The recently opened 51-unit affordable housing development, Harvey Lofts, has been hailed by city officials as a key step in revitalizing Harvey’s downtown. While some residents and officials question how the complex will fare, they are also hopeful it will serve as a catalyst for change.
The complex, on 154th Street and Broadway Avenue in the 2nd Ward, is situated next to Harvey’s City Hall and within walking distance of the Pace Harvey Transportation Center, which is set for a $70 million reconstruction in 2026. This project will revamp the bus terminal and create a direct connection to the Metra Electric Line Harvey Station.
Jackqulin Kazee, community manager at Harvey Lofts, said thousands have applied for a spot at the complex since the waitlist opened in August. Following the grand opening Feb. 12, Kazee said she has received a thousand more.
“Affordable housing is just needed, especially in the south suburbs,” Kazee said.
Harvey Lofts is a $20 million private project developed by Pivotal Housing Partners, an Ohio-based real estate developer that manages more than 7,000 units across 15 states, according to its website.
The complex shows promise and could help boost the city’s economy, according to 2nd Ward Ald. Colby Chapman. However, she worries that while attracting people to Harvey is important, the city faces a lack of businesses to meet the needs of the community.
“Where are they going to shop?” Chapman said. “We have one local grocer, you know, one stop food and liquor here in the downtown. What we don’t have is a variety of options.”
Wyllys Mann, Pivotal’s senior vice president of development for the Upper Midwest, said the company began working on the project in 2021. The city provided Pivotal with 1.8 acres of land at a discounted rate, along with a 15-year tax abatement, he said.
A key factor in developing the property in Harvey was its prime location next to a major transit hub, which aligned with the city’s redevelopment plan for the downtown area, Mann said.
“It was a match from the start,” Mann said. “All projects have their fits and starts, but from the goals, I think they were conceiving of our project before we even got there.”
The project was funded by a $12 million equity investment through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and a Cook County permanent loan using federal Home Investment Partnerships Program funds, Mann said. The Illinois Housing Development Authority also contributed American Rescue Plan Act funds given out during the COVID-19 pandemic to help governments recover, he said.
The Harvey Lofts website promotes spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom modern apartments offered at subsidized rates. There are income limits for eligibility that range from $47,100 annually for a one-person household, increasing based on household size, with the cap for an eight-person household set at $88,800, according to Kazee.
The average household income can’t exceed 80% of the median income in Cook County, Mann said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in the county in 2023 was $81,797.
One-bedroom units are priced at $467 per month, two-bedrooms are available for $687 per month and three-bedroom units range from $764 to $1,256, Kazee said.
All eight one-bedroom apartments in the building are designated as Statewide Referral Network units, meaning they are reserved for individuals referred by the state, Kazee said. These units are available to those with incomes at or below 30% of the area’s median income, and the head of household must have a disability or illness, according to the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
The building also offers units that are fully accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, featuring lowered cabinets and shelving, as well as sensory units for individuals who are hard of hearing or Deaf, Kazee said.
The only remaining units are the 12 project-based voucher units through the Housing Authority of Cook County, where residents contribute a portion of their income toward rent, and the housing authority subsidizes the remainder, Kazee said.
The building is also has a parking lot, small outdoor playground, fitness center and community room.
Officials broke ground on the residential complex in 2023, hailing the project as setting the stage for a prosperous future in Harvey.
“Harvey Lofts is more than a building — it’s a symbol of progress, resilience, and a brighter future for our city,” said Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark in a news release shared after the grand opening.
While there has been a lot of support for the project, some feedback has been mixed. Longtime Harvey resident Firoz Vohra opposed the development when it was first brought forward.
Vohra, whose family has lived on 152nd Street and Broadway Avenue since 1970, said he circulated a petition to oppose the zoning change for the project. His concerns focused on public safety, noting the city’s history of high crime rates and declining property values, and he doesn’t believe adding more residents downtown will automatically attract more businesses.
Kazee, who grew up in Harvey and has been present for some of the city’s decline, disagrees.
“Businesses don’t come where there’s no people,” she said. “If there’s no people here in a concentrated area, if the demographics don’t support the economic investment, they don’t come.”
All throughout building Harvey Lofts and since opening, Kazee said Harvey police have kept a watchful eye on the development. Pivotal installed an antenna on the roof that lets Harvey police see the entire city, and they also have access to the building’s cameras, she said.
Vohra expressed mixed feelings about the project and said he hopes to see more community discussion about public safety now it is open.
“We hope it will benefit the community, or the larger revitalization of Harvey downtown,” Vohra said. “But at the same time, if you look across from the window there’s boarded up apartments, and at night it gets very quiet and deserted, you can hardly find anybody. So there are some concerns.”
For Kazee, misinformation driven by preconceived notions about affordable housing projects has unfairly shaped public opinion.
“I wish the community, the public, were more supportive. Just because we built affordable housing, why does it have to be a roach motel? Why does it have to be the projects?” she said.
“If you see people when they actually come to see their unit, if you hear them when I call and I tell them I’m at their name on the wait list, and you see how much of a blessing it is to people, I just don’t think people would have the same mindset.”
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
