Affordable housing development scores first permit in Pilsen

In Pilsen, local nonprofit affordable housing developer The Resurrection Project has secured a foundation permit to construct a 37-unit affordable rental complex at 1850 S. Racine Avenue.

The upcoming five-story development would replace a small single-story commercial structure and a parking lot with one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments for tenants earning up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). The project will include on-site parking for 27 cars and ground-floor community space. The exterior features a brick and metal panel facade as well as a blank area at the corner reserved for a future mural. 

The newly permitted Racine Avenue complex is part of a larger two-building development known as "Casa Durango." It will be joined by a three-story structure containing 16 affordable apartments and six parking spaces at 2008-2012 S. Ashland Avenue in the adjacent Heart of Chicago neighborhood. Local architecture firm DesignBridge is behind the design of both buildings.

The Chicago City Council approved a $5.6 million multifamily loan agreement for the $28.4 million Casa Durango project earlier this summer. The Resurrection Project intends to officially break ground in the coming weeks and aims to welcome residents by fall 2022. The permit lists Linn-Mathes Inc. as the general contractor for the Racine Avenue building.