City Seeks Redevelopment Proposals for Nearly 500 Vacant Properties

A pair of former fire stations in Woodlawn and Rogers Park, transit-oriented development sites in Englewood, and multiple Missing Middle infill housing opportunities on the West Side are among 486 City-owned properties being made available for private purchase starting Wednesday Oct. 1, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) Commissioner Ciere Boatright announced today.

"Each of these locations represent a choice opportunity to invest and contribute to neighborhood growth, re-population and community-wealth building," Boatright said.

Approximately 440 parcels are being offered individually, with the remainder made available through DPD Requests for Rroposals (RFPs) processes.

Detailed property information, application links and RFP program guides are available on the City's land sale portal at ChiBlockBuilder.com.

The RFP sites include:

• 63rd and Ashland, where eight City-owned parcels and CTA-owned parking lot are available for mixed-use redevelopment projects that leverage proximity to the nearby Green Line station. Ranging from approximately 21,350 to 115,000 square feet, the sites are collectively valued at $487,150, pending recommended B3-3 zoning designations.
• Former Engine Co. #102 Fire Station at 1721-23 W. Greenleaf Ave. in Rogers Park. Commercial re-use proposals for the historic building, erected in 1915, are preferred. The property is valued at $350,000, pending a recommended B3-2 zoning designation.
• Woodlawn/Washington Park Vacant City buildings, including the former Engine Co. #63 fire station at 1417 E. 62nd Place, a former Street and Sanitation building at 6407 S. Evans Ave., and the former Betsy Ross elementary school at 6034 S. Wabash Ave., are available for redevelopment. Adaptive re-use proposals for the fire station, erected in 1915 and valued at $440,900, are preferred.
• 'Missing Middle' sites, including six clusters of 29 vacant lots in East and West Garfield Park and one cluster of four vacant lots in McKinley Park, are available for two- to six-unit new construction projects. The sites represent the third round of DPD's Missing Middle infill housing initiative, which offers development incentives for participating developers.

Missing Middle and individual parcel applications are due by midnight Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. RFP responses are due by midnight Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

For more information, visit ChiBlockBuilder.com, Chicago.gov/RFPs and Chicago.gov/MissingMiddle.