Currently, there is a huge problem with rent getting too high to afford mostly because of the pandemic. It has been many hard for low-income individuals to be able to afford rent. When it used to be an average of three rooms and two bathrooms for $800 a month, it has now gone up to $3,000 a month. Thankfully, North Lawndale, more specifically, Ogden has designed a project that will help hundreds of low-medium income families be able to have a place to live in.
What’s The Plan
So far, the plan is to make affordable rent. The apartments will be a combination of studios, one room, and two rooms. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to have bigger rooms since they want to have as many apartments as possible, but this is great for a poor couple or a family of three. There are still not many updates on how much the rent will actually be except that it will be affordable. The apartments will be around 600 – 900 square feet.
This building, however, is not yet completed but it will be soon, it is predicted that the project will be done by 2024 to 2026. “Lower-income residents will be able to work, live, and get access to health care all within walking distance. The way this is really coming together is creating a strong anchor for North Lawndale,” said Jeff Head the vice president of Development for Habitat’s Affordable Group.
This is a $22 million project and it would not have been made possible if it wasn’t for PNC bank funding $15 million for this project. This donation is enough for the next phase of this project to begin.
How it’s Going
So far, construction has begun on this project. It started in February and has been actively worked on every day since then, according to the Habitat
The company, this project will be a four-story building where 90 percent of the housing units will be affordable. This building will be called OC (Ogden Commons) which is located at 1325 South Washtenaw Avenue. This complex will have a total of 23 studios, 60 one-bedroom apartments, and nine two-bedroom. It will also have a bike room and 110 parking spaces. This building will also include an enclosed playground for children, bike racks, a fitness center, and much more.
Apart from the housing building, there is still more to this project. A commercial building very close to where the apartments will be placed. This building will be 50,000 square feet and it will have three floors.
“With the steel frame of Ogden Common’s first building now in place, the site is definitely coming to life and the surrounding community can feel the development’s momentum, which is important given this new time when so much of life feels like it’s on pause,” said Ray Cisco project executive with McHugh Construction.
This building was completed on January 2021 and it is currently available to the public. The first floor of this building includes Steak N’ Shake, Ja’ Grill, and a Wintrust Bank. The other two floors will be designated for the medical services part of Sinai Health which will be able to help many people in the community.
What to Expect
As of right now, there is nothing that can go wrong with this project. It will be a huge help to the Ogden low-medium income community. This project is estimated to end somewhere in 2024 the earliest 2026 at the latest. This project will be a huge improvement in this community and the people that could not before will now be able to afford a living space for themselves.
Written by Erika Cano
Sources
Book Club Chicago: Construction Starts On 90% Affordable Ogden Commons Apartments In North Lawndale
Chicago Construction News: Top-off reached for $200 million west side Ogden Commons project
Rejournals: First phase of Opportunity Zone project, Ogden Commons, tops out on Chicago’s West Side
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Paul Sableman Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Lydur Skulason Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
