“Every Chicagoan should be able to live in a healthy, walkable, vibrant community connected to transit and all its benefits.”

Logan Square (Chicago), Illinois
13,600 sf / Multi-Family Infill (TOD)
Conceptual Proposal (Unbuilt)

Situated just two blocks south of Logan Square, Altgeld Flats looks to add much-needed housing and gentle density to the popular neighborhood. It offers a modern continuation of the classic Chicago apartment block, where corner lots were traditionally occupied by long apartment buildings - with a slender front facade, consistent with the scale of the neighboring 2-flats - before transitioning to multi-flats, and single-family homes at the middle of the block. The three-story "transit-oriented development" (TOD) would include 14 rental units - including three on-site affordable units - zero parking spaces, and 21 indoor bike storage spaces. The proposal is a logical response to several site-specific factors - it occupies a corner lot on a block flanked by vintage 12-unit and 16-unit apartment buildings, is incredibly well-served by public transit, and in an unusual twist this extra-short lot has no alley access. Economical wood-frame construction would be clad in a mix of "random batten" metal cladding and slow-weathering Corten steel panels - a careful mix of materials and staggered massing that reflects the low-rise scale of this quiet block.

In 2019 these two lots were downzoned from RT-4 (a typical multi-unit district) to RS-3 (a single-family designation), in a dubious move against the previous owner by a former alderman who sought to assert control over any future development plans for the site. The unintended-but-predictable result was that this scared off any serious proposals for the vacant land, with most local builders and designers hesitant to navigate a long, expensive, & uncertain aldermanic approval process. With a new alderman now representing the neighborhood, Altgeld Flats directly responds to their stated desire for more housing density in Logan Square and illustrates the tangible potential of low-key, infill urbanism right here in our own neighborhood.

Cityscape Chicago ”The New TOD Ordinance, Summarized”
City of Chicago “Equitable Transit-Oriented Development”
City of Chicago ETOD Policy Plan (PDF)
Elevated Chicago