There's nothing flashy about a two-flat. Chicago has been building them for more than a century. But on the 1400 and 1500 blocks of South Trumbull and South Homan avenues in North Lawndale, seven brand-new ones mark a milestone for the city.
On Oct. 6, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Ald. Monique Scott (24th) and Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Ciere Boatright cut the ribbon on the first finished project under the city's Missing Middle housing program. The developer, Citizens Building a Better Community, built seven two-flat buildings, 14 homes in all, on what used to be vacant city-owned lots.
According to the city's announcement, the homes were finished just 10 months after the project broke ground in January 2026.
"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," Johnson said. "This is only the beginning. My administration will continue to think boldly and invest boldly as we turn vacant land into housing and deliver the homes our communities need and deserve."
How the program works
The Department of Planning and Development launched Missing Middle in October 2024. The idea is to bring back the kind of medium-density housing, two-flats, three-flats and small multi-unit buildings, that the city says went "missing" from South and West Side neighborhoods after decades of disinvestment.
Here's the deal for builders, as the city lays it out:
- Land for $1. The city sells its vacant lots for a dollar.
- Construction help. Selected developers can get up to $150,000 per unit in construction assistance.
- An owner in every building. At least one unit in each building has to be sold to someone who will live there.
- Selected by RFP. Developers are chosen through requests for proposals. The city has issued five so far.
The money comes from Johnson's $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development Bond. The North Lawndale project used a $5.4 million Missing Middle investment. The city says the program is meant to empower minority-owned developers to build homes priced in line with the market.
"Missing Middle is priming the pump for additional private investment by creating ownership opportunities for buyers, putting City land back on the tax rolls, adding density and supporting population growth that is synonymous with all neighborhoods of choice," Boatright said.
More on the way
The North Lawndale two-flats are the first ones done, but they're far from the last. Counting this project, the city says 204 Missing Middle homes worth $68.8 million are underway across the West Side, and another 165 units worth $69.6 million are moving forward on the South and Southwest sides.
And there's a fresh opportunity for builders right now. The city issued a new RFP in October for 16 lots in Humboldt Park, which it expects to produce about 60 units. Responses are due by Monday, Nov. 16. Details are at Chicago.gov/MissingMiddle.
Ten months from groundbreaking to ribbon-cutting on seven buildings is a solid pace. Two-flats are a building type Chicago crews know cold, and repeating one design across several lots on the same blocks lets a builder stage materials once, keep the same crews moving from building to building, and get faster with every one.
It also shows what the program is really testing: whether small, local builders can make new two-flats pencil out on the South and West Sides when the land is cheap and the city chips in on construction costs. If the answer keeps being yes, it's a model that could fill a lot of empty lots.
Why it matters for Contractors
Missing Middle is a direct opening in Chicago for small and mid-sized builders who want to develop, not just sub out work. Two-flats and three-flats are right in the wheelhouse of a lot of local general contractors, framers, masons, roofers, plumbers, electricians and finish crews. With $1 lots and up to $150,000 per unit in construction help, the city takes a big chunk of the land and construction cost off the table. If you're a builder or developer, especially a minority-owned firm, look hard at the Humboldt Park RFP before the Nov. 16 deadline. And if you're a sub, the 369 homes already in the pipeline are a good reason to get to know the developers who are winning these awards.