A housing developer based in Barcelona is planning to redevelop a massive swath of land on Chicago’s South Shore, with upwards of 12,000 new homes being proposed for the South Works steel property. Citing sources familiar with the site, Crain’s Chicago Business reported on Monday that Barcelona Housing System and WELink have reached an agreement with U.S. Steel to purchase a 430-acre piece of land that stretches from 79th Street to the Calumet River.
The masterplan for what’s being dubbed Chicago 8080 calls for the construction of 12,000 homes in a new residential area along the shore of Lake Michigan. According to Barcelona Housing System’s website, the “urbanization process” would cover more than 30 blocks and work would be divided into four phases, with each phase consisting of approximately 3,000 homes.
“This approach follows the BHS concept based on the city of Barcelona, allowing the land use to be optimized for infrastructure and improving the quality of life,” the housing developer said on its website. “It will allow residents to enjoy this new 21st Century urban planning concept, with extensive green spaces, sustainable internal mobility, high use of renewable energies, common social areas, digital urban and community processes, urban vegetable gardens, etc.”
If realized, the joint venture between BHS and WELink would produce one of the largest residential developments in Chicago’s history, according to Crain’s.
Representatives from the developers or U.S. Steel have not publicly announced specific details of the plan. However, project renderings on BHS’s website depict a residential community filled with a mixture low- to mid-rise buildings, intersected by a redeveloped harbor and capped off with a new lakefront park.
Check out some renderings of the proposed 8080 Lakeshore development below.
Courtesy Barcelona Housing System
Courtesy Barcelona Housing System
Courtesy Barcelona Housing System
Courtesy Barcelona Housing System
Courtesy Barcelona Housing System
Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.