City Council approves affordable housing at 1203 N. California Ave

City Council has approved an affordable housing development located at 1203 N. California Avenue. Currently a vacant lot, the property sits at the southeast corner of Humboldt Park, at the intersection of N. California Ave and W Division St. The development is being led by Hispanic Housing Development Corporation. 

With a design from Pappageorge Haymes Partners, the affordable complex will stand 9 floors above the street. Rising 95 feet, the building will hold 64 affordable units, with 2,500 square feet of ground floor retail space. Parking for 19 cars and 49 bikes will also be included. 

Beginning as an IHDA affordable housing project submission in early 2021, the architects worked through different massing studies and landed on the current design that holds the corner and maintains the street wall. The traditionally styled building features a clearly defined middle, base, and top with a turret at the corner as a distinctive visual anchor. A terrace on the second floor will occupy the east half of the building’s footprint, allowing for frontage on W. Division St.

The 64 units will be made up of 9 one-beds, 15 two-beds, and 40 three-bedroom apartments. While all units will be deemed affordable, the developers will be cost-averaging the units. With this strategy, 31 units will be targeted at 30% AMI, 18 units at 50% AMI, and 14 units at 60% AMI. 

Tenants for the building will enter off of N. California Ave and the ground floor will host a community room at the corner, with retail space fronting W Division St. Amenities include the aforementioned outdoor deck that will include private garden plots, a fitness center on the ground floor, and EV charging stations in the garage. 

The structure will meet sustainability requirements by earning the Energy Star, exceeding energy code by 10%, exceeding the stormwater ordinance by 25%, planting 50-100% green roofs, ensuring a 25% indoor water use reduction, providing EV charging stations, and installing a CTA digital display. 

The development has now received all necessary approvals from the Plan Commission, Committee on Zoning, and the full City Council. The project has been awarded IHDA LIHTC financing, and the developers plan to close on the financing package in Spring 2022. Construction is targeted for a Summer 2022 start.