Client: St. John Temple Community Development Corporation
Architect & Planner: iJDesign Studio (Lead) Urban Works, Ltd.
Services: Program & Project Management
Over the course of a year, Urban Equities, Inc. assisted this faith-based community development corporation with translating their vision into a multi-year community revitalization Program; facilitated key meetings with City & County planning staff; made introductions to bank lenders; and led the effort with financing applications.
Update meetings with the church congregation and the churches church officers were also included.
Our technical expertise has positioned the CDC with critical details necessary to advance efforts towards organizing real estate developments Projects that align with the overall Program.
Client: Related Midwest (Formerly LR Development)
Services: General Contracting
Roosevelt Square, a 137-acre HOPE IV multi-phase, mixed-income development. In its capacity as a JV Partner, Urban Equities participated in the construction of Phase I which included over 400 units of combined for-sale and affordable rentals.
Replacement housing for the Chicago Housing Authority was also included.
Client: St. Bernard Hospital Community Development Corporation
Architect: Lisec & Biederman, Ltd.
Services: Developer & General Contractor
Bernard Place is a newly built 45-unit single-family housing development in collaboration with St. Bernard Catholic Hospital and the City of Chicago. It acted as a significant catalyst for fostering economic and community development benefits while restoring the vitality of the community.
This development won the prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Neighborhood Development Project of the Year.
Our technical expertise included end-to-end tasks such as team assembly, design-build, marketing & sales, and managing the sales closing process.
Client: SOS Children’s Villages of IL
Architect: Smith & Smith
Services: General Contracting
In an effort to provide foster children with hope and a sense of belonging, the SOS Children’s Villages Illinois pairs professional foster parents with new housing in support of these children while anticipating reconnection between them and their biological parent(s).
Situated on a 7-acre parcel, this Project is comprised of 3-story, 2-family homes and
were built to the highest design and efficiency standards. By all accounts, it transformed a former brownfield into a multi-faceted affordable housing enclave and a 25,000 SF community center that houses a daycare center, meeting rooms and other amenities.
Urban Equities provided a range of services, including Project Planning and Construction Management.
Client: Quest Development Group
Architect: Smith & Smith
Services: General Contracting
Langston Cove, an affordable for-sale housing development. Urban Equities Construction LLC built twenty-eight two-unit homes consisting of 2-story, three-bedroom owner’s unit and a two-bedroom in-law rental unit.
Client: Avalon Park LP
Architect: Lisec & Biederman, Ltd.
Services: Developer & General Contracting
The Estates of Avalon Park is an attractive, newly built 21-unit housing development offering three similar, but distinctly different housing styles. This project acted as a prelude to the adjacent Montclare Senior Residence, a newly built large-scale senior rental housing development.
Client: Bronzeville Pointe LP
Architect: Lisec & Biederman, Ltd.
Services: Co-Developer & Construction Manager
Bronzeville Pointe is a luxury gated community of 18 attached two- to three-unit condominiums (12) and townhouses (6) ranging from 1,700 to 2,500 square feet.
This development architecturally changed the look of this Historic Black community (Bronzeville) that was born out of the Great Migration and Chicago’s Restrictive Covenants, policies that undergirded housing discrimination, thereby contributing to limited housing options for Blacks fleeing the Jim Crow South in the early 1900s. This development also marked the beginning of Bronzeville’s resurgence.
Bronzeville Pointe received accolades as the Community Development Project of the Year from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Client: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Building Foundation (National Office)
Architect: Lisec & Biederman, Ltd.
Services: Owners Representative
Alpha Homes, a newly built set of three luxury for-sale homes (2,266 SF each) in the Historic Bronzeville community were part of the Foundation’s housing and economic development plan and a national effort to revitalize economically deprived areas impacting African Americans.
This development trailed Chicago’s extensive planning development efforts for the Bronzeville community.
The homes were built on the site of the Fraternity’s former National Headquarters Office (4432 S. King Drive).
Urban Equities’ Founder and CEO is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Client: Cornell Place LP
Services: Co-Developer & Construction Manager
Cornell Place in South Shore is a newly built 21-unit single family housing development that changed three residential blocks in the South Shore community.
