Coming to Englewood: Kimbal Musk's Square Roots Urban Farm In Shipping Containers
Tobias Peggs, CEO of Square Roots Urban Growers, speaks about urban farming outside one of the Square Roots shipping containers on April 25, 2017 in New York. The startup says its hydroponic system can grow more than 50 pounds of greens per container per week. (Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images)
Greg TrotterContact ReporterChicago Tribune
There’s another Musk brother with big plans for Chicago.
Kimbal Musk, younger brother of Tesla founder Elon Musk, is planning on bringing his Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Square Roots urban farm to Englewood on about 3 acres of city-owned property behind Whole Foods Market at 62nd and Green streets. Square Roots grows leafy greens in a hydroponic system inside repurposed shipping containers, yielding more than 50 pounds of greens per container each week, according to the startup’s website.
Kimbal Musk, brother of Tesla founder Elon Musk, is co-founder of Square Roots, a New York urban farm. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune 2017)
Craig Huffman of Ascendance Partners, developer on the project, confirmed Wednesday that Square Roots would be one of the anchor tenants of the second phase of the Englewood Square development, which is expected to break ground next year. The first phase, which included Whole Foods Market, Starbucks and Chipotle, opened to much fanfare in 2016.
Square Roots would have offices in the vacant firehouse behind Whole Foods. Huffman’s also in talks with Folkart Management, the restaurant group led by chef Matthias Merges, to open a barbecue restaurant in the firehouse.
Huffman otherwise declined to answer questions, saying it was too early.
“We are working around the clock to finalize our funding and then bring this project to life, which can help build new and exciting partnerships for Englewood through this unique entrepreneurial venture,” Huffman said in a subsequent emailed statement. “We believe Square Roots will support the momentum established by phase one by bringing more foot traffic and investment to Englewood.”
Square Roots, an urban farming concept inside shipping containers, is coming to Englewood. (Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images)
Musk couldn’t be reached for comment. His automatic email reply said he was “off grid.”
Musk’s spokeswoman Courtney Walsh didn’t respond to emails and calls.
It’s not yet known how much the city might offer in tax incentives to help finance the project’s second phase. The first $20 million phase of Englewood Square received about $10.7 million in city subsidies.
Grant Klinzman, spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said he couldn’t answer that question at this point.
“This is an important project and we are working hard with the community and developer to finalize the vision and make it a reality. We will have more to share later this year, but it’s a priority for the mayor and the city and reflects Englewood’s strong future,” Klinzman said in an email.
Square Roots greens are grown by entrepreneurs in a yearlong program and sold locally, according to its website. The company was founded by Musk and CEO Tobias Peggs, who was formerly CEO of Aviary, the photo editing program.
Community organizers in Englewood said they were excited by the farm’s potential to provide opportunities and fresh greens to Englewood residents, while also attracting people from other parts of the city. Square Roots will fit the “Whole Foods vibe” of the neighborhood, which is also home to the well-established Growing Home urban farm.
“It will serve as a kind of tourist attraction,” said Perry Gunn, executive director of Teamwork Englewood, a community nonprofit aimed at improving the quality of life in Englewood. “People will wonder, ‘What is this concept? Let me see and touch it.’”
Asiaha Butler, president of the nonprofit Resident Association of Greater Englewood, traveled to Brooklyn in November to see the Square Roots farm. Initially, she had concerns about adding shipping containers to what has become a vibrant retail area. But that changed as she saw the farms firsthand and learned more about how the business fosters entrepreneurship.
“When you open the doors, that’s when you’re like — whoa,” Butler said. “I was like, OK, now I get it. This is going to be a draw for Englewood.”
Butler commended Huffman’s “tenacity and willingness to do something different” in trying to get the second phase of the Englewood Square development off the ground. Despite some of the progress in Englewood in recent years, it’s still difficult to lure retailers to a neighborhood that’s had longtime struggles with poverty and violence, Butler said.
Both Butler and Gunn said they’d been involved in ongoing conversations with Huffman and potential tenants on the project.
The younger Musk, known for his philanthropy and trademark cowboy hat, has previous investments in Chicago. After receiving a $1 million grant from Emanuel in 2012, Musk’s nonprofit Big Green — formerly called The Kitchen Community — has built more than 120 learning gardens in Chicago Public Schools. Musk is also co-owner of The Kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant in River North.
Last month, Emanuel selected older brother Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. to design a new high-speed transit option to O’Hare International Airport from downtown.
Twitter @GregTrotterTrib