Fifth City Commons
A redevelopment of 2 vacant, city-owned lots into an affordable housing community with neighborhood-serving retail.
Who is working on this project?
Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) is the developer and owner of this project. In 2019, POAH won the C40 Network of Cities competition to design and develop affordable housing and retail on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Kedzie.This land was previously owned by the city.
POAH is a nonprofit organization whose mission “is to preserve and steward sustainable affordable renting housing for low-to-moderate income individuals and families”. They are a national organization, operating in eleven cities. POAH Communities is the property manager. They have managed 2,000 mixed income apartments in 12 Chicago neighborhoods. Perkins & Will and Nia Architects are the architects for this project.
Project Details
Affordable Housing
POAH is planning to build 70-80 apartments total. Phase I, completed in 2025, has 43 mixed income rental apartments for people between 30% and 80% AMI. The resident selection process prioritized legacy Garfield Park residents.
For Phase II, POAH is working with GPCC to gather resident input that will inform the shared ownership housing co-op development in the opposing lot.
Retail Space
The plan for Fifth City Commons includes 9,000 sf of neighborhood retail space. There will be 4-6 small neighborhood-serving businesses. POAH plans to prioritize missing retail and locally owned businesses.
Sustainability
Passive House Certification creates healthy, comfortable, resilient, and environmentally sustainable housing. This reduces the energy needs of buildings. High quality windows control heat loss/gain, increase comfort, and condensation control. Airtight enclosures at the exterior and between apartments help maintain interior temperature, create good indoor air quality, control odors, and provide better acoustics. Balanced ventilation delivers fresh air, ducting to bedrooms and living areas, and inexpensive heating and cooling.
Community Benefits and Inclusion:
This project is expected to create 50 temporary construction jobs and 6 permanent jobs. Developers will prioritize Black-owned contractors and retail tenants. There will be new affordable housing for local residents.
POAH has hosted multiple Community Conversations and has added committee meetings to be able to get community feedback and input in more detail about the Youth, Arts and Culture, Design, and Retail of the project.