Proposals Revealed For Oakwood and Lake Park RFP In Bronzeville

Proposals have been revealed by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development for the Oakwood and Lake Park RFP in Bronzeville. Spread across six sites centered around the intersection of Lake Park Avenue and Oakwood Boulevard, we originally covered the RFP in detail earlier this year as it was revealed to potential bidders.

Site context map for Bronzeville redevelopment by DPD

Site context map for Bronzeville redevelopment by DPD

The overall development will be considered an Equitable Transit Oriented Development (ETOD) with the city proposing a potential infill station at Oakwood on the Metra Electric Line. While the RFP includes six sites, each of the five proposals selected anywhere from one to three of them to develop. The sites are as follows:

Sites for Bronzeville redevelopment by DPD

Site 1
3815 S Lake Park Avenue – 12,195 square-feet – Max 2 FAR
Potential use per city: Townhomes or small multi-family building
Site 2
3835 S Lake Park Avenue – 52,584 square-feet – Max 6.6 FAR
Potential use per city: Larger multi-family with ground level townhomes
Site 3
900 E Oakwood Boulevard – 43,313 square-feet – Max 6.6 FAR
Potential use per city: Gateway Site, high-density mixed-use building
Site 4
854 E Oakwood Boulevard – 13,436 square-feet – Max 4 FAR
Potential use per city: Small site for retail and residential
Site 5
855 E Oakwood Boulevard – 39,928 square-feet – Max 4 FAR
Potential use per city: Medium-density mixed-use with potential for hotel
Site 6
3950 S Lake Park Avenue – 55,421 square-feet – Max 4.4 FAR
Potential use per city: High-density residential maximizing lake views

PROPOSALS
It is worth noting all of the proposals released varying levels of information.

Mandrake to the Lake by Perkins&Will for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

Mandrake to the Lake by Perkins&Will for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

Name: Mandrake to the Lake
Team: Habitat-Abide Joint Venture, Perkins&Will, METICULOUS, OMNI Workshop
Site(s) Included: 3, 4, and 5
Video Link

Centered around Mandrake Park, the proposal aims to serve as a new gateway to the lake from Bronzeville. Initially it will preserve the existing Park 591 and enhance it with a new market structure and more. It will then build three new mixed-use structures with added commercial space and ranging in height.

Mandrake to the Lake by Perkins&Will for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

Mandrake to the Lake by Perkins&Will for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

In total, the $150 million proposal will bring 268 residential units including both affordable and workforce housing. The building’s themselves will be designed to react to the curved roads and park that bound the sites, creating enhanced crosswalks, added bike lanes, and public pedestrian plazas.
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Bronzeville Evolve by JGMA for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

Name: Bronzeville Evolve
Team: Chicago Homes One, JGMA
Site(s) Included: 3, 4, and 5
Video Link

Taking a similar approach to the proposal above, Bronzeville Evolve hopes to capture the current and historic cultural impacts of the neighborhood. Park 591 will also be preserved with the plan focusing on repaving Oakwood in order for it to be closed for pedestrian uses more frequently.

Bronzeville Evolve by JGMA for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

Bronzeville Evolve by JGMA for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP

Stepped mixed-use buildings of varying heights and sizes will occupy each of the three sites, these will include large terraces on each set back for residents. They will also be clad in large decorative screens showing the faces and names of many of the neighborhood’s iconic past residents, with plazas surrounding the base of each.
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Site 6 proposal for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP by VDT

Site 6 proposal for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP by VDT

Name: N/A
Team: CBBC, DOM Properties, VDT
Site(s) Included: 6
Video Link

The single site proposal pitches a two structure solution that is purely residential. The overall design focuses on rounded corners and insets to break up the massing and take cues from the neighborhood. Anchoring the street frontage will be a row of duplexes with their own entrances and meant for families with three-bedrooms.

Site 6 proposal for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP by VDT

Site 6 proposal for Oakwood and Lake Park RFP by VDT

Behind it will be a U-shaped mid-rise that creates a large courtyard park at the center for all of the residents. Floor plans within the building focus on one- and two-bedroom layouts with a shared laundry room. These will also be aimed at workforce housing, affordable housing, and market rate.
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Sites for Bronzeville redevelopment by DPD

Name: N/A
Team: P3 Markets, BOWA Construction, Moody Nolan, Future Firm
Site(s) Included: 2
Video Link

No details were revealed for this project aside from the development team.

Name: N/A
Team: Morton Construction & Development Group Corp.
Site(s) Included: 1
No Video

No details were revealed for this project aside from the development team.

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While not all of the teams publicly revealed their formalized plans, the city will now review each of them and begin awarding the projects. Once selected, the sites will be sold to the selected developer at a price to be determined by market rates and through the amount of affordable housing offered. Each proposal will then need to secure funding and city approval.

The RFP website can be found Here, and local residents can fill out a survey Here.

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