CHA Board approves key development items as agency continues to ramp up activity

CHICAGO (July 20, 2017): The Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners approved two key development items this week that will expand affordable housing opportunities as the agency continues ramping up activity.

The Board of Commissioners approved Brinshore-Michaels as its development partner for CHA-owned land at Oak and Larrabee.  This site will be developed into a mixed-income community with 104 units (86 rental and 18 for-sale) as part of CHA Cabrini-Green revitalization activities.

Brinshore-Michaels has previously developed a number of other Cabrini-Green sites, including Clybourn 1200, which is completing lease-up.

“Since 2001, Brinshore-Michaels has developed more than 1,500 mixed-income rental units in Chicago as part of CHA’s public housing revitalization, and we are happy to continue to work with them on one of the agency’s most important projects,” CHA CEO Eugene Jones, Jr., said.

Also this week, the Board approved a $1.4 million predevelopment loan for Taylor Street Apartments on the Near West Side. The new housing will be comprised of 73 residential units, which includes 37 CHA units. The loan will help fund predevelopment costs that include architect, engineering, design development and construction documents. It is part of a mixed-use, mixed-income development that will include a co-located Chicago Public Library branch. It will be located at the northwest corner of Taylor and Ada Streets in the Little Italy neighborhood.

This project is one of three being developed under an innovative partnership with CHA and Chicago Public Library that will bring the housing and branch libraries to the Irving Park and West Ridge communities.

The first floor of the project will contain the new approximately 16,000-square-foot Taylor Street Library. The library will include an early learning area for children, a YOUmedia Digital Lab and community meeting and study rooms.

The developments are designed to revitalize vacant land in each neighborhood by providing affordable housing attached to a community amenity. The residential portion of each facility will create mixed-income housing options for the community, while the branch library will offer reading resources and programs for area children, families and building residents.

The architect for each project was the winner of a design contest co-hosted by the City’s Department of Planning and Development, the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Housing Authority last winter. Each winner was paired with a developer that will work with community stakeholders to create a design that meets each community’s needs.

The Board approval for the predevelopment loan comes weeks after Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that the three co-located housing and branch library projects will be presented for Chicago Plan Commission review this summer and approval.