NORTH LAWNDALE — City officials on Tuesday celebrated a milestone in their efforts to bring more housing aimed at the middle class to South and West side neighborhoods.
A ribbon cutting was held for seven two-flat buildings in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of South Trumbull and Homan avenues in North Lawndale. These homes were the first to break ground and are now the first to be completed as part of the Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative, which offers vacant lots and city subsidies for developers to build affordable for-sale housing.
The seven two-flats, which include a total of 14 housing units, were led by Austin developer Citizens Building a Better Community and funded by $5.4 million from Missing Middle, according to the city. The project first broke ground in January.
“Today marks a major milestone for our Missing Middle initiative as we celebrate the first project welcoming new residents to our communities,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “In just 10 months, we have gone from breaking ground here in North Lawndale to delivering new, high-quality homes that will give Chicagoans the opportunity to put down roots and build wealth in our city.”
The Missing Middle initiative looks to revitalize and repopulate neighborhoods by building new, for-sale housing attainable to families looking to own in areas where such housing stock has been hollowed out. The initiative sells city-owned lots to developers for $1, with the city subsidizing up to $150,000 per new housing unit. Funding for subsidies comes from Johnson’s $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development Bond.
The program aims to bring more than 250 homes, an investment totaling $69 million, to the West Side, according to the city. Another 165 units costing $70 million are in progress across the South and Southwest sides, including in Chatham, Morgan Park, McKinley Park and South Chicago.
“That’s 264 Missing Middle homes for the West Side starting right here on South Trumbull Avenue,” Ciere Boatright, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, said Tuesday. “That’s how we cut the tape, increase density and build community wealth for local buyers.”
Annette Cantres is a new homeowner of one of the Missing Middle units in North Lawndale and moves in next month. The Garfield Park native said that she purchased the home through a mortgage provider and did not realize her home was a part of the program until recently, but she is thankful to see the development in her area.
“I think it’s exciting and good to know that they’re trying to develop underserved areas,” Cantres said. “It’s not [all] there yet, but I know it will get there with more people having faith and coming into the community.”
Currently, the Missing Middle program is looking to expand to Humboldt Park, with the city this month issuing a request for proposals for 16 lots in the neighborhood to create 16 buildings. Proposals are due Nov. 16. For more information on the Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative, visit the program’s website.
