Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Monday that the Green Line Cottage Grove station, the closest CTA stop to the planned Barack Obama Presidential Center, will be undergoing major renovations. 

“We are investing in the future of the CTA, and in the future of Woodlawn,” Emanuel said in a statement. “Investments like this one strengthen communities, attract private investment, and drive neighborhood growth.” 

Although the plans for the improvements are not finalized, they will include both aesthetic and structural changes, including architectural changes, new lighting, and possibly new stairs and canopies. As the renovations are in their earliest stages, the costs, sources of funding, and timeline are not yet known. 

The station is the closest CTA stop to both the Obama Presidential Center and a new residential and retail development by Preservation of Affordable Housing. Emanuel emphasized easier access to both of these new developments as a reason for the changes. 

“If we’re putting housing in, putting after-school activities in for kids, we have to make sure our transit systems are working so kids can get to those great new facilities,” Emanuel said. 

Representative Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) was also present during the announcement and expressed his support for the project. 

“I am pleased that the historic CTA Green Line will get the attention it needs and deserves,” Rush said. “Even as the Woodlawn community continues to enjoy a revitalization, its hardworking residents are deserving of a station that is attractive, modernized, and safe. I look forward to seeing these plans come to fruition.”