30 6-Flat Buildings

22 9-Flat Buildings

52 Townhomes

13 Single Family Homes

35 Acre Master Plan

Oakwood Shores was the recipient of a 2008 Charter Award from the Congress for the New Urbanism and the 2008 Builder’s Choice Design & Planning Award from BUILDER Magazine.

This project represents a $220 million redevelopment of land owned by the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) to replace troubled public housing buildings with a new mixed-income community.  The project is another of the CHA’s ‘Plan for Transformation’ initiative worked on by FitzGerald Associates, with the goal of creating new mixed-income communities offering low-income, affordable and market-rate rental and for-sale housing units.

Oakwood Shores provides 455 homes (325 rental and 130 for-sale) ranging from one- to five-bedroom plans.  All building types feature alternate elevation designs and exterior color packages with the intent of creating varied, diverse yet coordinated streetscapes.

FitzGerald Associates’ master plan reestablishes the street grid and alley system lost to earlier urban renewal, restoring the neighborhood back to its traditional character with a decidedly pedestrian-oriented streetscape.  FitzGerald positioned the largest structures on the site at street corners not only to separate the largest volume structures but also to create visual anchors or gateways throughout the site.

The design of the project is the result of an intense collaborative process initiated and maintained by community residents and city officials.  Actually, a community participatory process was underway long before the development team was assembled and the physical design work began.  Chicago Housing Authority residents and neighborhood representatives formed an organization, Ujima (“collective work and responsibility”), which met over a five-year period to formulate a process and vision for the community that was yet to come.  AS the design work began, the CHA formed a Working Group comprised of Ujima community leaders, representatives of the CHA, city agencies and the development team that met on a monthly basis to review the progress of the design work while providing essential guidance that informed the outcome of out work.

Throughout the process, FitzGerald Associates solicited and responded to input from the Working Group.  We then sought input from the larger community through a series of meetings that not only garnered continued feedback, but also served to generate preliminary public interest and support for the project.  It was a highly interactive and educational process in which all of the participants, both lay and professional, gained valuable insights into one another’s needs and knowledge, and resulted in a community that truly reflects their collective dedication and vision.

Working Group Participants

• 4^th Ward Alderman
• Chicago Department of Transportation
• Chicago Housing Authority
• Chicago Housing Authority Legal Office
• City of Chicago Department of Environment
• City of Chicago Department of Housing
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development Finance Office
• City of Chicago Mayor’s Office
• The Community Builders, Inc
• Habitat
• Granite Development
• Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
• Madden Wells Local Advisory Council
• North Kenwood Oakland Community Conservation Council