Habitat and Cabrera Break Ground on LeClaire Courts Mixed-Use Redevelopment in Chicago

Habitat and Cabrera Capital, working with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), have broken ground on the first residential phase of the LeClaire Courts redevelopment in Chicago's Garfield Ridge community. The public housing complex, built in the 1950s, was demolished in 2011 and now sits on a 32-acre site.

The full multi-phase plan calls for up to 700 residential units, roughly 440,000 square feet of commercial space and publicly accessible open space. The first phase consists of two six-story buildings with 183 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. About 90 percent of those homes will be income- and rent-restricted affordable units supported by public financing, with the rest at market rate.

The $119 million first phase is funded through a mix of sources, including a $27 million capital loan from the CHA, $9.5 million in city multifamily program funds, $5.5 million in tax-increment financing, and roughly $35 million in low-income housing tax credit equity from federal and state programs. A deferred developer fee of $1.2 million also contributes. Bank of America is among the investors. SCB designed the first phase, and George Sollitt Construction Co. is the general contractor.

The phase will also include a 14,000-square-foot early childhood education center run by Chicago Commons and ground-floor retail. Construction is scheduled to finish in 2028, with later phases adding townhomes, senior housing, healthcare services and more open space.

For developers and lenders, the deal shows how a public housing replacement can layer CHA capital, city and state credits, and tax-increment financing into a mixed-income project.