Mayor Brandon Johnson recently joined Ald. Monique Scott (24th), DPD Commissioner Ciere Boatright, the Westside Community Group, and members of the North Lawndale community to break ground on the Trumbull Collection. Selected as part of the Missing Middle infill housing program, the project will replace eight vacant lots on the 1600 and 1800 blocks of S. Drake Ave. and S. Trumbull Ave.

Missing Middle North Lawndale - Trumbull Collection GroundbreakingChicago DPD

“Missing Middle is about development without displacement,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “By advancing our local developers’ plans and supporting construction costs, we’re contributing to neighborhood stability, wealth-building opportunities, and ultimately, the development of safer, more affordable communities. My administration will continue to make the investments needed to ensure working families can afford to stay in the communities they love, raise their children in the communities they love, and build their future here in Chicago.” 

Led by developer Westside Community Group, the $6.5 million project will deliver a group of nine market-rate three-flat apartment buildings. The Westside Community Group project was selected in January 2025 from among 30 developer responses to a DPD Request for Proposals (RFP) for 36 City lots between Ogden Avenue and Douglas Boulevard.

Missing Middle North Lawndale - Trumbull Collection Westside Community Group

“Today is more than a groundbreaking, it’s a full-circle moment. I was raised just blocks from here. I’ve worked in this community, my daughter was born at the neighborhood hospital, and real estate became the tool that changed the trajectory of my life,” said Jasmine Shaw, Founder and Developer at Westside Community Group. “To now return to the very community that poured into me and help create new pathways to homeownership and wealth-building is an incredible honor. Trumbull Collection represents what’s possible when we intentionally invest in neighborhoods that have long deserved investment.” 

The $6.5 million project will be financed with approximately $500,000 in equity, $2 million in lender financing, and $4 million in city funding from the Housing and Economic Development Bond. As part of the city’s support, the developer has acquired the eight properties for $1 each.