Related Midwest announces state-of-the-art mixed-use housing and retail at Roosevelt Square to be built by leading minority firms

CHICAGO—Related Midwest announced today that the next phase of Roosevelt Square, the company’s innovative and inventive 120-acre multi-phase development incorporating 222 new homes and a $100 million community investment, will be built by a group of leading local minority-led firms. With this project, Related is meeting levels of inclusion that set a new standard for the industry.

Phase 3B of Roosevelt Square, with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2023, includes three new-construction mid-rise buildings with 207 total apartments and 15 rehabilitated apartments on the north side of the proposed National Public Housing Museum on site. It also includes 10,000 square feet of retail space and the rehabilitation and renovation of 184 apartments within the first phase of the Roosevelt Square development.

The GC on the project is a team comprising B3 Builders and GMA. B3 Builders is a 100 percent minority-owned joint venture composed of four MBE firms: BOWA Construction, a Black-owned firm headed by Nosa Ehimwenman, was integral to the award-winning rehab of Lathrop and Taylor Street Library and Apartments; Brown & Momen, a Black-owned construction firm headed by Ernest Brown, brings more than 30 years of GC experience to the project; Blackwood Group, a Latinx-owned firm led by Jose Duarte, comes to the project with 15 years of experience; MIKK, which is was instrumental to work on the Lathrop 1B development. Work at the National Public Housing Museum building will be led by GMA Construction, a Black-owned MBE with extensive experience rehabbing residential developments throughout Chicago.

“Roosevelt Square is what happens when the best of Chicago comes together to improve our communities,” said Curt Bailey, President of Related Midwest. “We’re committed to providing quality housing at all income levels at Roosevelt Square with partners like the Chicago Housing Authority and HIRE360. With each phase we look forward to responding to the needs of the Near West Side with high-quality, practical, singular projects.”  

“Collaboration among teams is the secret ingredient to Roosevelt Square’s success,” said Jose Duarte, founder and principal of Blackwood Group. “Related Midwest has assembled a talented team representing the full breadth of expertise in this city.”

Related Midwest has awarded nearly 75 percent of the design work for Phase 3B to minority- and women-owned businesses, including Moody Nolan and DesignBridge (both MBEs). For architecture and design, Related Midwest collaborated with the architectural firms Moody Nolan and Landon Bone Baker (for 1002 S. Racine Ave.), DesignBridge (for 1257 and 1357 W. Roosevelt Rd.) and HED and Landon Bone Baker (for 925 S. Ada St.).

“We’re proud to work together with Related Midwest on this project,” said Jonathan Moody, president of Moody Nolan. “With the alliance of so many minority- and women-owned businesses on Roosevelt Square, Related is setting a new standard for cross-sector inclusion—a meeting of the minds, not just the numbers.”

“DesignBridge is thrilled to work with Related Midwest on this inventive project that will amplify the character of the neighborhood,” said Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz, President of DesignBridge. “This unique development will stand out as an innovative way to approach projects that combine new and rehabilitated housing to create a cohesive community for all.”

Phase 3B will also bring a new grocery store to the Near West Side for resident convenience. Related Midwest has signed a lease with Fresh Stop Produce & Deli—a Lakeview-based grocery operator—to open a flagship location on Taylor Street.

“We are pleased to be expanding our operations to the Near West Side as part of Roosevelt Square,” said Roddy Hashish of Fresh Stop Produce & Deli. “We look forward to providing the community with a high-quality and convenient grocery shopping experience.”

In addition to local investment, neighborhood retail and new and rehabilitated housing, this phase of the Roosevelt Square development is designed to meet the criteria for the Chicago Sustainability Program, including exceeding the energy code by 25 percent and reducing indoor water use by 25 percent. The site design also includes native plantings and car charging stations for electric vehicles.

Roosevelt Square is a 120-acre multi-phase mixed-income development that, when completed, will provide Chicago’s Near West Side with more than 2,400 new housing units. The most recent phase, the Taylor Street Apartments, added 73 units to the Near West Side designed by historic Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, as well as the brand-new Little Italy branch of the Chicago Public Library.