Chicago Construction News staff writer
A series of redevelopment proposals ranging from mixed-use towers in Woodlawn to retail expansions on the Near North Side will come before the Chicago Plan Commission during its monthly hearing on June 25 at City Hall.
The meeting, scheduled for 11th Floor Room 1103 at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., includes several zoning amendments, planned development changes, and an informational presentation on transit-oriented development planning around the Belmont Blue Line station.
Among the most significant construction proposals is a major amendment to Planned Development No. 456 at 6320 S. Dorchester Ave. in Woodlawn. Submitted by Woodlawn Central LLC, the project would pave the way for Phase 1 of a mixed-use development featuring a 14-story residential tower with 104 units and a separate 14-story hotel containing 160 rooms. The development would also include commercial space, 131 bicycle parking spaces, and 300 vehicle parking spaces. The overall floor area ratio for the development would remain capped at 3.0.
Another notable project involves the restoration and expansion of the historic Up Top Building at 13100 S. Ellis Ave. in Riverdale. By the Hand Club for Kids is seeking approval to expand Planned Development No. 1186 by incorporating adjacent RS-1-zoned land into a new subarea. Plans call for restoration of the existing historic structure and construction of a 9,200-square-foot youth center addition.
On Oak Street in the Near North Side, EOS Building LLC and EOS Building II LLC are proposing to combine properties at 107 and 109 E. Oak St. into a new four-story commercial building. The project would replace the existing arrangement with a unified 66-foot, 8-inch-tall structure featuring multiple designer retail spaces, upper-floor commercial uses, and a 788-square-foot rooftop deck. No off-street parking is proposed.
Several agenda items involve zoning and use changes with little or no new construction planned.
At 1901-1925 N. Clybourn Ave. and 1901-1908 N. Maud Ave. in Lincoln Park, 1901 Clybourn LLC is seeking an Industrial Corridor Map Amendment that would rezone the property from a manufacturing district to a community shopping district, allowing retail uses within two existing four-story buildings. No building alterations are proposed.
In Belmont Cragin, WCDR Bricktown LLC is requesting an amendment to Planned Development No. 127 to permit an indoor and outdoor dog boarding and daycare facility within an existing commercial tenant space at 6400-6562 W. Fullerton Ave. and 2630 N. Narragansett Ave. No new construction is planned.
Similarly, at 1333 N. Kingsbury St., the applicant is seeking approval to amend Planned Development No. 1604 to add animal services as a permitted use within the existing development.
The commission will also review a technical amendment at 222 W. Erie St. that would increase the allowable floor area ratio within Residential-Business Planned Development No. 326 to legalize existing overbuilt floor area. No physical changes to the site are proposed.
In addition to development applications, the Department of Planning and Development will provide an informational presentation on the proposed Belmont Blue Line Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (eTOD) Plan. The 18-month planning effort, undertaken in partnership with the Regional Transportation Authority, is examining opportunities for affordable housing, transit-accessible development, and economic growth within a half-mile radius of the Belmont Blue Line station in Avondale.
The draft planning framework is expected to guide future land-use decisions and encourage transit-oriented investment while supporting local businesses and housing affordability in the surrounding community.
The June 25 hearing is open to the public and will be held at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., beginning at its regularly scheduled time.
