Funding has taken another step forward for the mixed-income development at 547 W Oak Street in the Near North Side. Sitting on the corner with N Larrabee Street, the new structure would replace a vacant lot owned by the Chicago Housing Authority within the former site of Cabrini-Green.
Permits have been issued for the first building within the Legends South development at 4520 S State Street in Grand Boulevard. Located on the southwest corner with W 45th Street, the building will replace a large vacant lot that was once the home of the Robert Taylor Homes. This will be the first of multiple phases to fill in the overall site.
Five finalists have been revealed for the city’s Missing Middle Infill Housing initiative across Lawndale. Split into six clusters/zones of vacant city-owned lots, the initiative looks to subsidize the construction of 99 for-sale homes for the middle class in an area that has long seen rampant disinvestment and 15 percent population loss in the last decade.
Chicago is known for its diverse neighborhoods, but it is also a city of 50 wards, each led by an alderperson with their own agenda. As 2025 begins, the city is grappling with budget issues, population growth, and rising crime perception, while aldermanic prerogative—where each alderman has veto power over development in their ward—adds another layer of hurdles to solving these challenges. We’ll examine this issue today through the lens of two major residential projects currently stuck in bureaucratic red tape, including Old Town Canvas, which was blocked by Alderman Brian Hopkins just yesterday.
Additional funding has been announced for the next phase of the Lathrop Homes redevelopment around 2712 N Hoyne Avenue. The money comes in the form of an enlarged TIF pool recently approved by the city, increasing the project’s TIF funds up to $60 million. This next phase will focus on the southern end of the former housing project.
