The Chicago Housing Authority has tapped Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) to steer a roughly $45 million mixed-finance overhaul of Loomis Courts, the longtime public housing complex on the Near West Side. The plan calls for a full gut-and-rehab of the two-building, 126-unit property, with CHA and its co-developer promising modernized apartments, new building systems, and locked-in long-term affordability. Residents who relocated from Loomis as early as January 2020 will get priority to return once the work is wrapped.
The $45 million price tag was first reported by Business Journals, which broke the news of POAH’s selection on Tuesday. That outlet reported that POAH will handle the financing strategy, chase tax credits, and oversee construction of new resident amenity spaces, along with an on-site management office.
According to the Chicago Housing Authority redevelopment materials, the work list is long. Plans include enclosing and improving exterior walkways, replacing roofs, modernizing elevators, upgrading HVAC and plumbing, and installing new kitchens and baths in every unit. The agency’s solicitation specifies that the co-developer must assemble design, construction, and financial partners and secure Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, with CHA anticipating construction by early 2028, provided the financing pieces come together. “Our commitment is straightforward: deliver safe, modern homes so existing and future residents can experience a renewed Loomis Courts,” CHA leaders wrote in the agency’s RFP and meeting materials.
What the work will do for residents
Local coverage and CHA documents describe the renovation as a way to preserve long-term affordability while finally bringing the complex up to current building standards. The planned upgrades are designed to boost safety and day-to-day usability and to add shared amenities such as a community room, bike storage and centralized laundry, according to Chicago Construction News. During construction, residents will be offered available CHA public housing units or temporary Housing Choice Vouchers, and current leaseholders will have a priority-return policy after rehabilitation.
Timeline and next steps
The CHA Board of Commissioners advanced POAH’s selection at its Jan. 27 meeting and also approved a broader package of preservation efforts that moves Lathrop Phase 1C and Robert Brooks Homes renovations forward, according to a CHA release. With a development team chosen for Loomis Courts, the next items on the checklist are finalizing the co-developer agreement and closing the financing, a process expected to lean on tax credits, loans and a mix of public and private sources. CHA and its partners say design work and resident engagement will guide the phasing plan and dial in the exact construction schedule before heavy work begins.
Why POAH was chosen
In explaining the decision, CHA pointed to POAH’s national track record renovating and preserving affordable housing and its existing portfolio of work in Chicago. Agency materials note that POAH already partners with CHA on preservation projects and will be expected to deliver both the construction execution and the financial structure needed to keep rents affordable at Loomis Courts. POAH, in a statement, thanked CHA for the opportunity and said it looks forward to working with residents and community stakeholders on the Near West Side redevelopment.
With a co-developer now in place, attention turns to lining up tax credits, lenders and final construction documents, a process CHA says will play out over the coming months. Observers will be watching for the formal development agreement and financing close, which will lock in the official construction start date and the detailed relocation-and-return timeline for residents.
