The corner of 47th Street and Ashland Avenue has been a crossroads in Back of the Yards for generations. Just off that corner, at 4703 S. Justine St., there's now a new building with 51 affordable homes in it.
On Oct. 2, Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Ald. Jeannette Taylor (20th), Department of Housing Commissioner Lissette Castañeda, the developers and new residents to cut the ribbon on United Yards 1A, according to the city's announcement. The building is 100% affordable.
"We'll continue cutting ribbons and driving economic revitalization on every side of our city, because every neighborhood deserves to see its fair share of investment," Johnson said.
What's inside
United Yards 1A has 51 homes:
- 17 one-bedroom apartments
- 19 two-bedroom apartments
- 15 three-bedroom apartments
They serve households earning between 15% and 80% of the area median income. Twelve of the units are backed by the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund to serve households at 15% and 30% of AMI.
The building isn't just apartments. It includes retail space designed with local businesses in mind and a technology training and business support center aimed at young entrepreneurs.
Castañeda put a face on who the homes are for. "This is for the grocery store worker, at El Guero on 47th. This is for the worker taking your order at S2 Grill on Halsted. It's for the bus aides at Hamline Elementary School," she said.
Who built it and how
The project was led by Celadon Partners, LLC and Blackwood Development Partners, LLC. It's the second of three phases of the broader United Yards development, which is bringing new buildings to vacant and underused land in Back of the Yards.
The city supported the $46 million project with up to $25 million in tax-exempt bonds, about $14.5 million in TIF funds, and money from the Chicago Recovery Plan.
"This milestone reflects years of collaboration among community stakeholders and our public and private partners to create a development that responds to neighborhood priorities," said Jose Duarte of Blackwood Group.
"Our diverse and local team is incredibly proud to celebrate the completion of United Yards 1A and to bring long-awaited, high-quality housing to the Back of the Yards," said Aron Weisner of Celadon Partners.
The city's announcement did not name a general contractor, and we couldn't find one in other free coverage. If you want to know who built it, or who's lined up for the third phase, that's a question for the developers.
Ald. Taylor made the case for why this kind of building matters on 47th Street. "Affordable housing means working families can stay rooted, our seniors can stay in the neighborhoods they helped to build," she said. "Community Development does not mean pushing people out."
The city counts United Yards 1A as part of the mayor's Build Better Together initiative. It says the administration's investments have put Chicago on track to complete 10,000 newly built or rehabbed affordable homes by the end of Johnson's first term, backed in part by his $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development Bond.
A mixed-use affordable building with apartments over ground-floor retail and a community training center is a familiar kind of job in Chicago's neighborhoods, but it's one that asks a lot of a construction team. The residential floors need the full run of framing or structure, MEP, drywall, flooring, cabinets and paint. The commercial ground floor needs storefronts and space that can be built out for local tenants. And the technology training center adds a space that has to be built for computers and classes, not just living.
The unit mix is also worth noticing. Fifteen of the 51 homes are three-bedrooms, which means bigger units with more bathrooms and more finish work per home than a building full of studios.
Why it matters for Contractors
United Yards 1A is the second of three phases, which means there's at least one more building coming to this part of Back of the Yards. Contractors who want to work on the South Side should keep an eye on Celadon Partners and Blackwood Development Partners for the next phase. Projects financed with tax-exempt bonds, TIF and recovery funds typically come with documentation and compliance requirements, so subs who have their paperwork in order will have an easier time. Retail tenant build-outs on the ground floor can also be a good opportunity for smaller commercial interior crews once leases are signed. And with the city pushing toward 10,000 affordable homes, mixed-use neighborhood buildings like this one should keep showing up around Chicago.