Habitat, together with Cabrera Capital, the Chicago Housing Authority, the city of Chicago, and other public and private partners, celebrated the groundbreaking of the first residential phase of the long-planned redevelopment of the LeClaire Courts public housing community, which was completed in the 1950s and demolished in 2011.
Replacing a 32-acre site in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge community bounded by Cicero Avenue, 45th Street, Lavergne Avenue and the Stevenson Expressway, the multiphase redevelopment will ultimately deliver up to 700 residential units, approximately 440,000 square feet of commercial space and publicly accessible open space designed to reconnect the site with the surrounding neighborhood.
“Today we break ground on a transformative project many years in the making to begin a new chapter for LeClaire Courts and the Southwest Side,” said Matt Fiascone, president of Habitat, during the October 13 groundbreaking event. “Together with our public and private partners, we are creating a mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood that will provide not just high-quality housing, but also many of the essential services people need, such as access to childcare, future healthcare and retail options, new employment opportunities and welcoming public spaces. We are proud to begin the physical work of turning this site into a community that residents will be excited to call home for generations to come.”
Also attending yesterday’s groundbreaking was Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “This is a significant investment in affordable housing and in the future of Garfield Ridge,” said Johnson. “We are taking a site that has been vacant for 15 years and putting it back to work for this community. The construction of new affordable homes is at the center of my administration’s work to make Chicago more affordable for working people. This redevelopment will welcome new neighbors, attract new businesses and help spur the continued investment Garfield Ridge deserves.”
The first phase of the LeClaire Courts redevelopment includes two six-story mixed-use buildings along Cicero Avenue between 44th and 45th Streets, comprising 183 apartments offered in a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans. Ninety percent of the homes will be designated as affordable through income and rent restrictions supported by public financing for qualifying low- and moderate-income residents, while the remaining units will be offered at market rate.
“LeClaire Courts represents the kind of development that can strengthen a community well beyond the boundaries of a single site,” said Martin Cabrera, founder and CEO of Cabrera Capital. “This development will serve as an economic engine to stimulate affordable and mixed-income housing, early childhood education, and neighborhood services. By reconnecting residents to economic opportunities, and increased resources through public spaces, they can grow and thrive. Cabrera Capital is proud to help lead the development of turning a long-held vision into a vibrant neighborhood shaped by the needs and aspirations of the Southwest Side.”
“Today, we start making good on our commitment to bringing housing back to this site. CHA succeeds as an agency when we deliver quality housing for this city and when we keep our promises,” said CHA CEO Keith Pettigrew during the groundbreaking event. “CHA’s role in the LeClaire Courts redevelopment is to make sure public housing, and service to Chicago residents, is at the center from day one.
Funding sources for the $119 million first phase include a $27 million capital loan from the Chicago Housing Authority, $9.5 million in city multifamily program funds, $5.5 million in tax-increment financing, $33.7 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity, $1.25 million in Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit equity and a $1.2 million deferred developer fee. The financing structure reflects the strong public-private partnerships required to advance large-scale affordable housing developments, bringing together the Chicago Housing Authority, the city of Chicago, Bank of America and other mission-driven investment partners.
“Bank of America is committed to investing in affordable housing and advancing economic mobility in the communities we serve,” said Chris Nash, senior vice president and senior relationship manager at Bank of America. “Our financing for LeClaire Courts puts that commitment into action, connecting quality housing, childcare and essential services to help families build stability and strengthen Chicago’s Southwest Side.”
Future phases of the LeClaire Courts redevelopment will include additional mixed-income multifamily buildings, family-friendly townhome-style residences, senior housing, retail and commercial development, healthcare services and additional open space. Infrastructure improvements are already underway across the site, including street realignment, utility upgrades, lighting enhancements, traffic improvements and new sidewalks and ADA-accessible pathways. The initial phase of LeClaire Courts was designed by SCB, with George Sollitt Construction Co. serving as general contractor.
In addition to new housing, the first phase will include a 14,000-square-foot early childhood education center operated by Chicago Commons and additional ground-floor retail space. Residents will have access to fitness centers, community rooms, resident services space, bicycle storage, package rooms, playgrounds, landscaped gathering areas, public-facing murals and other amenities designed to foster a vibrant and connected community. Construction of the first phase is expected to be completed in 2028.
“Families in Garfield Ridge and Archer Heights have had little to no access to center-based early childhood education, and that changes with this project,” said Edgar Ramirez, CEO of Chicago Commons. “Our fifth early education center will serve over 100 children and create 30 to 40 living-wage jobs. Just as important, every family will have access to our Family Hub, connecting parents to the resources and support they need while their children learn and grow. When a child has high-quality early learning, a parent has reliable childcare, and a family has a place to turn for support, the whole family can thrive. We are proud to bring that opportunity to LeClaire Courts.”
“LeClaire Courts is not just being built to meet the housing needs of today. It is being built to remain affordable for decades to come,” said Lissette Castaneda, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing. “In 30 years,the waitress at Peke’s Pozole who will live at LeClaire Courts will be able to not only afford it but also raise her family there, knowing affordable rents need not be another anxiety for her.”
“For too long, this site stood as a reminder of deferred promises, but today we are turning the page and investing in the future of this community,” said Ald. Michael D. Rodriguez, 22nd Ward, also in attendance at the groundbreaking. “LeClaire Courts is about much more than housing. It will bring early childhood education, new businesses, community amenities and opportunities that families deserve. Most importantly, it honors the history of the residents who called this community home while creating new housing and employment opportunities for generations to come.”
“This redevelopment represents the kind of balanced investment communities need to thrive,” said U.S. Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García, Illinois’ 4th Congressional District. “At a time when families are facing rising housing costs and limited options, LeClaire Courts will expand access to affordable housing while strengthening the neighborhood through investments in childcare, infrastructure and workforce opportunities. This project demonstrates what is possible when public, private and community partners work together toward a shared vision.”
“LeClaire Courts exemplifies the type of transformative development that affordable housing programs are designed to support,” said Kristen Faust, executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. “By combining affordable housing, market-rate residences, community services and long-term investment, this redevelopment will create lasting benefits for residents and the surrounding neighborhood. We are proud to partner with Habitat, Cabrera Capital and the many organizations that helped bring this important project to fruition.”
Beyond LeClaire Courts, Habitat is leading several other notable multiphase mixed-income or fully affordable mixed-use communities across the country, including 43 Green, an equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood; Ogden Commons in Chicago’s North Lawndale community, which fully leased the second of its OC Living residential properties this year; and the first phase of Marine Drive Apartments in Buffalo, N.Y., a multi-building, 700-unit redevelopment currently under construction along the city’s waterfront district.
