Plans for new 6-story affordable housing building in Humboldt Park receive mixed reaction from residents
A vacant lot along Division in Humboldt Park could be a land of opportunity.
There are plans to make it affordable housing for 40 families. While some are aggravated about the idea, others said it is needed.
If the old liquor store sign isn't enough of an indication, the lot on the 3200 block of West Division Street has sat empty for seven years.
Longtime Humboldt Park resident Kurt Gippert said it could be prime real estate.
"I'd love to see five retail spaces where retailers can come in, office use," he said.
As of now, the proposed plan is to create a six-story affordable housing building for 44 families. The building would be a 100% subsidized rental, with 16 parking spots, amenities on the first floor, including storage and a workout space. There is a push to also make it a zone for mixed use, from what it currently is, a shopping district.
Gippert said the size of the building is too large and it doesn't fit with the landscape of the historical two-flats. He said parking would also be a problem.
"It's not that I'm against or we are against affordable housing. We support it," he said.
Gippert just wants the west division to look like the east division, on the other side of Humboldt Park. He said it's bustling with shops and restaurants, but some said the west side lacks that energy.
"The side that the proposed development is on has historically been a residential corridor," said Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th).
Fuentes said people need to keep living in the neighborhood they call home, and supports the development.
"I think we have a housing crisis in the city of Chicago, and I think we are extremely short," Fuentes said.
Tony Hernandez is the CEO of the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, which owns the land. He said they are listening to citizens to reach a compromise.
"At the community's request, we are also building 1,000 square feet retail space," he said.
If approved, he expects to break ground by next year and have the building running ni 2028.
"These are all of the low-income housing in the area," Gippert said.
He said this area is too saturated with affordable housing and wants a development that will make this neighborhood prosper.
"This project could push it back down to what it was 20 years ago," he said.