A new permit has been issued by the City of Chicago to allow for the construction of a two-story daycare facility on the northeast corner of Higgins and Austin Avenues in Jefferson Park. The permit uses 5025 North Austin as the address of record. Its application was filed on February 4th and it came through on May 15th. It shows a reported cost of $800,000.
Site context of Higgins & Austin, via Google Maps
Little Creative Minds, which currently has a facility in Albany Park, is named as the property owner and developer. This appears to be their second location. a+c architects of Skokie is named in the permit as the architect of record, with JP Remodeling & Design LLC as the general contractor. Onsite parking for cars and bikes is included in the plans, and there will be a roof deck atop the second floor.
The vacant Noodles restaurant is likely to be demolished, despite its free Wi-Fi. Via Google Street View
Real estate website Redfin indicates Little Creative Minds bought the subject property in April 2024 for $450,000. It used to be the home of Noodles restaurant, which closed in 2008 after a fire in the kitchen. According to Block Club, the fire damage was remedied, but the building has not been reoccupied. The single-story structure remains on the site. While not confirmed, the permit’s language of a “new” two-story building would indicate the restaurant will be demolished rather than integrated into the new project. No demolition permit has been issued as yet.
Proximity to the Jefferson Park transit hub, via Google Maps
For daycare staff, the Route 88 CTA bus has stops on the corner of Austin and Higgins. That bus can be used to connect to and from the Jefferson Park transportation hub about one mile east, which includes the Jefferson Park Blue Line train platform, the UP-NW Metra station, and numerous CTA bus routes.
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If Chicago continues to destroy buildings with free WiFi we will soon become indistinguishable from Schaumburg.
Took me a second 😅