A rendering of the planned Chicago Fire Club practice facility on former Chicago Housing Authority land. (Courtesy of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.)

The facility is set to take over some 26 acres of Near West Side property that was part of the Addams-Brooks-Loomis-Abbott homes, known as ABLA. The Fire plans to build a “performance center” building and five and a half soccer fields.

(WTTW News)

The Chicago Housing Authority is facing a lot of criticism. Alderpeople are questioning how the department is using its resources, while residents said there isn’t enough housing and what they do have is in poor condition.

A rendering of the proposed training facility for the Chicago Fire on the city's Near West Side. (Provided)
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot should be investigated for accepting a $25,000 contribution to her re-election campaign from Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto, according to a complaint filed by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), who is running for re-election to the City Council.

A rendering of the planned Chicago Fire Club practice facility on former Chicago Housing Authority land. (Courtesy of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.)
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The Chicago Fire’s plan is set to transform the vacant Near West Side property into practice soccer fields and a training and administrative building. The empty land was part of the massive CHA complex known as the Addams-Brooks-Loomis-Abbott homes. 

The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons apartments opened in May 2022 near the Logan Square Blue Line station. (WTTW News)
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The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons apartments opened in May near the Logan Square Blue Line station. The seven-story complex, which features retail space and 100 affordable units. In Pilsen, the Pilsen Housing Cooperative offers a blueprint for community-led affordable housing. 

(Patrick Leger, special to ProPublica)
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More than 30,000 people wait for homes from the Chicago Housing Authority. Meanwhile, a site that’s gone undeveloped for two decades is set to become a Chicago Fire practice facility.

When thousands of families were forced to move out of the ABLA Homes public housing complex two decades ago, leaders promised they would be able to come back to new housing. Now, after building less than a third of the promised new units, officials are moving to redevelop the largest plot of empty land at ABLA — but not for housing.

A rendering of the proposed training facility for the Chicago Fire on the city's Near West Side. (Provided)
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The Chicago Fire soccer team unveiled plans Thursday to transform 30 acres of vacant land on the city’s Near West Side into a training facility.

Diane McCoy Lee (Facebook photo)

When Diane McCoy Lee was named “Top Teen in Public Housing” in a 1962 Chicago Housing Authority contest, she was a straight-A student. But just a few years later, she was a college dropout in an abusive marriage.

Independence Branch Library (Facebook photo / Credit: Zuno Photography)

Chicago is using the resources of public libraries to address the need for mixed-income housing. Chicago Public Library Commissioner and CEO Brian Bannon explains.

A decadeslong public housing lawsuit has nearly come to an end, marking “a seminal moment in Chicago’s history,” according to a joint statement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CHA CEO Eugene Jones Jr.

A lawsuit against the Chicago Housing Authority is coming to an end. The lead counsel on that case tells us what it’s about – and its impact.

(Smart Chicago Collaborative's photostream / Flickr)

A plan to develop affordable housing units under the same roof as public libraries moved forward Wednesday, when Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the winning architects and developers for each of the three projects.

Demolition of one of the Robert Taylor Homes. (Daniel X. O'Neil / Flickr)

The Chicago Housing Authority is playing catch-up on a goal it planned to meet eight years ago. We speak with CHA CEO Eugene Jones about the city’s public housing plans.

Demolition of Cabrini-Green homes (Joe M500 / Wikimedia Commons)

Seventeen years after Mayor Daley launched his plan to transform the Chicago Housing Authority, WBEZ examines promises kept – and broken.

A new project aims to fill a void in a news cycle that has primarily centered on the issues young men face in the city.

The Chicago Public Library’s revamped Chinatown branch opened last year with a feng shui-influenced interior design and expansive views of the city. A design competition for three new CPL branches kicks off next year. (Steven Kevil / Wikimedia Commons)

A new partnership between the Chicago Housing Authority and Chicago Public Libraries will put affordable housing and learning centers under the same roof in three city neighborhoods.