Alderman Matt Martin of the 47th Ward has chosen to support a five-story residential development at 4641 North Ashland Avenue in Uptown. The building, Phase 2 of The Schoolhouse development, will replace a surface parking lot on the southeast corner of Ashland and Leland Avenues. The approval was announced in the Ward newsletter on Friday.
The Schoolhouse Phase 2 rendering from Honore Properties
4641 North Ashland is the address being used for this development, but that is also the physical address of Phase 1 of The Schoolhouse project by Honore Properties. That phase featured the gut renovation of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School’s building into 42 residential units, and now its parking lot will yield to Phase 2. Honore Properties hopes to begin construction in 2026, with aldermanic approval a big step taken toward that goal.
Phase 1, now complete, at left. The parking lot at right will hold Phase 2. Photo by Daniel Schell
Photo by Daniel Schell
Parking lot at Ashland and Leland. Photo by Daniel Schell
The 78 units of Phase 2 will include 60 one-bedroom, nine two-bedroom, and four three-bedroom floor plans. Sixteen units will be set aside as affordable. Both buildings will have full use of the amenity spaces included next door in Phase 1, which include multiple lounges, a roof deck, a fitness room, a bike room, keyless entry, and more.
Rendering of Phase 1 amenity space to be shared with Phase 2 residents, by StudioMAK
Rendering of Phase 1 amenity space to be shared with Phase 2 residents, by StudioMAK
Rendering of Phase 1 amenity space to be shared with Phase 2 residents, by StudioMAK
The proposal was first presented in May of last year. The community process led to several adjustments by the developer, most notably a change in the parking access. Initially planned for Leland Avenue, the building’s 33 parking spaces will be accessed from Ashland Avenue instead, so as to limit interference with pedestrians and recreation at Chase Park across the street. With the island median on this section of Ashland, drivers will only be able to enter from and exit to the northbound lanes.
The Schoolhouse Phase 1. Photo by Daniel Schell
The Schoolhouse Phase1. Photo by Daniel Schell
Site context, via Google Maps
Chase Park got some news of its own, with the alderman announcing $7 million in funding to rehab the tennis courts, put in a new gym floor, install a new air conditioning system, update the bathrooms and showers, and add new windows and door frames.
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There’s a slew of windows on the south side of Phase 1 building – the renderings from Phase 2 don’t show how this will be addressed as the Ashland facade connects with the original school building. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle this: one long, narrow light well? An actual, wide, usable courtyard space for the tenants?
LOL. I was thinking the same thing. No matter what, their view will now be a brick wall to some degree.
The new building is actually a U shape with a courtyard that opens towards the existing building. It’s certainly going to block some light and not be perfect but the walls on that side will either have some sort of green wall or graffiti work on them.
I love the rendering of the cars whipping by and someone is casually biking down THAT section of Ashland Ave.
I live a block away. Bikes (and scooters) are rare on Ashland up here, but I do see them occasionally, and I cringe every time.
I’m also in the general area, to rephrase someone else, Ashland is a car sewer. It would’ve been safer for traffic to put the garage door on Leland side than Ashland, especially when exiting . But the nimby will always find something. That Chase Park, or rather plastic field, is across the street of one-way Leland Ave so I don’t see how they complain about safety.
Currently it is stands the parking lot already has the entrance and curb cut on Leland and there’s also a short driveway/alley between the property and the next door neighbor. So somehow there’s no safety issue with Chases plastic Park user with the current parking lot that has the entrance on Leland, but somehow it’s going to a safety issue with the future apartment building. Even though it will have fewer parkings on then then currently there that’s taking the entire site. I’m all too familiar with nimbys, I know a few of them. They’re the same characters that are also opposing the zoning changes upgrade to the Uptown/Edgewater stretch of Broadway.
Agreed. The relocation of the existing parking curb cut from Leland to Ashland is one the most short sighted NIMBY concessions ever. Oh wait, it must be because cars will enter and exit every 30 seconds 7 days a week, and they’ll all take the 90 degree turn on a narrow one-way street at 65 miles an hour. Safer to direct all that traffic into a blind turn onto the Ashland Avenue speedway:)
Awesome. One less surface parking lot. Love to see it.
Nothing like a sorely needed repair to placate masses before a build that could have been anything other than a 60 room apartment buiding.