City seeks developer proposals for vacant lot across from Red Line's southern terminal

The city of Chicago and Chicago Transit Authority issued a Request for Proposals on Monday for a 2.5-acre parcel across from the 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line station in Roseland.

The city and CTA are looking for developer proposals that will reactivate the site through a mix of housing, retail and other uses, as multiple multimillion-dollar transit projects come to the South Side.

The vacant lot, an L-shaped parcel located at 12 E. 95th St., is owned by the CTA. The transit authority purchased the land as a construction/staging lot for the reconstruction of the 95th/Dan Ryan station and terminal, according to the RFP. The land was home to auto-related businesses until the CTA cleared the land and used it for construction staging during the reconstruction of the 95th/Dan Ryan station and terminal.

The 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line terminal rebuild was completed in 2019 and cost $290 million.

The city is looking to capitalize on the 95th/Dan Ryan rebuild, which it says serves more than 20,000 daily rail and bus passengers. Priority will be given to proposals “that generate new transit-oriented housing with retail and active uses,” according to the RFP.

Transit-oriented developments are located near public transit options, such as train or bus lines, and often require less parking due to that proximity. They also tend to include infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.

Experts say eliminating parking minimums near transit means more room to build housing, which can in turn lower building costs and rents.

“The site is a tremendous opportunity for transit-served investment at a major transit node, especially involving the area’s need for more senior housing, more Missing Middle housing and more retail,” DPD Commissioner Ciere Boatright said in a news release.

The RFP encourages developers to consider a mix of housing unit types “that maximize permitted density.” The RFP also requires developers to dedicate at least 40% of the multifamily housing to tenants and owners with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, or AMI.

In Chicago, that’s $71,940 in annual income for a family of four.

The RFP outlines one proposal as a framework for developers: A roughly $90 million investment composed of mixed-use buildings near 95th and State Streets, plus lower-density townhomes on 94th Street near Gillespie elementary school. The proposal also includes community green space and a building for offices or a business incubator.

A development of that scale could include up to 135 units of housing and more than 38,000 square feet of retail space, according to the RFP.

The RFP builds upon not just the new 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line terminal, but the forthcoming Red Line extension that will move the existing terminus at 95th/Dan Ryan five miles south to 130th Street.

Leaders have expressed confidence in the project despite the White House withholding $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure projects — including the Red Line extension. Groundwork is already underway, and the city says work to extend the Red Line is expected to start later this year.

Developers have until May 4 to submit proposals. The city will host a webinar for interested developers Feb. 23. at 3 p.m.