The Chicago Housing Authority and its partners marked the end of their decades-long effort to transform the land where the Henry Horner public housing complex once towered on the West Side.
The CHA, city officials, developers Brinshore Development and The Michaels Organization, among others, held a ribbon cutting Wednesday for the apartment building Westhaven Park Station. It’s the seventh and final phase of the Henry Horner Homes redevelopment, down the street from the United Center.
The 12-story building, which is already fully leased, was designed as a gateway to the city, according to the developers. It’s also the end of work that was agreed to under a consent decree in 1995, when residents of the Henry Horner complex sued the CHA over building conditions. The decree stipulated that the housing authority would build new public housing units in place of the torn-down Henry Horner high-rises.
The CHA started the redevelopment project in 2001, when its development partners, Brinshore and Michaels, constructed hundreds of townhomes for what was dubbed Westhaven. It then constructed hundreds of new units — mostly townhomes and some apartments — to create Westhaven Park.
“We all know this property and what the history is,” Matthew Brewer, the CHA’s board chair and temporary operating chairman, said. “This corner has been the hub of construction for some time, with West Haven construction, Green Line construction. And now, we can sit here and say that people live in this building, and people ride the train at that station. It’s a phenomenal accomplishment for us to have here today, and it’s the product of a lot of hard work.”
The construction of Westhaven Park Station was led by a joint venture of Brinshore and Michaels. The duo have worked with the CHA over the past 25 years “on redeveloping some of the hardest developments in the CHA system,” Brinshore Executive Vice President Peter Levavi said.
Brinshore and Michaels also worked with the CHA on the Legends South housing complex, which was the former location of Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville. The latest phase of that redevelopment, spanning 20 years, broke ground in July.
‘Really a miracle’
The more than $50 million project, at 145 N. Damen Ave., received public and private financing, such as $26.8 million in tax-exempt bonds from the city’s Department of Housing and $12.1 million in soft funding from the CHA, who donated the land, according to a news release.
Westhaven Park Station has 96 apartments, with 38 for the CHA residents, 25 affordable units for families earning up to 60% of the area median income and 33 at market-rate apartments.
Amenities include a fitness center, community room, outdoor terrace, indoor bike storage and on-site management office.
Levavi said one business — a barbecue restaurant — has signed a letter of intent to lease restaurant space on the building’s ground floor. There’s room for a total of three businesses in Westhaven Park Station’s commercial space, which will be leased to local, Black-owned businesses, according to Levavi.
Levavi said to see the apartments fully leased after years of work is “really a miracle.” The CHA said the Westhaven project now has 643 new homes, including 275 apartments that are subsidized by the CHA.
“This is a monumental accomplishment for the West Haven community, for the city of Chicago and for the nation,” Levavi said.
Greg Olson, regional vice president at Michaels, said Westhaven Park Station’s proximity to the new Green Line station across the street will bring more equitable benefits to residents, including a lower cost of living by living car-free in the city.
“Chicago Transit Authority’s development of [a] Green Line station here at Damen and Lake is a game changer for the neighborhood, reversing decades of transit neglect,” Olson said. “Northside communities have rallied around transit-oriented development for years, and we’re really excited that we’ll bring this to the Near West Side.”
Newly-installed Ald. Walter Redmond Burnett (27th) also said the development is “a testament of what the best of the city can be.”
“These type of developments are what we look forward to in the city,” Burnett said. “You have affordable housing right next to a train stop. It’s really what makes this city so beautiful and accessible: The ability for people to navigate the rest of the city, get around but also be close to those who care about them and care about work and care about community.”
Michaels will manage the property, but the building’s owner is unclear. Last week, Brinshore listed the bulk of its Chicago portfolio — totaling 2,435 units across 20 properties — for sale, including the properties at Westhaven Park. All but one of the properties are partnerships with the CHA.
Richard Sciortino, founding partner of Brinshore, said the affordable housing developer plans to keep a presence in Chicago — and continue collaborating with the CHA. He said it’s too early to tell what interest in the portfolio looks like, or what price the properties will sell for.
Contributing: Lizzie Kane