Chicago Picks 2 Mixed-Use Projects for West Englewood

Chicago Selects Two Ashland/63rd Mixed-Use Projects

Advancing a long-vacant stretch beside the CTA Green Line’s Ashland/63rd terminus, Chicago has selected two mixed-use proposals for city-owned parcels at 1515 W. 63rd Street and 1607 W. 63rd Street in West Englewood.

The adjacent half-acre sites sit directly beside the station, reinforcing transit integration as a central planning principle. Similar urban redevelopment efforts increasingly pair transit access with affordable housing goals to strengthen long-term neighborhood stability.

Both parcels had remained vacant, including land assembled from older city holdings and a 2025 Hilco auction acquisition. The projects align with the area’s redevelopment goals to encourage private infill development on underutilized land.

Design and Selection Pressure

The chosen concept features two four-story buildings that mirror each other with triangular forms and rounded corners along 63rd Street.

Its design aesthetics emphasize an active streetfront while preserving the rear portions of both lots as sizable green space.

City review weighed development concept, feasibility, financial capacity, and experience before naming E.G. Woode L3C’s team in July 2026.

36 Homes, Retail, Funding, and Next Steps

Rising beside the CTA Green Line’s Ashland/63rd terminus, the proposal would bring 36 mixed-income homes across two four-story buildings at 1515 and 1607 W. 63rd Street in West Englewood.

Each building would contain 18 units, shared rooftop decks, and 20 bicycle spaces. The design emphasizes affordability and transit access rather than on-site parking.

Ground floors would add about 8,800 square feet of retail space. That includes 4,447 square feet at 1515 W. 63rd and 4,350 square feet at 1607.

The development cost is projected at $18 million. The city would sell both lots for $1 each.

The team plans to seek up to $5 million in Community Development Grants, along with other grant funding.

Like Sacramento’s downtown revival efforts, the proposal reflects how urban revitalization can pair housing, retail, and transit-oriented planning to strengthen neighborhood investment.

Approval Risks Intensify

Zoning approval and City Council action remain pending. No construction or completion timeline has been announced.

Assessment

Chicago’s selection of two mixed-use projects at Ashland and 63rd marks a consequential step in West Englewood’s long-delayed redevelopment.

The plan introduces 36 homes, new retail space, and public-backed investment into a corridor that has faced persistent disinvestment.

With funding and approvals still ahead, the projects now enter a critical phase.

Timelines, financing, and execution will determine whether the city’s promises produce visible change on the ground.