City Council approves Encuentro Square

The City Council has approved Encuentro Square, an all-affordable residential development at 1805 N. Hamlin Ave. Located just west of the 606 trail terminus, the site is the former Magid Glove factory. The project is being developed by Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) and Evergreen Real Estate Group.

Split into two phases, the Encuentro Square redevelopment will deliver a total of 187 mixed-income rental units across three buildings. With a design by Canopy Architecture & Design, the first phase will see the buildout of the first two buildings. Rising six stories, the eastern building will offer 57 apartments, divided into 13 one-beds, 35 two-beds, and nine three-beds. The western building, rising four floors, will hold 32 units made up of six one-beds, 12 two-beds, and 14 three-beds. All units will be affordable up to 60% AMI.

Rising 69 feet and 50 feet tall respectively, the buildings will host a set of residential amenities and community spaces. Spaces will include a community room, teaching kitchen, computer room, office suite, bike room, lounge, children’s room, and exterior terrace. 56 parking spaces will be included in the first phase. The massing and facade of each building is designed to complement each other with similar shaping, fenestration, and facade materials. 

The buildings are being developed with financial assistance from the Chicago Department of Housing. The buildings are receiving 4% and 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and the developers are requesting $9 million in TIF money from the city. The first phase is expected to cost approximately $49.3 million. 

The southern end of the site will become a new public park to link to the terminus of the 606 trail. As of now the park space is under remediation along with the rest of the site. Once work is done, the Chicago Park District will engage in a community process to determine how the park should be developed. At that time they will seek funding sources to build out the park. 

The property will be rezoned from M1-1 and M1-2 to RM-6 with a final Planned Development designation. The development has now received all necessary approvals including the approval of $9 million in TIF and the land sale by the Community Development Commission, as well as greenlights from the Chicago Plan Commission, Committee on Zoning, and now the City Council. Closing and groundbreaking is expected for August 2022.