Unique development will upgrade Edith Spurlock Sampson Senior Apartments and bring new family housing to the North Side community
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Board of Commissioners has approved the redevelopment of a CHA senior property and construction of a new six-story apartment building with 80 units, including up to 50 for families from the CHA waiting list in the Lincoln Park community.
The project, supported by up to $16 million in CHA funds, will bring renovated apartments and new shared community space and amenities for seniors at the Edith Spurlock Sampson Apartments buildings at 2640 and 2720 N. Sheffield Ave. along with a new construction building linked to the two senior buildings at 2700 N. Sheffield Ave. that will provide affordable apartments for families in Lincoln Park. It was approved at a CHA Board meeting held earlier this month.
“This unique project demonstrates how CHA remains committed to its current residents as well as to finding new ways to create more opportunities for Chicago families who need affordable housing,” said CHA CEO Eugene E. Jones, Jr. “This will allow us to provide an enhanced quality of living for our seniors while offering new rental housing in Lincoln Park. We are excited about this new development concept that will link two senior buildings and a family building to create a strong community anchor.”
The CHA, through a joint venture with PIRHL Developers, LLC, will co-develop the development. PIRHL is an Ohio-based developer of affordable housing whose principals have more than four decades of affordable housing experience. The CHA Board previously approved the selection of PIRHL as co-developer for the project.
The project includes the redevelopment of the existing Spurlock Sampson towers with 405 units of senior housing and the construction of a new 80-unit, six-story apartment building with two floors of amenity spaces that will be linked to the two senior apartment towers.
The new amenity spaces for seniors will include a large dining/community room, exterior courtyard, a common “living room” and reception areas, meeting room, computer room, second floor laundry rooms, outdoor porch, coffee lounge and game room, and an exercise room. The development will also include 50 surface parking spaces, of which at least eight will be accessible. The family apartments will be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units, and separate amenity spaces will be built for residents of the family apartment building, including a community “living room,” party room, activity room, and bike storage.
