Partial funding has been fully approved for the affordable housing development at 1237 N California Avenue in West Town. Sitting on the intersection with W Crystal Street, the project will replace a vacant lot. Efforts for the development are being led by the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation with local firm DesignBridge working on its design.
1237 N California Avenue (center). Context rendering by DesignBridge
Earlier this year we covered when the project received initial approval for $8.7 million in multifamily program funds, now after a final vote those have been fully approved by the Chicago City Council. This will allow the $44 million project to continue moving forward and finalizing the rest of its funding.
1237 N California Avenue site plan by DesignBridge
Set to rise six stories and just above 60 feet in height, the development is the second affordable housing project for this stretch of road with 1203 N California Avenue having topped out nearby. However the six-story building will not feature any ground-floor retail, instead it will hold a large community room and 21 vehicle parking spaces of which 14 will be enclosed.
1237 N California Avenue (center). Context renderings by DesignBridge
1237 N California Avenue. Rendering by DesignBridge
The floors above will hold 40 residential units made up of 10 one-bedroom, 25 two-bedrooms, and five three-bedroom layouts. Targeting working families and seniors who need affordable housing, these units will all be available in tiers starting for those making 80 percent AMI or lower.
1237 N California Avenue. Rendering by DesignBridge
With a unique angled front facade, the building will be clad in a mix of red and gray brick with large windows piercing through the front. While a construction timeline is unknown, the developers have filed for their first permits, hoping to close on the rest of the funding stack. That will be made up of LIHTC funding, a senior construction loan, and various others.
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One of my favorite designs and proposals in the city right now. Great density, affordable, and beautiful; build hundreds of these across the city!
I want this too, across the whole Manhattan / Brooklyn region in New York, but it’s not economically feasible.
$1.1mil per unit. Looks like fantastic Affordable housing development.
$44,000,000 for 40 units!?! Of “affordable” housing?
This is a scam. The private sector seems able to build apartments for around $300,000 per unit. This is more than three times that. Someone is profiting obscenely off this, and it’s eating funds that should be going toward more affordable housing.
Someone in government is completely asleep at the switch, or, they’re wildly corrupt. This is just nuts.
Not all of that $44 million is public. This article mentions a “senior construction loan” with no amount. I much prefer the city spending this money than the $3 billion taxpayers are going to pay for new Bears and White Sox stadiums.
Voter willing to accept the lesser of two massively wasteful evils is why we have such awful government, and why the city is all but broke.