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A 99 home Planned Unit Development to be located on a 14.5 acre triangular site on Chicago’s south side, it was industrial site which was abandoned in the 1980’s and has remained vacant ever since. It is flanked by railroad tracks on the diagonal east edge and by single-family Chicago Style bungalows on the other two sides.

The design intent of the development plan is to achieve assimilation with the adjacent community by use of similar lot size and configuration, and by completing the architectural fabric along the existing street edges. The plan includes a 3 acre network of public parks including a centrally located one acre park which serves as the focal point of the development’s entry boulevard. Linear parks on the western street boundary and the entry boulevard, as well as several landscaped “pocket parks” are distributed throughout the site in response to specific site conditions and adjacencies.

Individual lots are divided into two main types: along the orthogonal streets are typical narrow city lots with detached garages accessed by alleys, and on the diagonal street, adjacent to the railway, are wider, shallower lots with attached garages.

House plans are efficiently organized with 3 and 4 bedrooms ranging in size from 1,360 – 2,500 s.f. plus an unfinished basement. Twenty percent of the homes are classified as “affordable.” Living spaces are designed to be as open as is practical, with generous use of fenestration.

The development distinguishes itself by offering a more a modern interpretation of traditional building types and forms. These elements are assembled in interesting and sometimes surprising ways to create a lively and diverse streetscape that will enrich and rejuvenate the existing community.

Copyright © 2011 Nicholas Clark Architects Ltd.