Koning Eizenberg & HED design winning mixed-use residential complex on Chicago's South Side

Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced the winning proposal to redevelop vacant land in the heart of the South Side of Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood. 

Called Woodlawn Social, the $48.4 million project was chosen over two competing proposals for development sites on the 900 and 1000 blocks of East 63rd Street. It will bring a 70-unit mixed-use, mixed-income residential complex to the area. The proposal was developed by POAH and KMW and designed by Koning Eizenberg Architecture and HED (Harley Ellis Devereaux).

"The combination of affordable and market-rate housing, along with the retail and recreation spaces that this development will ultimately include, will be a boon to the Woodlawn neighborhood," Mayor Lightfoot said. 

Woodlawn Social consists of two adjacent buildings planned for the southeast corner of 63rd and Ellis Avenue. One will be a six-story, 60-unit, affordable rental building, and the other a four-story structure housing ten for-sale, market-rate townhomes. 

Both buildings will be masonry-clad and have energy-efficient features, including solar panels and rooftop gardens. 

The project also includes a 10,000-square-foot courtyard for residents, a 9,000-square-foot plaza for public use, 8,500 square feet of ground floor space for up to four retail tenants, and a 26-space parking lot.

The proposals were submitted in response to a 2022 Department of Planning and Development Request for Qualifications and were evaluated for community wealth-building potential, economic feasibility, professional and technical competence, and design excellence. The RFQ attracted more than 30 responses from developers and designers, which were narrowed down to three finalists. 

Each of the finalists received $25,000 stipends from the Chicago Community Trust to engage with local stakeholders and create proposed designs that were reviewed by the public. Discussions between Woodlawn stakeholders and the winning development team will continue.

Woodlawn Social will now advance through Chicago’s formal review and approval process. Construction could start in mid-2024.