SPRINGFIELD, IL - Related Midwest, one of the region’s leading developers of affordable housing, today announced the waitlist for affordable apartments at Poplar Place, a 100-unit affordable family apartment community in Springfield, Ill., is currently open and renovated homes are now available to lease.
Working closely with local officials, the city of Springfield and the Springfield Housing Authority, Related Midwest and contractor LR Contracting Company is in the process of transforming Poplar Place, which was constructed in 1950, into a modern community comprising 100 apartments within single-family and duplex homes. The $44.8 million redevelopment includes de-densifying the existing property and fully rehabbing a total of 75 buildings. It also features the creation of a 2.5-acre Great Lawn for gathering and social interaction, a new community center with a full kitchen, a playground area, walking paths and a management office.
“The renovation of Poplar Place is transformative for the East Side of Springfield and the greater Springfield community, and we’re thrilled to welcome the first families to their new homes,” said Sarah Wick, Senior Vice President at Related Midwest. “Today, Poplar Place is more vibrant than ever, with residences that have been modernized inside and out and beautiful common areas that foster community and enjoyment of nature.”
Related Midwest’s rehabilitation of Poplar Place builds on the company’s mission to preserve and improve affordable housing. As one of the largest owners and operators of affordable housing in the Midwest, Related Midwest has never converted an affordable unit to market-rate.
The company’s rehabilitation of the property, reimagined by Evan Lloyd Architects and constructed by Related Midwest’s LR Contracting Company, includes modernizing interior finishes; replacing kitchens and bathrooms; and installing new energy-efficient appliances, lighting and heating systems. Residences now feature wide-plank flooring throughout, Whirlpool stainless steel appliances, Delta fixtures and accessories, and in-home laundry. The extensive exterior renovation work involves installing new roofing and windows and the removal and replacement of exterior siding. A one-car garage will be newly constructed for each of the 50 single-family homes.
The affordable apartments range from two to four bedrooms, with monthly rents between $800 and $925. The apartments are income-restricted, with qualified incomes ranging from $41,760 to $78,660 based on household size.
Applications can be completed online, mailed, e-mailed or picked up at the management office, located at 902 S. 25th St. and open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All completed applications received will be logged in order of date and time-stamped. A $35 application fee in the form of a money order for every household member 18 years of age or older must be submitted with the completed application.
In line with their longstanding community hiring practices, Related Midwest and LR Contracting Company have hired local laborers for the redevelopment, including many people who currently or previously lived at Poplar Place.
About Related Midwest: Related Midwest, the Chicago office of Related Companies, is the preeminent developer of mixed-use properties, affordable housing communities, and luxury condominium and rental homes across Chicago. The company commands a portfolio of residential, mixed-use and master-planned properties, including pioneering projects like The 78 where the company is heading a transformational development on 62 acres in the heart of downtown Chicago to create the city’s next great neighborhood. Related Midwest is also the largest developer of affordable housing in the Midwest, with more than 10,000 units, and has never converted an affordable unit to market rate.
The firm’s other market-defining projects include ultra-luxury residential tower One Bennett Park, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, with adjacent park by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; Fulton Market’s The Row, the first high-rise in Chicago co-built by a Black-owned general contractor (BOWA Construction); luxury rental towers 500 N. Lake Shore Drive and OneEleven; Lathrop, an ongoing restoration and redevelopment of the historic Julia C. Lathrop Homes into a mixed-income community; 400 Lake Shore, two residential towers situated where the river meets the lake in Chicago, and Roosevelt Square, an innovative 120-acre multi-phase development on Chicago’s west side.
For more than 30 years, Related Midwest has been an industry leader in community commitment and routinely sets the bar for measurable equity, diversity and inclusion standards on all of its projects. The company is deeply committed to improving neighborhoods, creating sustainable opportunities for small businesses and community residents, and building inspirational places and homes for all. Related Midwest’s business model is built on partnership with minority- and women-owned firms as well as mentorship of small minority- and women-owned businesses as they launch and grow. The firm is a founding partner in HIRE360, a first-of-its-kind community partnership designed to expand professional development and employment opportunities in the trades.