Athena Williams’ Dream of Bringing Downtown Living to Austin is Nearly Complete 

For years, Athena Williams dreamed of seeing Austin treated more like Downtown and considered worthy of investment, beauty, luxury, and possibility. 

Standing inside a nearly completed six-story apartment development rising next to the historic Laramie State Bank building, Williams said that dream is finally becoming real.

“This is almost like a dream come true for me,” Williams said during a recent tour of the property. “My father had a business on the West Side, and we used to walk home and see all the vacant lots. When I came home from college, the vacant lots were still there. I always felt that everything my parents taught me, I needed to give back to the community.”

The 78-unit mixed-income development, located adjacent to the long-vacant Laramie State Bank building near Chicago and Laramie avenues, is expected to begin accepting applications in June, with residents likely moving in shortly after Labor Day. Officials now expect construction to be substantially complete by Aug. 15. 

The project represents one of the most ambitious residential developments Austin has seen in decades — and one that Williams said was intentionally designed to bring a true “downtown living” experience to the West Side.

“When I say we wanted to bring Downtown into Austin, we meant that,” Williams said. “It has amenities like real quartz countertops, soft-close cabinetry, closets for living space, and storage rooms so spacious you can fit a toddler’s bed in them.”

The building includes 78 apartments — five three-bedroom units, 27 one-bedroom units, and the remaining two-bedroom apartments. About 50 of the units will be income-restricted and affordable based on Austin’s Area Median Household Income, which is roughly $52,000. The remaining market-rate units will also be priced below many comparable developments elsewhere in the city.

“These are upscale units,” Williams said during the tour.

Residents will enter through a secure foyer with a doorman station, access-controlled entry systems, and key fob and smartphone access. The first floor includes meeting and event space, property management offices, a mail and package room, bike storage, maintenance facilities, and public restrooms for guests.

On the fifth floor, residents will have access to a fitness room, a community room, and an outdoor rooftop plaza featuring sweeping views of the Chicago skyline. Outside, the building includes a landscaped courtyard that will be open to the public during daytime hours, though residents will be able to reserve and close the space for private gatherings.

“This is the first building in Austin that is an elevator building that’s not a senior building,” Williams said.

The development also incorporates environmentally conscious infrastructure. According to Williams, the building is approximately 95% electric and even includes its own on-site transformer vault. The property also features a high-tech trash chute sanitation system that automatically disinfects and deodorizes after each use.

Twenty of the apartments are ADA-compliant, including eight fully accessible units and 12 adaptable units. Every bedroom contains its own closet, while each apartment includes additional storage and linen closet space.

The project was funded through the city’s former INVEST South/West initiative, launched under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which sought to attract large-scale development to long-disinvested commercial corridors. Though Mayor Brandon Johnson has moved away from the program’s branding, his administration has continued supporting the broader initiative. 

According to reporting by WBEZ, the program aims to create “15-minute neighborhoods” where residents can access amenities, transportation and commercial activity within walking distance. Deputy Mayor Kenya Merritt told the media outlet last year that the city wants “vibrant” and “walkable communities” regardless of ZIP code.

For Williams, the development is also deeply personal. Born and raised in Austin, she now lives in the community while overseeing the largest project the Oak Park Regional Housing Center has ever developed.

“My personal background is in real estate,” Williams said. “I come from a family that buys properties and fixes them up, so this is getting me back to my passion. I love it.”

The development partner, Pivotal Development, will manage the property, while the Housing Center will provide residential support services. Construction is being handled by Burling Builders, the longtime Black-owned Chicago contractor founded by Elzie Higginbottom in 1980.

Interest in the apartments has already been intense. Williams said the Housing Center has received more than 1,200 calls and met with more than 600 prospective residents in person. The application process will begin with a pre-screening requiring identification, proof of income, and Social Security documentation for all household members.

But Williams said the apartment building is only the beginning. Redevelopment work on the historic Laramie State Bank building is expected to begin at the end of the summer. Plans for the bank include arts and cultural flex space, coworking areas, a small-business incubator, and potentially a future banking or commercial partner.

Ultimately, Williams said she hopes the project becomes part of a broader pathway toward generational wealth and neighborhood stability.

“These are all rentals, but the goal for us is to help people become homeowners,” she said. “We’re hoping that through a land trust model or shared appreciation model, we’ll help people obtain homeownership to create a legacy and secure more generational wealth.”

As she looked out from the rooftop plaza toward the downtown skyline, Williams reflected on what the project means not only for Austin, but for the people who stayed and believed in the neighborhood through decades of disinvestment.

“To do something of this magnitude through the Housing Center is monumental,” she said. “I want the community to celebrate this. We should all be celebrating this.”

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Learn More 

Anyone interested in receiving an application or learning more about the project can contact the Oak Park Regional Housing Center’s West Cook Homeownership Center at info@westcookhomeownership.org or visit their office at 5934 W. Lake St. You can also visit the website at oprhc.org.