Lincoln Park Affordable Housing And Senior Living Redevelopment Reaches Final Stages – Block Club Chicago

The Edith Spurlock Sampson Apartments: A Sustainable Development Project

The Edith Spurlock Sampson Apartments, a senior housing complex in Lincoln Park, is nearing the completion of a $150 million redevelopment that’s set to transform the site into a mixed-income, multi-generational community.

Collaboration for Sustainable Development

The project is a collaboration between the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and PIRHL Developers. It involves the renovation of two 11-story buildings dating back to 1965, which currently house over 390 residents aged 62 and older. Additionally, a six-story family building is being added between the two existing buildings.

This development is the first of its kind and serves as the “new flagship model” envisioned by the CHA for future projects. The goal is to create centralized locations with dedicated amenity spaces separate from the main properties.

Enhancing the Community

The project includes the renovation of the existing 394 units in the Edith Spurlock buildings and the addition of 11 more, bringing the total number of apartments to 405. The new building, known as the Sheffield of Lincoln Park, adds 80 family units to the site, including 50 CHA units, 10 affordable units, and 20 market-rate apartments.

The Sheffield of Lincoln Park will serve as a community hub, offering amenities tailored to activities, gatherings, and community meetings. It will also support CHA’s Golden Diners program, providing a large activity and dining area where residents can connect over meals and health programs.

Emphasizing Sustainable Development Goals

The redevelopment project in Lincoln Park is significant because it brings affordable housing to one of Chicago’s most affluent neighborhoods. It caters to both senior citizens and residents in need of affordable housing, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.

The project promotes Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, by creating a mixed-income, multi-generational community that enhances the neighborhood’s diversity. It also contributes to Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, by providing amenities and programs that support the physical and social well-being of the residents.

Application and Completion

The project has received a high number of applications, with units filling up quickly. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were about 60 available units at the site. The interior of the last two floors is expected to be completed by the end of November.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses the redevelopment of the Edith Spurlock Sampson Apartments into a mixed-income, multi-generational community. This addresses the goals of reducing poverty (SDG 1) by providing affordable housing, promoting good health and well-being (SDG 3) through the addition of amenities and health programs, reducing inequalities (SDG 10) by catering to both senior citizens and residents in need of affordable housing, creating sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) by transforming the site, and fostering partnerships for the goals (SDG 17) through the collaboration between the Chicago Housing Authority and PIRHL Developers.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property.
• Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
• Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets identified include ensuring equal rights to economic resources and access to basic services (Target 1.4), achieving universal health coverage and access to quality healthcare services (Target 3.8), promoting social, economic, and political inclusion (Target 10.2), ensuring access to adequate and affordable housing (Target 11.1), and promoting effective partnerships (Target 17.17).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 1.4.2: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, with legally recognized documentation and who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and type of tenure.
• Indicator 3.8.1: Coverage of essential health services (defined as the average coverage of essential services based on tracer interventions that include reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and service capacity and access, among the general and the most disadvantaged population).
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing.
• Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.

The article doesn’t explicitly mention indicators, but based on the identified targets, the following indicators can be used to measure progress: the proportion of the population with secure tenure rights to land (Indicator 1.4.2), the coverage of essential health services (Indicator 3.8.1), the proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (Indicator 10.2.1), the proportion of the urban population living in slums or inadequate housing (Indicator 11.1.1), and the amount of financial commitments to partnerships (Indicator 17.17.1).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: blockclubchicago.org