A community meeting has been held for a residential development proposed at 2652 West Chicago Avenue in West Town. The project would replace a vacant auto parts store and its parking lot at the corner of North Washtenaw Avenue. It was originally proposed in August of last year, but the team has now returned with three potential schemes for review.
Site context map of 2652 West Chicago Avenue via Google Maps
Last year, developer Barrett Homes presented plans for a five-story building rising 63 feet and clad in brick. The proposal included 57 residential units made up of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom layouts, with 11 designated as affordable. The building would have been supported by 24 ground-floor parking spaces.
PREVIOUS floor plans of 2652 W Chicago Ave by 360 Design Studio
This week, Barrett Homes, along with architect 360 Design Studio, presented three new schemes to the community following two previous meetings that raised concerns primarily around height, density, and parking. All three options reduce the building to four stories and lower the overall unit count.
- The first option includes 46 apartments with smaller floor plans, nine of which would be affordable. This scheme would include 23 parking spaces and ground-floor retail.
- The second option proposes 40 apartments with larger layouts, including six affordable units, along with 23 parking spaces and ground-floor retail.
- The third option would feature 15 for-sale condominiums supported by 15 parking spaces, with no affordable units or ground-floor retail.
PREVIOUS Elevation of 2652 W Chicago Ave by 360 Design Studio
According to Block Club, the proposal received similar feedback regarding density and parking, though it also garnered some community support. 36th Ward Alderman Villegas expressed support for the 40-unit option. If that proposal moves forward, the team will refine the design and apply for zoning approval. If approved, construction is expected to take approximately 16 months.
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My gosh NIMBYS are insufferable.
“Concerned neighbors” is code for pulling up the ladder after their pay out. Don’t get them wrong, they want to see city improvements. Just not here, or there, or next to them. But absolutely somewhere.
The condominium proposal is embarrassing compared to the others.
The condo scheme was probably a “decoy” to make the other options look better. It reminds me of a different developer who was done with community approval so they provided two options 1) Convert historic church buildings to residential, add a smaller new construction residential building, and preserve some open space OR 2) tear everything down and build 5 to 6 million dollar private homes. LOL.
Don’t try to appease the NIMBYs, they will never be happy with your proposal, no matter how much they cut
Unfortunately, as we often see, community input has now evolved into community approval.
Humboldt Park is gentrifying. Seems like a lot of people there would want to see affordable units. 24 parking spaces for 57 units is a decent ratio. A 5 story building on a commercial street isn’t as inconsistent as a 5 story building on a block of bungalows or 2 flats. So why do the NIMBYs always call the shots? Rhetorical question. But seems like someone – a community group, church group, social service agency, even the alderman ( assuming he supports housing) ought to be able to produce people to a meeting