Missing Middle Infill Housing program bringing development to vacant plots across Chicago
Have you driven by a plot of land covered in grass surrounded by other homes, but nothing's built on top?
If you thought that land could serve a purpose, you're not the only one, and the city has been trying to change that.
Some plots of land were sold for $1, others for up to $150,000. One developer was able to get a grant from the city to build on top of it. Working through a program designed to fill in the gaps of neighborhoods with historic disinvestment.
What's covered in grass and space for now will soon be someone's home.
"We're standing right on two of the lots that we'll be building three flats on," said real estate developer Jasmine Hagan with West Side Community Group.
The city sold the Missing Middle Infill Housing program, and developers have submitted plans for 35 vacant city lots in North Lawndale, 30 in Chatham, South Chicago, and Morgan Park, and 24 in East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, and McKinley Park last year. In all, that will amount to 106 new multi-unit buildings.
"I'm actually born and raised here on the west side, native. My company is West Side Community Group," Hagan said.
She said she bought in because of the Missing Middle Infill Housing program.
"Allows us to build you know quality new construction three-family housing that allows buyers to have an affordable option that they not only can just live in but have some income-producing asset as well," she said.
In January, another developer, Citizens Building a Better Community, broke ground on seven two-flats in North Lawndale, part of the same mission.
"With the city funds, it helps us bring a more challenging project to life," Hagan said.
Over the next six to nine months, Hagan said they plan to build a building on South Trumbull and others on nearby vacant plots. In all, they're planning 27 units of housing using $4 million in grant money from the city on top of their own personal funding. Once they finish those, they're building 33 in East Garfield Park.
"We have a total of nine lots. We're building along this entire block of Trumbull, so once we start filling out these vacant lots, it's going to transform the neighborhood," Hagan said.
She said they're hoping to break ground in Lawndale next week.
The city started accepting applications for development on 30 vacant lots in South Chicago and West Englewood.