Just to get the weekend off to a good start we thought we’d open a can of worms by bringing up the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation. We got hold of a rendering for Jackson Square at West End, the 780-unit mixed-income development that will replace the old Rockwell Gardens public housing development on a site bounded by Madison, Van Buren and Rockwell streets and Western Avenue.The market-rate component of the development is reasonably priced considering that it is located nice and close to the Eisenhower, the Loop and the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. Homes are priced from the $200s to the $400s, which selling agent AMS Realty claims is 20 percent lower than what you’d find in other parts of the city for equivalent homes. Despite the lower price tags, the developer doesn’t seem to be skimping on finishes. The units include designer lighting, multimedia wiring, maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
The first of several phases is 75 percent sold and construction is underway. Developer East Lake Management & Development Corp says delivery of Phase 1 is slated for late 2006.
East Lake’s Eileen Rhodes told Yo that the company aimed to scale down the property, creating lots of green spaces and well-lit, small street grids. The low-rise buildings will feature distinctly Chicago touches such as mansard roofs, brick and limestone facades and yards with wrought iron fencing. In effect, the development has created a whole new neighborhood.
Yo wants to hear from anybody familiar with the area who can tell us about the changes they’re observing.