Lincoln Park senior housing complex tapped for mixed-income apartment expansion

Earlier this week, Lincoln Park residents got their first look at a proposal to expand the 1960s-era Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) senior apartments at the 2700 block of N. Sheffield Avenue into a mixed-income housing complex.

A joint venture between the CHA and Ohio-based affordable housing developer PIRHL, the plan calls for the construction of a new six-story building connecting the two 11-story towers of the Edith Spurlock senior apartments. The new structure, designed by Chicago’s Ratio Architects, will include a mix of affordable and market-rate rental units plus improved amenities for seniors, including communal living areas and fitness facilities.

All told, the plan will increase the total number of apartments from 394 to 485 with 50 units in the new building set aside for Lincoln Park families on the CHA waiting list. The project also creates new outdoor amenity spaces, landscaping, and a pair of off-street loading areas along Sheffield. The rear parking deck, accessed off the alleyway, will be expanded from 29 to 50 spaces and screened behind new green walls.

The CHA board of commissioners approved up to $16 million in funding for the Edith Spurlock redevelopment in July. “This unique project demonstrates how CHA remains committed to its current residents as well as to finding new ways to create more opportunities for Chicago families who need affordable housing,” said CHA CEO Eugene E. Jones, Jr. in an earlier statement.

Before construction can begin, the project will need to amend the site’s existing zoning. The change will require the approval of the Chicago Plan Commission, Zoning Committee, and the full Chicago City Council. The office of 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith shared the community presentation Wednesday morning.

Ratio Architects, courtesy 43rd Ward