OAK PARK, IL—Interfaith Housing Development Corp. has hired McShane Construction Co. to redevelop a former office building into a 51-unit affordable housing complex here at 442 S. Grove Avenue.
McShane is working on the former two-story Comcast office building at the intersection of Madison Street and Grove Avenue. McShane will renovate the two existing floors of the building, add two additional stories to the building and repurpose a 5,233 sq. ft. retail component on the ground floor. The new building will be called Grove Apartments, and should be complete sometime this fall.
Jeffrey Raday, president at McShane, said in a statement that the renovated structure will feature sustainable elements including a geothermal HVAC system, Energy Star appliances and low-E windows. The site will also incorporate water-efficient landscaping and will achieve a 30 percent water-use reduction.
The development will be funded primarily through Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The developer partnered with the Oak Park Housing Authority and Catholic Charities to assist single individuals who are income-eligible and qualified for supportive, independent living.
Raday said the project will return a vacant building to productive use. “The addition of the ground floor retail component will also assist in attracting retailers to the building, furthering the revitalization of this portion of Madison Street,” he said.
