WOODLAWN — City officials have released proposals from three development teams competing to build mixed-income housing on vacant, city-owned land along 63rd Street in Woodlawn.
The redevelopment of 1.65 acres on 63rd Street between Ingleside and Greenwood avenues would mark another step in fulfilling a 2020 ordinance requirement to boost Woodlawn’s affordable housing stock by redeveloping 52 city-owned lots.
Under the ordinance, at least 30 percent of new apartments built on those lots must be made affordable to “very low-income households” making less than 50 percent of the area median income, or about $52,100 annually for a family of four.
The project, near the Cottage Grove Green Line stop, is part of an equitable transit-oriented development zone.
The three teams named as finalists to redevelop the vacant land are led by Evergreen Imagine, The Michaels Organization and DL3 Realty and Preservation of Affordable Housing and KMW Communities.
The teams are vying to redevelop two sites, but to date they have only released proposals for the first site, which is at the southwest corner of 63rd Street and Ellis Avenue.
Details on the teams’ proposals for the second site, at the southeast corner of 63rd and Ellis, will be determined later, planning department officials said.
To fill out a survey on the proposals, click here. A public meeting on development plans this month was canceled. A new date for the meeting is yet to be determined.
More on each proposal:
Apartments, Public Plaza, Play Space And Maybe A Day Care
Evergreen Imagine is proposing a five-story, 89,000-square-foot building with 62 apartments, meaning at least 19 must be affordable to very low-income households.
The proposal includes 28 one-bedroom apartments, 27 two-bedrooms and seven three-bedrooms.
The building would include 9,970 square feet of commercial space for a day care or small business, a public plaza and a children’s play area for residents. The developers would include 39 parking spaces.
Evergreen Imagine is a joint venture between the Imagine Group and Evergreen Redevelopment. They’re leading the $43 million Auburn Gresham Apartments project, a two-building, mixed-use complex at 79th and Halsted streets that broke ground in August.
To watch the developers’ video about the site, click here.
Live-Work Lofts, Apartments And Restaurant Space
Michaels and DL3 are proposing a six-story, 92,000-square-foot building with 73 residences, meaning at least 22 must be affordable to very low-income households.
Eleven one-bedroom live-work lofts would be included alongside 21 one-bedroom apartments, 32 two-bedrooms and nine three-bedrooms.
About 7,400 square feet of commercial space for a brewpub, restaurant or retail would be on-site. The project would include 33 parking spaces.
The developers are angling to lead another project along the 63rd Street corridor after breaking ground on the $30.8 million Park Station Lofts project at 63rd and Maryland in November. It’s the first development subject to the requirements of the Woodlawn Housing Preservation Ordinance.
DL3 is also the company behind the Englewood Square development, which includes the now-closed Whole Foods, as well as the Thrive Exchange Invest South/West project on 79th Street in South Shore.
To watch the developers’ video about the site, click here.
Apartments, Townhomes And Public And Private Open Space
Preservation of Affordable Housing and KMW are proposing a five-story, 95,200 square-foot building with 60 apartments for rent and 10 townhomes for sale.
All 60 apartments on-site would be affordable housing options, the developers said. At least 18 must be affordable to very low-income households.
The building would house 36 one-bedroom apartments, 16 two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms.
The proposal includes 10,000 square feet of private open space, 9,000 square feet of public open space and 8,500 square feet of commercial space. The developers would include 26 parking spaces.
Preservation of Affordable Housing, with support from the city and the state, parlayed a $30 million grant in 2011 into $400 million worth of investment in Woodlawn, according to a study released in March 2022.
KMW Communities is building nine market-rate, single-family homes along Greenwood Avenue north of 63rd Street, as well as 15 townhomes and six condo buildings across Woodlawn.
To watch the developers’ video about the site, click here.
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