The Chicago Plan Commission has approved the multi-phase Woodlawn Central development centered around the intersections of East 63rd Street and South Dorchester Avenue. The approval comes after more than four years of planning by the Apostolic Church of God, which is behind the proposal and occupies a large portion of the property.
Site massing of Woodlawn Central phase one by Gensler
Working with design firm Gensler, the team is imagining a 13-building complex with roughly 1,000 residential units, including senior housing, a hotel, an urban farm, retail space, green space, and a small theater. The tallest buildings within the completed development will sit on the northern end of the site and cap out at 240 feet in height.
Site massing of Woodlawn Central phase one by Gensler
Rendering of Woodlawn Central phase one by Gensler
The first phase will fill out a wedge-shaped lot sliced by the Metra Electric tracks and spanning a whole city block bound by East 63rd Street to the north and East 64th Street to the south. The site will be mostly occupied by a three-story podium capped by two separate towers reaching 160 feet in height, one of which will serve as a hotel and the other as residential.
Rendering of Woodlawn Central phase one by Gensler
In total, the ground floor will hold 26,500 square feet of commercial space spread across a large food market, retail space, and two food and beverage outposts for the hotel. This will be joined by a lobby for each tower, along with one for the 300-space parking garage on the next two levels, which will also be utilized by the church’s congregation.
Floor plans of Woodlawn Central phase one by Gensler
The podium will be capped by a large outdoor deck along with amenity levels for both towers. The 14-story residential building will hold 104 units, of which 22 will be affordable. Units will be made up of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts. The hotel structure next door will contain 160 rooms.
Elevations of Woodlawn Central phase one by Gensler
Both structures will be clad in a mix of glass, copper-toned metal panels, and metal mesh screens. This first phase is set to cost $134 million to complete and will now proceed through the approval process. If the team receives all of the expected approvals in time, the first phase should break ground in early 2027 and open in mid-2028.
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Wow I love this for the neighborhood but now that we have really moved the goal post on what we call “affordable”, I feel sorry for the residents fighting to not get priced out of the area. This investment is so appreciated but bittersweet as Woodlawn is going to look so different a decade from today.