Chicago Plan Commission approves several projects at August meeting

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cpc august
Map indicating projects discussed at the CPC August meeting (from CPC)

The Chicago Plan Commission (CPC) has voted in August to approve several new developments from Avondale to Woodlawn.

While the zoning changes and planned development ordinances also require the approval of the zoning committee and the full Chicago City Council, the CPC approval is an important step forward for development plans.

Among projects approved at the CPC monthly meeting on Aug. 17:

Woodlawn – Jewel Osco, 61st and South Cottage Grove

An amendment to an existing Planned Development received approval to move forward with developing the first full-service grocery in Woodlawn in more than 40 years. Plans for the new 48,000 sq. ft. Jewel-Osco store at the corner of 61st St. and South Cottage Grove represent Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) Chicago’s latest development in Woodlawn along the South Cottage Grove Corridor, the gateway to the future home of the Obama Presidential Center.

The new Jewel-Osco project is a joint venture of Terraco and DL3 Realty who will buy the lot from POAH later this year and begin construction in either late 2017 or early 2018. The development will eliminate a food desert, create more than 200 jobs and include 160 parking spaces, two loading spaces, and a pharmacy drive-through window.

The approval will enable site preparation to commence for the new $20 million, Jewel-Osco store on the 3.5 acre site. The project now goes to the City Council Committee on Zoning on Sept. 11.

“We are looking forward to the new retail development that will provide local residents with access to the amenities and services that have for so long been missing from Woodlawn and the neighborhood’s fabric,” said POAH vice-president Bill Eager.

Roosevelt Square Branch Library, W. Taylor

Roosevelt Square library
The Roosevelt Square library rendering (SOM)

The new Roosevelt Square Branch Library at 1328 W. Taylor and plans for 1350 W. Taylor St. advance to the City Council with the full support of 28th Ward Ald. Jason Ervin.

“I continue to see businesses on Taylor St. decline and close, and I believe this particular development would give that strip the shot in the arm it so desperately needs,” Ervin said.

The alderman said the massive Roosevelt Square project as a whole would live up to the commitment made to former residents of the now-demolished ABLA Homes to give them a way to return to the neighborhood and would be a boon for nearby retailers and restaurants.

The library project is a collaboration between the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), Chicago Public Libraries, private developer Related Midwest, and architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Originally envisioned as a four-story structure consisting of a library topped by roughly 40 units of mixed-income housing, the plan has grown to seven stories and will now feature 73 dwelling units.

328 N. Carpenter

328 N carpenter
328 N Carpenter (rendering from CPD Twitter feed)

Madison Capital and ASB Real Estate Investment have received approval for a seven-story combination retail and office development slated for the corner of Carpenter St. and Carroll Ave. in the Fulton Market district.

Clark and Belmont

The developers of a recently completed transit-oriented apartment complex at 3200 N. Clark St. in Lakeview went back before the CPC to amend its Planned Development to allow for the addition of eight residential units, Curbed Chicago reports. The project was designed by Hirsch Associates Architecture for developer BlitzLake.

4000 W. Diversey

Developer 4K Diversey Partners has received approval to transform a warehouse located at 4000 W. Diversey into turned loft office development was given the OK to amend its PD to allow for 125 dwelling units and a 3,000-sq. ft. rooftop addition.

The developer originally planned 84 live-work apartments, including a number of larger multi-bedroom units, at The Fields but instead choose to pursue a higher number of smaller units. The change has angered some Avondale residents who believe the move away from larger units is bad for neighborhood families, DNAinfo says.

172 North Ada St.

158 N. Ada
158 N. Ada (via CPD)

The CPC voted in favor of a 13-story transit-oriented apartment project at the southwest corner of Lake and Ada. Replacing a parking lot with 263 rental units, retail space, and 133 parking stalls, the proposal comes from Naperville-based developer Marquette Companies and Chicago architect Brininstool & Lynch. Situated at the western end of Fulton Market, the project faced relatively little backlash primarily because of its lack of immediate residential neighbors.

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