Lathrop Homes is a public housing development located in Chicago consisting of 925 units in rowhouses and low-rise apartment buildings. It underwent a redevelopment process from 2000-2013 with the goal of converting it to a mixed-income development. This involved stakeholder engagement, multiple redevelopment plans, and controversies around the appropriate level of affordable housing, historic preservation, and community input. The current 2013 plan would renovate 17 buildings and include 400 public housing units, 212 affordable units, and 504 market-rate units.

1. Lathrop Homes
Mary Donoghue and Tonei Glavinic
IPS-648 Current Housing Issues
Fall 2013

2. Basics
● Located at the intersection of Diversey,
Clybourn, and Damen
● Opened in 1938
● Built by Public Works Administration

3. Basics
● Rowhouses and lowrise (2-4 story)
apartment buildings
● 925 units
● 8-story senior building
added in 1959
● Most racially-diverse
public housing
development in
Chicago

4. Timeline 2000-2010
2000: CHA launches PfT. Occupancy: 747
2001:Identified as “Category 4” property, slated
for stage two of Category 4 redevelopment
Occupancy: 638
2002: Classification changed to “Undecided
Properties” Occupancy: 587
2004: Lathrop categorized as “Rehabilitation or
Redevelopment”

5. Timeline 2000-2010
2006: First mention of Lathrop as a mixedincome development
2006: Lathrop Leadership Team formed
2007: Preservation Chicago lists Lathrop as
“endangered”
2007: CHA submits plan to HUD for 1,200 units
(400 public)

6. Timeline 2000-2010
2010: CHA issues RFQ for redevelopment
team
2010: Lathrop Community Partners
redevelopment team announced

7. Lathrop Community Partners
Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp.
Magellan Development Group
Heartland Housing
Ardmore Associates
Related Midwest

8. Stakeholder Groups
● Lathrop Residents
○ Local Advisory Council
○ Leadership Team
● Logan Square Neighborhood Association
● Alderman Moreno (Ward 1)
● Alderman Waguespack (Ward 32)
● Neighborhood Residents

9. 2011: Planning process begins
● Stakeholder interview process
○ 119 interviews, including 28 current and 11 former
residents
● kick-off meeting to introduce LCP to
community
● Community Workshops
○ collaborative workshops about sustainability,
education/community building, and livable
communities

10. 2012: First plan released
• Lathrop is added to the National Register of
Historic Places
• LCP hosts monthly residents-only meetings
• LCP releases first redevelopment plan, is met
with opposition

11. Controversies
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Density
Possible high-rise building
Amount of affordable & public units
Demolition of existing buildings & Historic
Preservation
● Meaningful input from community

12. Current Plan
Announced July 2013
●
●
●
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Gut & Renovate 17 low-rise buildings
400 public housing units
212 affordable units
504 market-rate units
20,000 Sq Feet of retail
New parks, trails, and outdoor spaces

13. Lathrop Homes Redevelopment Plan, 2013

14. How do People Feel?
● concerned about the amount of market-rate
housing included
● dissatisfied with the scale/density of plan
● demolition of historic buildings
● lack of transparency/accountability

15. What’s Next?
● Community forum next week
● Construction could start in 2015