22 City lots valued at $1.5 million would sell for $1 each on Tuesday's housing agenda, most in North Lawndale and Humboldt Park

Two builders would get lots under City Lots for Working Families. Sixteen more lots go to individual buyers at 10% of market value through ChiBlockBuilder, and a Bronzeville parcel sells for $240,000.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Nov 13, 2026

The Committee on Housing and Real Estate meets at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Room 201A at City Hall with six City land sales on its agenda: 40 parcels in all, in 11 wards. Chair Byron Sigcho-López (25th) has said votes will be taken (agenda, meeting page).

Why it matters: vacant City lots are some of the cheapest land a builder can get, and the Council decides who gets them and on what terms. The two biggest items this week sell 22 lots for $1 apiece. The City's own figures put those lots' value at about $1.54 million.

$1 lots for two builders

Both sales are under City Lots for Working Families, the City's program for selling lots at a nominal price to build homes for working families. Each was filed by the Mayor on Oct. 14.

24th Ward, North Lawndale: 16 lots on South Troy Street, South Albany Avenue and West 19th Street to Citizens Building a Better Community LLC (O2026-0029491). The agenda lists their values at $9,345 to $34,215, about $297,000 in all.
26th Ward, Humboldt Park and West Town: six lots on North Kedzie, Christiana, Artesian, Maplewood, Monticello and Drake avenues to a company the agenda lists as Inherentance (O2026-0029492). Listed values run from $107,369 to $284,375, about $1.25 million in all, more than four times the 24th Ward set for fewer than half as many lots.

Each ordinance comes with a redevelopment agreement setting what must be built and by when. The copies posted with the record are scanned images we couldn't search, so we haven't confirmed the home counts or sale-price limits.

ChiBlockBuilder sales

Three more items go through ChiBlockBuilder, the City's land sale portal:

Sixteen lots to individual buyers at 10% of market value, from $600 to $25,971, in the 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 27th and 37th wards (O2026-0029496, O2026-0029493). The buyers are private residents, whom we don't name. The 16th Ward has the most, four.
3756 S. Lake Park Ave., 4th Ward: to Square Construction Inc. for $240,000 (O2026-0029488).
11954-11958 S. State St., 9th Ward: to Rescue 8 Education & Training Division Inc. for $1 (O2026-0029494).

What our records add

The same builder, last year. Citizens Building a Better Community got 12 City lots on East 46th Street and South Evans Avenue under the same program in a 2025 ordinance that also modified program requirements and cut or waived some fees. The Council passed it 49 to 0 on Sept. 25, 2025, with Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th) absent (O2025-0018223).

How each ward voted

49 yea, 1 absent · Sep 25, 2025 · Passed

Yea Nay Absent

O2025-0018223: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

Land sales rarely split the Council. Our records hold 18 roll calls this term on ChiBlockBuilder or City Lots for Working Families sales; none drew a single no vote. The real decisions happen here, in committee, and in the ward: by long practice the local alderperson's view carries most weight.

What's next

If the committee approves them Tuesday, the sales could reach the full Council on Dec. 8. Written comments go to committeeonhousingandrealestate@cityofchicago.org until 5 p.m. Monday, and speakers at the meeting get up to three minutes for all items, per the committee's notice (meeting page).