In 2019, the Department of Housing put out a request for proposals for the redevelopment of the site, which the Trust for Public Land had originally acquired given rising gentrification in the area during the planning and construction of The 606, according to the news release. The development of Encuentro Square —which sits on the site of a former factory — is a collaborative effort between local nonprofit housing developer Latin United Community Housing Association and Chicago-based Evergreen Real Estate Group.

David Block, director of development for Evergreen Real Estate Group, said Chicago has done a good job of continuing to attract young professionals coming out of college, most of whom are looking for one- and two-bedroom apartments, but that size unit does not work for everyone. The idea for Encuentro Square grew out of community conversations where residents and the local alderman at the time, Roberto Maldonado, articulated that gentrification caused by the trail development was displacing families and causing a need for the creation of more family housing, Block said.

“Chicago is such a big city, and it is still a city where people choose to stay and raise their families and send their kids to school,” Block said. “And as family housing becomes less and less affordable, it’s hard for Chicago to be economically and socially healthy if families are struggling to find housing. So, we see (this project) as a modest contribution to the overall health of Chicago as a city.”

By Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune