Kinzie Park

The City of Chicago enlisted the help of Eriksson Engineering Associates Ltd. (EEA) and other designers as part of a resurgence to develop residential communities on the near west, south, and north sides.

The Kinzie Park development was a partnership between the Enterprise Companies and the Habitat Company to provide 83 townhome units, one mid-rise building with 53 units, and one high-rise building with more than 100 units on approximately 6.5 acres. The site, located on the west side of the North Branch of the Chicago River, between Kinzie Street and Grand Avenue.

For many years, the project site was home to the City of Chicago, Department of Transportation, and Bridge Maintenance Yard, resulting in many abandoned utilities and unknown underground improvements. Barges would dock along the riverfront until ready for transport to a bridge along the river. Additionally, a freight tunnel under the north side of the site presented unique challenges, as it needed to be located and bulkheaded at the property line.

At a time when stormwater detention was required for all developments, this project was among the first to be exempted from the detention requirement due to its location along the river. After meeting several times with the Department of Sewers, EEA convinced the Department that detention would not be required and instead could be discharged directly into the river without overburdening their local combined system.