Chicago developer Related Midwest is preparing to move forward with the next stage of its mixed-income Roosevelt Square project to revitalize 137 acres of mostly vacant Chicago Housing Authority and city-owned land in the Little Italy neighborhood. 

The latest phase of the project—known internally as phase 3B—calls for a trio of new-construction mid-rise buildings with a total of 207 apartments, plus 15 units in a rehabbed historic building that will also contain a new home for the National Public Housing Museum.

Nearly 100 of the new apartments will be offered at market-rate, while 80 apartments will be reserved for CHA families. The remaining 45 units will be set aside as affordable and workforce housing for residents earning 60 to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Related also plans to update and modernize an additional 184 existing units located in the first phase of Roosevelt Square during this time. When complete, the Roosevelt Square project will bring more than 2,400 mixed-income units to the former site of the demolished ABLA Homes.

"The key to the redevelopment is replacing isolated public housing buildings with integrated high-quality homes that are available to all members of the community, regardless of income," said Related's Michael Kaplan at a virtual community meeting earlier this month.

1237 & 1357 W. Roosevelt Road

These "sister" buildings will rise six stories and contain 70 apartments each. Designed by architecture firm DesignBridge, the structures will use textured precast and metal panels to create a "dynamic layering effect" on their similar (but not identical) exteriors. The lobbies, amenities, and management offices will be located on the ground floor and face Roosevelt Road to bring active uses to the streetfront. A dog park, grilling stations, and 41 parking spaces will be located at the rear of each structure.

A rendering of 1357 W. Roosevelt Road.Related Midwest

1002 S. Racine Avenue

Designed by Landon Bone Baker Architects and Moody Nolan, the third new construction building will rise along Taylor Street between Racine Avenue and Lytle Street. Also set to rise six stories, the proposed mid-rise structure features traditional brick cladding on its base and modern panels for its set-back upper levels. New retail space will run the length of Taylor Street and there will be 34 parking spaces available at the rear of the building. 

A rendering of 1002 S. Racine Avenue.Related Midwest

National Public Housing Museum

The fourth building of Roosevelt Square's third phase doesn't involve new construction but rather the sole surviving remaining remnant of the demolished Jane Addams Homes. Designed by architect John Holabird in 1938, the masonry structure at the corner of Taylor and Ada streets will be rehabilitated into a long-discussed new home for the National Public Housing Museum. Fifteen mixed-income apartments will occupy the historic building's northern wing. 

A rendering of the rehabbed Jane Addams building at the corner of Taylor and Ada.Related Midwest

The soon-to-be repurposed building is located across the street from the Roosevelt Square Library and Taylor Street Apartments. Completed in 2019 during phase 3A of Roosevelt Square, the eight-story structure from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill includes a new Little Italy Chicago Public Library branch topped by 73 mixed-income apartments.

This week Related Midwest filed a zoning application for Phase 3B of Roosevelt Square with the city. The proposal will need the support of the Chicago Plan Commission and City Council before construction can begin. If approved, the developer expects to complete the work sometime in 2023.

"This has been a long road to get to where we can build at Roosevelt Square," said Related Midwest President Curt Bailey at this month's virtual meeting. "We are so excited to get started on this important development."

A map of Roosevelt Square's third phase: the sibling apartments at 1237 and 1357 W. Roosevelt (R1, R2), the mixed-use building at 1002 S. Racine (T1), the National Public Housing Museum in rehabbed Jane Addams building (NPHM), and the completed Roosevelt Square Library and Taylor Street Apartments (TSA). Related Midwest