A new RFP has been issued for a large parcel of land at roughly 1450 N Larrabee Street within Cabrini Green. Located on the intersection with N Clybourn Avenue, the wedge-shape lot had a previous proposal reviewed by the city back in 2023. However, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is back to the drawing board and seeking proposals for the property by this May.
PREVIOUS rendering of Cabrini Green redevelopment by JGMA
Previous Proposal
Back in 2023 plans were revealed for a multi-building mixed-use complex on the site led by CHA, Pennrose Properties, Hunt Companies, and Imagine Group. The six-building project would be built in phases, with the tallest structure reaching nearly 100 feet in height. These would be centered around internal courtyards, parking, and green spaces.
PREVIOUS rendering of Cabrini Green redevelopment phase one by JGMA
Designed by JGMA, the overall proposal would have brought 742 affordable units, 22,000 square feet of commercial space, and 174 parking spaces. Though plans were set to be reviewed by the city, ultimately the main developer decided to pull out from the project and Illinois as a whole. Thus, a new team and proposal is needed for the site.
PDF of RFP for the lot via CHA
New RFP
Spanning seven acres and nearly 300,000 square feet in size, the lot is in a prime location just south of the North Avenue shopping corridor. CHA is searching for a new developer(s) to take over the lot. While the previous proposal was fully affordable, CHA is hoping for a mixed-income proposal this time around.
Any new proposal this time will need to include 180 CHA units at a minimum, but could include more as well as 20 percent standard affordable units. The RFP also calls for the development to include commercial opportunities to employee residents as well. The site plan should also include paths and infrastructure that connects to Park 598 to the north and its surroundings.
Site map of Cabrini Green redevelopment via Google Maps
CHA has officially put out the RFP and is searching for developers from across the nation, not just Chicago. Initial questions are due by April 10th, with formal proposals due by May 27th. The full RFP document can be found here. Whatever gets proposed for the site will still have to gain city approval, secure funding, and set up a construction timeline.
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lol, well, here comes another 10 years of this lot being empty. Where’s d.o.g.e. when we need it.
For a site that’s sat idle for decades now, this grocery list of requirements sounds greedy.
The city has failed to provide a replacement to the CHA units lost, they lost the developer of the most recent proposal, and now are demanding some steep requirements still.
180 CHA units + 20% affordable?? Does 20% feed off those 180 or is that number separate? This site should be seeing well over 1,000 units. It massive and in the heart of so much action. I really hope they aren’t still limiting to a height of 100’. But at 1000 units, we’re almost at 400 units not financially supporting the overall project. How does that work with a private developer producing public housing? Surely they must get some public money to cover the loses.
The link the to RFP is missing within the last paragraph “here”.
This is not the second time the city has tried to develop this property, I think its the fourth time? It was an empty, asbestos laden high school building for a long time then the city finally tore that down and put in sewers. IMHO they should carve it into smaller parcels like they have over by Larabee and Chicago. They could have some shared requirements for the parcels, but it doesn’t seem like a project this large is going to fly. The location is good, the new park is nice, but there’s a lot of uncertainty about the other empty lots in the area – so developers might prefer making smaller bets? I’m interested in what others think…
I completely agree, I’m not sure why the default is to have one developer do a mega-development, instead of breaking it up and selling off small parcels, like the ones you can see on the satellite view just to the east on Larrabee.
It’d be fascinating to be a fly on the wall in the CHA meetings on this project. Is this a vision driven by some very strict CHA/HUD rules, or something else?
I’m definitely a bit disappointed to see the previous plan did not work out, I quite liked the previous design. Well, hopefully we can see something. Denser take it’s place, or really just see anything fill this site which has been empty for way too long
Sell it.
End HUD and then all these useless grifter satellite organizations like CHA just blow away like dust in the wind. This parcel(and all other FED controlled parcels) should be forced to sell for the highest amount possible with all proceeds going to our city and state’s debts. The future tax revenue should be maximized by selling units for the highest possible price to the richest people able to afford it. IL and Chicago can continue to circle the toilet bowl following the same failed retarded path or start to fix their problems logically and rationally.
Amen!
Sadly, I have to agree. We have come to the point where social restrictions and requirements have collapsed developments because of their weight. It’s not economical to have all these contributions that people have come to think as entitlements. We need to think in an economical pragmatic way.