Bethel Commercial Center
Bethel Commercial Center is a mixed-use transit-oriented commercial center adjacent to a Green Line “L” station in a low-income neighborhood on Chicago’s west side. The 22,000-square-foot (2,044-m2) center includes ground-floor retail space, employment and job-training offices, a bank—the only full-service one in the neighborhood—and a daycare center, allowing residents to drop off and pick up children and to get to and from work, all without the use of a car. The building, which uses approximately 50 percent less energy than conventional construction, achieved a LEED-Gold rating in 2008.