The “Teachers Village” project proposed for the Von Humboldt building in Humboldt Park last November was presented once again to community members at a meeting in May — this time, as a scaled-back version with a higher percentage of affordable housing, more accessible open spaces, and fewer apartments and townhomes. The project was met with resistance last year over concerns from residents that the cost would be too high, causing even more displacement in the neighborhood, according to a DNA info report.

Development team RBH Group and IFF proposed the Teachers Village on Rockwell Street to have a total of 87 residential units, including 82 apartments and five townhomes. Of those residential spaces, 28 percent will be made into affordable housing, 24 percent for middle-income residents, and 48 as market-rate. This is compared with the 20 percent affordable units, 30 percent middle-income, and 50 percent market-rate units proposed last year.

The newest proposal also calls for 21 fewer parking spaces.

The Von Humboldt Teachers Village is intended to be a space where work, education, and living meet. The proposal includes a 15,000-square-foot market with communal seating and 5,000 square feet of additional retail. The village would also offer classes — some of them free — in topics including winemaking, gardening, and finance. Classes would be demand-based so community members could weigh in on their interests.

At the meeting, neighbors were more receptive to the project since its modifications. In the area that hugs The 606 trail, gentrification is an issue that is driving out longtime residents. Still, residents are concerned with the project’s direct benefit to themselves and their community. 

"You have an empty school building here that's not paying taxes to the city. [With this project], you'll have an active site. Talking about the security concerns ... the best security you can have is activating a building. People living here, eyes on the street," Ron Beit, CEO of RBH Group, said in the meeting. 

The project is modeled after a similar development by RBH Group in downtown Newark, NJ, which includes a daycare center, apartments, retail, and three charter schools.

If all goes well with the new proposal, the construction could be completed by August 2019.