Mayor’s plan to transform Chicago’s aging public housing into attractive mixed-income residential communities is bulldozing ahead
by John Walker
Special to Inside
The effort calls for knocking down some 18,500 units in 51 public housing buildings including nearly every aging, deteriorating high-rise, the largest demolition project in the city’s history.
Over the next decade, leveled neighborhoods on the Near North Side, Near West Side and South Side will be replaced with 25,000 housing mixed-income units including trendy townhouses and apartments.
One third of the housing will be assigned to public housing residents. Another third will be considered affordable housing. The remainder one-third will be market-rate housing.
Temporarily displaced Chicago public housing residents will have the opportunity to return under the plan if they meet the tenant-selection criteria established by each development.
It’s no surprise that such a large-scale, big-city project has attracted just as big a controversy from residents, developers and community groups. But all agree on one thing: that notorious public housing riddled with crime, drugs, economic segregation and massive poverty must go.
The goal, said Mayor Daley, is to end the “isolation of public housing residents from the rest of the city.” The new housing, for the most part, will make public housing units appear indistinguishable, blending in with the rest of mixed-income communities.
Here’s a progress report on many of Chicago’s latest urban renewal sites:
Westhaven Park: With the recent construction start of this new $200-million residential community, the Near West Side is poised for a major residential building boom, real estate experts say. A recently launched new condominium and rental apartment phase is part of a larger 764-unit development on 26 acres.
Rapid pre-sales are early signs of Westhaven Park’s success. Some 155 new apartment units are under construction, and 173 condominiums will be ready as early as next year as part of the new phase.
“Housing advocates are already praising the transformation development for its innovative architectural designs, mixed-income framework and community involvement,” said developer Richard J. Sciortino, president of Brinshore development, LLC, and co-developer of Westhaven Park.
Westhaven Park’s new phase is an innovative residential neighborhood of mid-rise condominiums and walk-up “city flats” Brinshore Development and the Michaels Development Company is launching on two separate parcels two blocks north of the United Center.
Plans for the first for-sale building in the new community call for a 113-unit mid-rise building containing 79 market-rate and affordable for-sale condominiums and 34 one-bedroom Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) units.
Sixty market-rate and affordable work force for-sale condominiums also are planned in 3-story walk-up city flats.
More than 60 condominiums have been sold since late autumn at Westhaven Park, according to Pam Gecan, marketing manager for AMS Realty, exclusive sales and marketing agents for the development.
“Many buyers are medical professionals who work in the nearby West Side Medical District,” said Gecan.
“We also have staff who work at the nearby University of Illinois Campus, Chicago police officers, public school teachers and other professionals working downtown,” she said.
“With 1-bedroom units starting at $177,800 and large 2-bedroom residences beginning at $223,000, Westhaven Park is the most affordably priced new condominium development in the West Loop/Near West Side,” said Sciortino.
The 9-story mid-rise contains 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom-plus den and 2-bedroom condominiums with 739 to 1,318 square feet of living area. One-bedrooms are sold out. One-bedroom-plus-den units range in price from $210,000 to $223,000, while 2-bedrooms range from $223,000 to $276,000.
Sixty condominiums also are planned in seven 3-story walk-up city-flat buildings in the first stage of Westhaven Park.
Each city-flat building contains eight or nine residential units. One-bedroom, 1-bedroom-plus-den, 2-bedroom, 2-bath and 3-bedroom 2-bath condominiums in the walk-up buildings feature 1,035 to 1,948 square feet of living area.
One remaining 1-bedroom city-flat unit is priced at $177,800. Two-bedroom units start at $200,000 and 3-bedroom layouts start at $278,800.
A sales center and furnished model condominium are on display at 100 N. Hermitage, two blocks west of Ashland. For more information on condominiums, please visit westhavenpark.com or call (312)421-0404.
A 2-bedroom furnished rental apartment model also is on display at 2245 W. Maypole. For more information on rentals, call (312) 421-9992.
Real estate experts say most new construction condos underway east of Ashland in the West Loop are priced at least 25 percent more than Westhaven Park.
The new Westhaven Park residential enclave is being developed on the site of the former Henry Horner Homes housing complex, bounded by Hermitage, Lake, Oakley and Washington.
North Town Park: A 680-unit mixed-income residential development is planned near Old Town on an 18-acre site bounded by Division, Oak, Larrabee and Seward Park on Orleans.
Plans of Holsten Real Estate Development Corp., Kimball Hill Urban Centers Inc. and Cabrini Green New Beginnings, the development partners, call for about 285 for-sale townhomes and condominiums and about 395 rental apartments in mid-rise buildings.
“We plan to start townhome and condominium sales this fall, with ground breaking in mid-2005,” said Peter Holsten, president of Holsten Real Estate Development Corp. Townhomes are expected to start at $200,000. Condominiums are projected to start at $175,000.
The development will host about 200 public housing families in scattered throughout all buildings. Plans call for replacing three mid-rise buildings between Division, Oak, Larrabee and the park on Orleans.
The development site is across Division Street from the new Dominick’s grocery store, a Blockbuster Video, a Starbucks and several convenience stores.
Rockwell Gardens: East Lake Management and Development under Elzie Higginbottom is transforming Rockwell Gardens public housing complex into a 780-unit mixed-income housing neighborhood. Built in 1961, the 17-acre Rockwell Gardens complex is bounded roughly by Western and Rockwell Avenues and Monroe and Van Buren Streets. Eight of its 11 buildings are 16-story high-rises are being demolished.
The transformed Rockwell gardens will be a mix of houses, 2-flats and 3-flats and 8-unit buildings.
Of the 780 Rockwell units, 114 will be leased to public housing tenants through CHA. Some 120 units will be either leased as affordable units with rents ranging from $550 to $950, or sold as affordable housing with prices ranging from $165,000. Ninety-three units will be sold at market-rate prices of ranging from $189,000 to $230,000, officials said.
Lake Park Crescent Homes: Construction is underway on the 490-unit Lake Park Crescent Homes development. The developer is Draper & Kramer. Apartments are scheduled for occupancy in June. For-sale homes are slated for mid-to-late summer completion.
Lake Park Crescent is part of the larger Lakefront Replacement Housing project, which involves development of 1,012 scattered-site units. |
