers and developers in neighborhoods with future potential for growth.
During its formation, RESGroup assisted Chicago TREND in creating financial products that included incentives and risk-sharing strategies they could use to spur real estate and economic development in neighborhoods previously neglected by investors and lenders alike.
Since the inception of Chicago TREND, RESGroup has continued to assist in vetting and underwriting actual projects seeking assistance as well as in the structuring of loans and other risk sharing tools to be implemented in those specific developments. Projects have included retail, entertainment, restaurant, and other uses intended to catalyze additional investment in these underserved areas.
