Winning project: Fifth City Commons
Team representative: POAH PRESERVATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INC.
Fifth City Commons, located in the heart of East Garfield Park, Chicago, has been completed and officially opened in December 2024. This $38 million development provides 43 affordable housing units built to Passive House standards, standing as an example of how thoughtful urban redevelopment can transform communities while meeting ambitious sustainability goals. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on January 30, 2025, with Mayor Brandon Johnson and city officials in attendance.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said “With the opening of Fifth City Commons we have reached an incredible milestone. This development is more than just housing. This project is a great example of what it means to put together the community, elected leaders, and developers who are committed to sustainable homes. Together, we’re helping build a stronger, more sustainable Chicago for generations to come."
Key Components & Solutions
- Fifth City Commons is a net-zero carbon and near net-zero energy housing project: 100% affordable, 100% electric, energy-efficient development.
- Designed to Passive House standards, the building is the largest of its kind in the City of Chicago and the developer is dedicated to helping other builders and developers learn from their project.
- Strong biodiversity benefits via mature trees and dedicated resident garden boxes on an outdoor terrace. Green spaces cover almost 2000 m2, and the project offers experimental support to the neighbouring high-school and associations.
- The project will host locally owned retail businesses that center community needs and promote environmental sustainability.
- Several resiliency & adaptation solutions and passive bioclimatic design to palliate the heat-island effect ; and 100% of its storm water processed on-site.
Presentation of the site
Fifth City Commons is located at the corner of 5th Avenue and Kedzie Avenue, two blocks east of historic Garfield Park in East Garfield Park, west of downtown Chicago. The area is well-served by transit and part of a broader City of Chicago initiative to reinvest in the neighborhood.
Garfield Park, a 185-acre green space, has been central to this 130-year-old community, which includes landmarks like the Golden Dome fieldhouse, the Garfield Park Conservatory, greystone homes, and a mosaic-clad CTA Green Line station. Originally built for factory workers, the neighborhood peaked at 70,000 residents in 1950 but has since declined to 20,567, with nearly 170 vacant city-owned lots.
To support revitalization, the City has launched initiatives such as the Large Lot Program and a community orchard/stormwater park to enhance recreation, urban gardening, and stormwater management. Fifth City Commons complements these efforts as a model for carbon-neutral, sustainable, and resilient redevelopment in historically disinvested neighborhoods.
Additional materials
For more information please visit POAH's project website Fifth City Commons or for leasing inquiries, please visit the Fifth City Commons leasing website
Watch the video of the ribbon cutting ceremony with the Mayor (January 2025)
Watch the General Contractor's video about building's construction: Bing Videos
Read more about the site here:
- City of Chicago: C40 Reinventing Cities Competition
- Chicago Tonight: City Eyes Affordable Housing in East Garfield Park
- Urbanize Chicago: Fifth City Commons celebrates grand opening
Download specific documents for this site
Information
Local zoning law allows for a wide variety of uses, such as multi-family residential units and ground-floor retail/commercial spaces. The City will consider zoning amendments to allow other innovative uses that enhance Chicago‘s workforce and residential opportunities.
Owner
The parcels are owned by the City of Chicago.
Plot area
The parcels for this competition involve two concentrations of city-owned, vacant lots located on both the north and south sides of 5th Avenue at the corner of Kedzie Avenue.
The northeast corner lot spans from 3138-3158 W. 5th and 117-135 S. Kedzie, and has approximately 0.75 acres of land. The southeast corner lot spans from 3137-3159 W. 5th and 201-213 S. Kedzie, and has approximately 0.73 acres of land.
Type of property transfer intended
While the City’s preference is for redevelopment of both corner lots for this site, bidders may also propose to reactivate only one of the corner lots.The City intends to sell both sites to the winning bidder(s). Transfer of ownership of the site would follow the City’s negotiated sale process, which requires final approval from Chicago’s City Council and Mayor.
