Skender, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and other community leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of Fifth City Commons, a 43-unit affordable housing complex and retail space set to transform 1.5 acres on Chicago’s West Side, which have been vacant for decades.

The three-story, mixed-use building will offer sustainable one-, two- and three-bedroom rental units in East Garfield Park. Skender will serve as the general contractor in a joint venture partnership with Ashlaur Construction; architects Perkins + Will and Nia; and engineering firms dbHMS, Rubinos & Mesia Engineers, Omni Ecosystems, and TERRA Engineering.

The City of Chicago provided the bulk of the financing in the form of Tax Increment Financing and HOME Investment Partnership Program assistance, sales tax bonds, 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), and tax-exempt bonds. The complex will be all-electric, with sustainable features such as triple pane windows and air sealing to lower the building’s energy needs in accordance with Passive House principles.