Fox Valley Apartments to Convert Historic School into Workforce Housing in Aurora

Housing for All, in collaboration with Visionary Ventures, Cordogan Clark & Associates, and JTE Real Estate Services, has finalized the construction of Fox Valley Apartments, a 47-unit affordable housing project in Aurora, Illinois. This development aims to provide workforce housing and involved the adaptive reuse of two historic schools along with the construction of a new building.

Construction and Design

McShane Construction Co. acted as the general contractor, with Cordogan Clark & Associates handling the design aspects of the redevelopment. The project was approved by the Aurora City Council in October 2021 and involved transforming two historic schools into housing units. The development cost $22.8 million, funded through a mix of LIHTC equity, a permanent mortgage, donation tax credits, a construction note, a bridge loan, and incentives from the City of Aurora. The community, designed for NGBS Silver Certification, offers studio to three-bedroom units ranging from 400 to 1,173 square feet. Amenities include a computer lab, tenant storage, and community rooms.

Affordable Housing Allocation

Of the 47 units, 15 are designated for households earning at or below 30 percent of the area median income (AMI), while 32 units are for those earning at or below 60 percent of AMI. Additionally, 8 units are allocated for permanent supportive housing.

Historic School Redevelopment

The redevelopment focused on the Abraham Lincoln School and the Mary A. Todd School. The Abraham Lincoln School, which originally opened in 1891, was expanded in 1926 and 1928 and served the West Aurora School District 129 until its closure in 2009. This 39,000-square-foot building now houses 14 affordable units. Adjacent to it, a new 28,000-square-foot building was constructed, adding 22 units.

The Mary A. Todd School, opened in 1934 and used as an early childhood education center until 2019, has been converted into 11 affordable apartments and a health clinic for low-income families. This 25,000-square-foot building is located within 2 miles of the Abraham Lincoln School, near the Fox River and downtown Chicago.

Comparable Projects

A similar redevelopment occurred in Buffalo, New York, where Community Services for Every1 and Edgemere Development transformed a 57,870-square-foot school into a 42-unit affordable housing community, named Apartments at the Lyceum.