Story

561 Rental & For-Sale Condominiums

166 Townhomes

17.8 Acre Master Plan

Parkside of Old Town was the recipient of the 2009 Smart Growth Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The demolition of several large super-blocks of CHA high-rise construction presented the design team with the challenge of re-visioning Chicago's infamous Cabrini Green neighborhood.  Working alongside the local residents, the Chicago Housing Authority, city officials and local politicians, FitzGerald's team led a consortium of Cabrini stakeholders through the design evolution.  The rich dynamic and resulting process produced an award-winning solution establishing a site plan hierarchy situating larger buildings along busier public streets with smaller, more family-oriented buildings along smaller interior streets.

Located adjacent to an existing public park, an elementary charter school for the arts and multiple modes of public transportation, the establishment of a safe and walkable site was paramount.  A series of internal parks extends the residents' sightlines for eyes-on-the-street security and encourages safe public green spaces.  New public streets were tied into the adjacent thoroughfares, while traffic calming devices discourage fast-moving traffic and shortcuts through the site.  For residential considerations, Parkside's dwellings are comprised of a fully integrated collection of rental and for-sale CHA, Affordable and Market-Rate units.

The site design locates parking almost exclusively on the interior of the buildings accessed via private drives, minimizing the impact of garage doors and curbcuts on the street.  The larger perimeter buildings were designed to reduce scale by manipulating massing, finish and color, thus minimizing the visual impact of a large street wall.  The townhomes take strong cues from the existing neighborhoods to the south relative to scale and are designed to provide no distinguishing façade clues as to the various owner types.

In the end, the ultimate success of Parkside of Old Town will be determined by its residents.  But the effort of those who contributed their perspective and passion to this highly collaborative process has created a supportive environment where this success can be possible.

Working Group Participants

• Business and Professional People for the Public Interest
• Cabrini Green Neighborhood Board
• 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
• Edwin Mandel Legal Aid Center
• Habitat
• Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation
• Kimball Hill Urban Centers
• Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
• Local Area Council
• University of Illinois at Chicago