As one of Chicago’s first “City Lots for City Living” projects, this development has been celebrated for its architectural variety.
Urban Equities’ Founder and CEO purchased one of these homes, residing there for over 24 years while helping to raise what are now two young adult children.
The Chicago OPC Builders, a single-purpose Joint Venture entity, was established for the express purpose of securing a construction management services agreement to construct the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
The Chicago OPC Builders consisted of W.E. O’Neil Construction, Milhouse Engineering & Construction, II in One Contractors, The Davis Group, Urban Equities, Inc., Miro Development and R.M. Chin & Associates. Our team brought a unique set of qualifications to the Obama Presidential Center RFQ Response in 2017.
Our team was not selected for the Construction Manager role despite an impressive effort.
Client: Obama Foundation
Architect & Planner: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Contractor: Interactive Design Architects
JV Partnership: Chicago OPC Builders
Soul City Kitchens is a new start-up curated by Urban Equities, Inc. This brand will offer test kitchen space and cutting-edge shared commercial kitchen incubation facilities. The fully licensed shared kitchens will be rented on an as-needed basis to food entrepreneurs, including both culinary and pastry chefs, ghost kitchen operators and food trucks seeking to build & grow their businesses.
The project’s vision is to provide equitable access to commercial kitchen space for food entrepreneurs; innovate the food industry while revitalizing the communities it enters; and, prioritize the community by listening and responding to their needs as best it can.
As an adaptive re-use project, Soul City Kitchens will first launch at a Chicago-owned property that has been vacant for many years. After construction completion, the project will pay property taxes, adding to the City’s revenues.
This project is in partnership with Alderman Patricia Dowell (3rd Ward) and the City of Chicago Department of Planning & Development which approved a $4.3M Grant towards the capital stack, along with a zoning change to commercial use. Additionally, with a $100,000 predevelopment grant, The Chicago Community Trust was an early-stage adopter of this transformative community vision.
Soul City Kitchens will play a key role in driving new job creation, business development, and community wealth-building.
Client: Innovation Enterprises Holdings LLC
Architect & Planner: SmithGroup, Chicago
Interior Designer: TnS Studio
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: Curator/Developer/Owner
Website: www.SoulCityKitchens.com
Build-out of a 3,200 SF commercial shared kitchen and refresh of existing bathrooms. New work included: mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, along with fire sprinkler heads and fire alarm notification system connected to a new Larkin model exhaust hood; cold & dry storage equipment; commercial cooking equipment, and, black iron.
On behalf of client, we engaged a firm to curate interior branding elements in support of a growing catering business.
Client: Bailey’s Catering LLC
Architect & Planner: Eben Smith
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: General Contracting
Interior build-out of a 2,160 SF, Black woman-owned architecture headquarter office during the 2019 global Pandemic. Work took place in an Historic Landmark condominium building in downtown Chicago.
Among other new work, floor dig-out and connection to a waste sewer line located over 1,000 LF in an indoor car garage. The new space required a self-contained HVAC system, however it was necessary to tie into infrastructure located in the condo building garage. All new electrical and plumbing systems, including new bathrooms with new underground drainage were installed. New fire sprinkler heads and a fire alarm notification system were connected to the existing building.
The project was further challenged due to work-at-a-distance conditions because of COVID-19 conditions. Despite the challenges, contractor hiring exceeded 30% for MBE vendors, and 6% for WBE.
Client: Brook Architecture
Architect & Planner: Brook Architecture
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: General Contracting
Interior build-out of a 3,070 SF, Latina-owned architecture headquarter office. Work took place in a high-rise office building in downtown Chicago on the 20th floor.
Urban Equities led the financial analysis process to help the client choose the best value office space among several options that were under review. The client was under pressure to vacate their existing office space by a specified date.
Among other new work, the new space required a HVAC system acceptable for tie-in to a still-evolving system infrastructure that was undergoing an update. All new electrical through-out, and a plumbing system for a kitchen were installed. New fire sprinkler heads and a fire alarm notification system were connected to the existing building.
The project was challenged in several ways, including the building owner undertaking a building-wide remodel program combined with random operating failure of the freight elevator. Throughout the project creative solutions were provided on site to address various unseen issues which can occur during remodels.
