The Chicago Department of Planning and Development has revealed the three proposals competing in the Woodlawn RFQ process. Produced by development and design teams that responded to a DPD Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in August 2022, the projects are vying for the chance to develop vacant, city-owned land on E. 63rd St between S. Ingleside Ave and S. Greenwood Ave. 

According to the RFP, the land consists of Site 1 and Site 2, each of which represent unique opportunities to continue the revitalization of Woodlawn with new mixed-use buildings, leverage ongoing investments by the Obama Presidential Center, University of Chicago and other institutions, and to provide new housing and retail opportunities for Woodlawn residents.

The first proposal, dubbed Woodlawn Social, comes from the developer team of POAH and KMW Communities. Set to develop Site 2, the development team includes the collaboration of architects KoningEizenberg and HED Architects on the design. Working to create community through the architecture, the design takes the traditional street block and cuts it up, turning the forms and creating spaces in between for residents and the public. The building is charged with achieving the Living Building Challenge, with the goal of performing in a resilient, carbon-free way.

Set to rise five floors, the building will have a total of 70 homes, including 60 mixed-income apartments broken down into 36 one-beds, 16 two-beds, and 8 three-beds. The remaining 10 housing units will be for-sale townhomes. The project will incorporate 8,500 square feet of commercial space, 9,000 square feet of public open space, 10,000 square feet of private open space, and 26 parking spaces. 

Watch their video here: Woodlawn Social

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The second proposal comes from the developer team of Imagine Development Group and Evergreen Real Estate Group. With John Ronan Architects leading the design, the project has a concept of dialogue between the buildings, creating urban nodes that are concentrations of retail and …