Luxury Container Home 'Village' Will Come To The South Side Next Year, Developers Say

Oct 05, 2023

Blueprints for the luxury homes are still being reviewed by the city, but the group could break ground on Vincennes Village "in the first quarter of 2023," a developer said.

GREATER GRAND CROSSING — A long-awaited plan to bring luxury container homes to the South Side is still in progress, and developers hope to welcome residents next year, they said.

Developers Darryl Burton and Anthony Casboni are behind Vincennes Village, a collection of 12 eco-friendly container homes built out of 40-foot-long train containers slated for 7231 S. Vincennes Ave.

The duo initially hoped to have its first families move in by Christmas, but delays with the city's buildings department set the project back, Burton said.

If all goes as planned, they should break ground "in the first quarter of 2023," Burton said. The homes take three to four months to complete, Burton said.

Pricing for the 1,200- to 1,800-square-foot homes at Vincennes Village will still start at $300,000, Burton said. The three- to four-bedroom abodes will have 10-foot ceilings and full appliances, including an indoor washer and dryer and a covered patio.

"The blueprints have not been approved because of a major influx of requests from other builders in the Chicagoland area," Burton said. "The project is still a go. We’re just waiting on the city to give us that ‘Yes.’"

The vision for Vincennes Village was born in April 2021 after Burton and Casboni unexpectedly crossed each other's paths.

Casboni and his late brothers previously owned the demolished Vincennes Discount Center. The family served the Greater Grand Crossing community for over six decades, Casboni said in August.

The Casbonis acquired land to the north and south of the store in the early ’90s and tore down Vincennes Discount Center around 2001 when the family decided to semi-retire, Casboni said.

Over the years, the brothers built eight homes on the vacant land where the store once operated. In 2008, they paused their real estate venture due to the housing market collapse, Casboni said.

The family struggled to find a developer that could continue their work for years until Casboni met Burton, Casboni said.

Casboni and Burton, the owner of Global Financial Services, have never built container homes, although they have toured the nation to study container home communities, Burton said in August.

Vincennes Village will put the excess train containers "permeating our planet" to use and potentially boost home ownership on the South Side, Burton said.

The homes can also be rehabbed and sold "in half the time and half the costs as a traditional wooden house," Burton said.

"When you compare a traditional home to a container home, you’ll come back to the container home," Burton said in August. "The amenities are the same, but it requires less money, maintenance and upkeep. Homeownership becomes practical for everyone involved."

Anticipation for the container homes has been on the rise, Burton said. Since the groundbreaking ceremony in June, the team has received "about 3,000 requests" from hopeful homeowners, Burton said.

Residents will be minutes away from the Dan Ryan Expressway, a Red Line station, grocery stores, and a strip of restaurants like Soul Veg City and Brown Sugar Bakery.

Despite the "slow, tedious process," the duo is hopeful South Side residents will welcome a new way of living early in the near year, Burton said.

"The city has been supportive," Burton said. "They want this badder than we do."

Atavia Reed is a reporter for Block Club Chicago, covering the Englewood, Auburn Gresham and Chatham neighborhoods.

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