Chicago officials cut the ribbon on a new six-story affordable housing complex in Back of the Yards on October 2, marking the opening of United Yards 1A at the southeast corner of West 47th Street and South Justine Street. The development brings 51 affordable apartments to a stretch of the neighborhood that city officials say had sat vacant and underused for years.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago city officials joined developers Celadon Partners and Blackwood Group for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to Urbanize Chicago. The city separately described the project as 100% affordable housing that transformed formerly vacant and underused property near West 47th Street, as reported by wrenews.com, which also noted that United Yards 1A is the first housing component of the broader United Yards redevelopment to move into operation.
Sources differ on the exact unit count: wrenews.com reported the project delivers 51 fully affordable apartments, while AIA Chicago described it as delivering 45 apartments of 100% affordable housing in a project profile posted in September. The United Yards residential page lists 17 one-bedroom, 13 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom apartments.
Who Can Live There, and Why Applications Already Closed
United Yards 1A serves households earning between 15% and 80% of the Area Median Income, per the United Yards residential page. Twelve of the units are supported through the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund and reserved for households at 15% and 30% of AMI. Prospective residents can consult the United Yards residential page for application information.
The $46 million building was financed with up to $25 million in tax-exempt bonds from the City of Chicago, along with approximately $14.5 million in tax increment financing funds and resources from the Chicago Recovery Plan. Construction was led by Skender and Blackwood Group, while DesignBridge designed the six-story mixed-use building, which includes a residential lobby along South Justine Street and retail space facing West 47th Street.
Community Space Built Into the Design
Beyond housing, the building includes ground-floor retail space designed with local businesses in mind, community resource facilities, and a technology training and business support center aimed at entrepreneurial youth. Residents also get a sixth-floor multipurpose room and outdoor terrace, an interior bike room, and 19 parking spaces at the back of the site — though Block Club Chicago previously reported the broader New City United Yards development includes 21 parking spaces, a discrepancy the available records don't resolve.
DesignBridge describes the project as a modern, mixed-use, all-electric development delivering affordable family housing and youth community space, and frames United Yards 1A as a catalyst for the broader United Yards Master Plan, which is meant to expand access to housing, healthcare and neighborhood amenities.
Part Of A Larger Neighborhood Push
United Yards is a joint venture of Celadon Partners and Blackwood Group, and the project is part of Chicago's INVEST South/West initiative, which selected the surrounding New City community as one of 10 priority areas for investment, according to the Chicago Community Loan Fund. That same account notes future phases of United Yards are planned to include senior rental apartments, a future entrepreneur hub, a medical clinic, a dialysis center and park space.
Block Club Chicago has described the historic Rainbow Building as including housing and retail. wrenews.com also notes that higher interest rates and construction costs continue to challenge new affordable housing production nationally, a backdrop that makes United Yards 1A's completion notable for a neighborhood that has seen similar ribbon-cuttings at developments like Parkside Phase 5 and Austin United Alliance in recent years.
