A new 48-unit apartment building named Poupard Place has opened in downtown Northbrook, providing affordable housing for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Located at 1593 Shermer Road, this building was developed by the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation in partnership with the Village of Northbrook.
The project targets individuals with disabilities or households with at least one person with a disability, who earn up to 60% of the Area Median Income. Richard Koenig, the executive director of the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation, stated that the Village recognized a growing need for such housing in the suburbs and helped make the project possible.
With high demand, the organization received 600 applications for the available one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments. The building includes ADA accessibility features such as elevators, door handles instead of knobs, and units with lower countertops.
The project, approved by the Village Board in February 2025, received a $24 million investment of public and private funds. This included a $1 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. The Illinois Housing Development Authority and Cook County provided public funds, while the National Equity Fund purchased tax credits, supported by private capital. Additional grants came from ComEd and the Federal Home Loan Bank through Wintrust Bank. The Village of Northbrook donated the land for the project.
Rent for apartments starts at $700 for one-bedroom, $900 for two-bedroom, and $1,100 for three-bedroom units, according to the Poupard Place website. The building is named in honor of Tom Poupard, Northbrook’s retired director of development and a long-time advocate for affordable housing.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 30 drew around 150 attendees, including city and state officials. Remarks were made by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Village President Kathryn Ciesla, and Tom Poupard. Ciesla expressed hopes that the project would inspire other communities to pursue similar affordable housing initiatives.
Ciesla also highlighted the village’s affordable housing trust fund, which uses funds from a city demolition tax to assist low-to-middle-income families in purchasing homes. The village’s inclusionary zoning ordinance, adopted in 2020, requires developers to include affordable units in new projects. This step has contributed to recent developments like Poupard Place, aimed at increasing affordable housing options in the North Shore area.
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