On Cermak Road near the development-hotspot around McCormick Place is an 11.3-acre plot of grass that was once the site of the Chicago Housing Authority's Harold Ickes Homes until they were demolished a few years ago. With all of the new development going on nearby, the huge parcel of undeveloped land fenced in by Cermak, State Street, and I-55 is probably looking pretty tempting to developers, and now the CHA is requesting development proposals to use the land for a new residential and retail project. According to Crain's, request for proposals due by December 1st must have at least 200 public housing units -- quite a drop from the 1,006 units the Harold Ickes Homes once provided on the same land.
The McCormick Place area recently exploded with new developments, including a publicly-funded expansion of the McPier empire featuring a new highrise hotel and a sports arena, in addition to a McHugh-led development to almost entirely redevelop the Cermak-Michigan-23rd-Indiana block with a new hotel, data center, and copious retail space. The CTA is in the middle of building a new Green Line station nearby as well, which complements the ongoing CDOT work to improve the street grid around Chinatown. With the area undergoing such rapid change, it's no surprise the CHA is looking for a plan to make some money from the empty grass fields it owns right in the heart of it.
· CHA plans big housing development near McCormick Place [Crain's Chicago Business]
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