A site at 3201 N. Ashland Ave. will soon be redeveloped, but the new building remains under wraps, reports Urbanremainschicago.com.
Chicago-based Novak Construction Co. has already started tearing down the Medic building at 3223-3225 N. Ashland. Sitting in conjunction with Lincoln and Belmont Avenues, the art-deco building built in 1929 was once a commercial hub. Along with the Medic building, the site also housed a LaSalle Bank, but has been long-vacant.
A Novak Construction spokesperson confirmed the site’s purchase and building demolition, but refused to comment on development plans. The demolition is expected to be completed by mid-November.
According to Crain’s Chicago Business, when the firm announced its plan to buy the site in August, it said it would construct a mixed-use building containing 80-160 residential units with 60,000 sq. ft. of ground-level retail space.
The façade of the building will be reused in the new development, said Ald. Tom Tunney (44th). His office said that any site development plan will first be presented to the public before seeking approval with the Chicago Plan Commission and City Council. The alderman’s office development guidelines ask for commercial development and a traffic study.
Target Corp. purchased the site in 2013 with plans to build a new store, but sold the site to Novak.
