Story by Diana Pando. Photos by Eddie Quiñones
On Thursday, February 5, 2015, The Resurrection Project (TRP), Deputy Mayor Steve Koch, Alderman Daniel “Danny” Solis, partners, and community stakeholders celebrated the start of Casa Queretaro’s construction with a shovel ceremony. Casa Querétaro, now under construction on the corner of 17^th and Damen, will create 45 units of quality, affordable housing in Pilsen. More than 100 people attended the ceremony, which was held at Orozco Community Academy and kicked off a yearlong celebration leading up to TRP’s Imagine More 25^th Anniversary Gala.
Casa Querétaro will be a four-story state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building that will replace the empty lot on the corner of Damen and 17th Street. Units will be available at below-market rates to provide quality, affordable housing options for individuals and families.
This project is almost 20 years in the making and a result of neighbors and community leaders advocating to convert the empty lot into a vibrant community asset. The abandoned silos that used to be on the empty light attracted drug users, criminals, and vandals, creating an unsafe space for neighbors and the children of Orozco Academy across the street.
“Casa Querétaro will be made possible thanks to power of community organizing to effect change and positively transform the neighborhood,” said Raul Raymundo, CEO of TRP, as he introduced Alicia Rocha and Father Charles Dahm, longtime Pilsen residents who were part of the effort to transform the vacant lot.

“The silos and vacant lot,” said Alicia Rocha, “were a magnet for criminal activity, garbage, and rat infestations. We were a forgotten and neglected street. But thanks to the work of The Resurrection Project and Alderman Solis, there will be housing for families and individuals. It will create a vibrant and healthy neighborhood for everyone in that area.”
Casa Querétaro will have five wheelchair-accessible units. Two TRP tenants, Juanita and Arturo Gallegos, stressed the importance of quality, affordable homes that were also handicapped accessible.
“It’s important that more developers do what The Resurrection Project is doing to provide accessible apartments,” said Arturo Gallegos, who is blind. “We pay taxes too, and it’s not easy finding good apartments that are accessible and affordable.”
Casa Querétaro was made possible thanks to the support of key partners, all of whom spoke at the event.

“The investment in Casa Queretaro is part of our Five Year Housing Plan which entails a citywide commitment to creating more affordable housing for families in the City of Chicago,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This project represents a much-anticipated transformation of underutilized land that will positively impact and address the needs of this community and provide additional rental housing for Chicago’s families.”
Deputy Mayor Steve Koch attended the event on Mayor Emanuel’s behalf and also stressed the importance of sustaining initiatives such as Casa Querétaro throughout the city of Chicago.
“Citi is proud to work with the City of Chicago and community organizations to support the expansion of affordable housing,” said George Wright, the Midwest Region Director of Community Development for Citibank. “Through collaborative partnerships like Casa Querétaro, we can strengthen local communities and provide a new platform of opportunity for families in Chicago.” Citibank is providing $8.5 million as bond financing that will be used during the construction of Casa Queretaro.

“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Michael R. Merchant, CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, which committed $4.5 million toward the development of Casa Queretaro. “TRP and CHA share the same goals. We are working together toward the same vision for the city of Chicago.”
“TRP’s Casa Guerrero was one of the first properties I was assigned to oversee and my introduction to TRP,” said Mike Jacobs, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions/Originations of the National Equity Fund. “Since then I’ve gone on to do a number of things at NEF and currently oversee all originations across the country. Nowhere have I found a group more dedicated to its community, its residents, and the elements that make life worth living than at TRP. Providing safe affordable housing is as personal to them as it is to me and it makes me proud of my long association with TRP.” National Equity Fund provided $5.3 million in equity from 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits proceeds to finance this project.

Alderman Daniel “Danny” Solis of the 25^th Ward also commented on the importance of projects like Casa Querétaro to transform the community. “Our partnership with TRP has helped to create nearly 250 units of quality, affordable housing in the 25^th Ward,” said Solis. “It’s important that we create good, quality homes for working-class and low-income families to live in dignity.”
Father Charles Dahm closed out the speaking portion of the ceremony with a blessing for the neighborhood, the construction crews working on Casa Querétaro, and its future tenants.
Speakers then lined up for the ceremonial groundbreaking to conclude the celebration.

The shovel ceremony for Casa Querétaro marks the start of a yearlong celebration leading up to TRP’s 25^th Anniversary Gala in October. “TRP has impacted our communities with projects like Casa Querétaro since 1990,” says Raymundo. “We are excited about our 25^th anniversary, but more excited about our plans to expand our services and projects so that we help transform more neighborhoods in the years to come.”
Casa Querétaro represents a $15 million investment in Chicago’s Pilsen community that will also spur jobs and economic opportunity. The project is possible thanks to significant investment from the following financing partners: City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development, City of Chicago Ogden TIF, Citi Community Capital, Chicago Housing Authority and The National Equity Fund. The architects for the new apartment building are DesignBridge Ltd. Construction will be managed by DENCO Construction, Inc.
The building is scheduled to for completion in December 2015, and leasing is expected to begin in October 2015.

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