Despite the challenges, contractor hiring exceeded 40% for MBE vendors, and 3% for WBE.
The project was presented a Design Award for Architect’s Office by the Association of Licensed Architects.
Client: Urban Works, Ltd.
Architect & Planner: Urban Works, Ltd.
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: General Contracting
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) is a non-profit that is highly engaged with the neighborhoods of Chicago and provides homeownership and financial training courses, the primary activities to take place in the new 4,000 SF office space.
While facing budget constraints, NHS engaged Canopy Architecture to optimize their creative capabilities by using finish materials that would enable them to design a vibrant space that met the future vision of a Neighborhood Homebuyer Counseling Office.
As the general contractor, Urban Equities Construction LLC, completed the interior build-out on the first floor of a former Bank building.
We posted strong vendor diversity results on this job with over 45% MBE and 5% WBE contractors.
Client: Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago
Architect & Planner: Canopy Architecture
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: General Contracting
The Chicago OPC Builders, a single-purpose Joint Venture entity, was established for the express purpose of securing a construction management services agreement to construct the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
The Chicago OPC Builders consisted of W.E. O’Neil Construction, Milhouse Engineering & Construction, II in One Contractors, The Davis Group, Urban Equities, Inc., Miro Development and R.M. Chin & Associates. Our team brought a unique set of qualifications to the Obama Presidential Center RFQ Response in 2017.
Our team was not selected for the Construction Manager role despite an impressive effort.
Client: Kanakmal Jain Family LLC
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: Construction Management
As the Owner’s Representative, we acted as the conduit between the church client and the general contractor. The scope of work included rebuild of the choir loft and pulpit area; addition of a second floor to the office annex; and, installation of a Lula Lift that joined the two building sections.
While maintaining active lines of communication with the church pastor, we also reported out to the Board of Trustees at scheduled time.
Client: Canaan African Methodist Episcopal Church
Contractor: Best American Contractors
Services: Owner’s Representative
Since 1847, this historic church has stood in Chicago. Given its age and the wear and tear that it has suffered over time, substantial building improvements and space re-use planning have required the skills and advice of Urban Equities.
Our Project & Facilities Planning and Construction Management consultation has been engaged relative to the church’s physical plant & equipment upgrades; contractor selections; space planning; bid analysis; and, a host of other functions.
Client: Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Architect & program Manager: JaqCorp
Services: Consulting
Urban Equities had the wonderful pleasure of working on this terra cotta building by providing Project & Facilities Planning & Construction services. While working with the client, a green, sustainable roof system was installed. We also advised the client and provided construction management services for the design and build-out of a high-tech conference center.
Client: Bally’s Corporation
Architect: STL Architects
Contractor: CCBC – Gilbane Lead
Services: Development Management
JV Partners: DM Associates & Ardmore Roderick
The Bally’s Chicago temporary casino maximizes potential tax revenue for the city of Chicago by retrofitting an existing building that opened two to three years before the permanent casino. The selected temporary facility, the vacant Medinah Temple in River North, was extensively restored in the early 2000s and previously occupied by a Bloomingdale’s home store. The landmark exterior needed only modifications to flags and signage for the temporary casino. Renovations to the three-story interior remove retail-focused features and accommodate 800 gaming positions, as well as food and beverage options.
Urban Equities, Inc., in partnership with DMA (Lead) and Ardmore Roderick worked with Bally’s Chicago to support development progress on the temporary facility. Steps included conducting community engagement sessions and gaining plan approval from the Chicago Landmark Commission. The Bally’s Chicago temporary operation is expected to generate $55 million in taxes for Chicago.
Urban Equities, Inc. played a leadership role in designing a vendor procurement process that helped Bally’s to drive execution of diversity and inclusion goals.
Client: Northern Associates, Inc.
Contractor: Urban Equities Construction LLC
Services: General Contracting
To increase its revenue potential while also satisfying Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regulations, a private BP Amoco operator hired Urban Equities Construction to deliver project planning and general contracting services.
The facility was re-designed and expanded, while new underground storage tanks were installed, all without interruption to the customer experience.
Our past experience in procuring No Further Remediation Letters (NFR) added value to our client’s efforts.
Urban Equities, Inc. is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise with the City of Chicago and the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.
