The Chicago Plan Commission has approved plans for the mixed-use redevelopment of the Werner Bros. Storage building and adjacent structures. Located at 7603 North Paulina Street in Rogers Park, the proposal is being developed by Housing For All and Visionary Ventures, with Cordogan Clark & Associates leading the design.
Rendering of 7603 N Paulina Street by Cordogan Clark & Associates
Rendering of 7603 N Paulina Street by Cordogan Clark & Associates
After multiple iterations, the proposal will center on the five-story storage building built in 1921. Its historic terra cotta façade will be repaired and restored, with much of the interior gutted and converted into 20 residential units. This portion will include its own lobby space, along with the repaving of the existing 20-space parking lot, removal of the curb cut, and the addition of a new entrance from the alley.
Site plan of 7603 N Paulina Street by Cordogan Clark & Associates
Floor plans of 7603 N Paulina Street by Cordogan Clark & Associates
To the south, the project calls for the demolition of the one-story commercial plaza at the corner of West Howard Street. It will be replaced by a new eight-story structure anchored by 5,000 square feet of retail space along Howard. The lower two floors will also include a community room, activity room, fitness room, and shared laundry facilities.
Rendering of 7603 N Paulina Street by Cordogan Clark & Associates
Rendering of 7603 N Paulina Street by Cordogan Clark & Associates
The remainder of the building will contain 60 units, bringing the project total to 80. These will consist of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts, all of which will be designated as affordable. An additional eight parking spaces will be located to the rear of the new structure. The project will now need to secure full city and state approval for funding.
Construction is expected to begin this fall, with an estimated completion date of February 2028.
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Gotta love the highbrow currency exchange! Guys in sport coats!
Rogers Park will never cease to confuse me because they are one of the densest neighboorhoods in the city but are so inconsistent when it comes to urbanism. theyll allow this, but that development on juneway terrace and sheridan was just too dense. not even considering dense housing for the huge lot on ashland and howard. repetitive downsizing of the leonas redevelopment.
all of that and more actually go read haddons website.
not to mention refusing to upgrade bike infrastructure on the best evanston to chicago route we have.
i love rogers
As a Rogers Parker, I can say with confidence the difference between the projects you specifically mention is hyperlocal NIMBYs. Werner Bros is in a commercial area with fewer resident. The Juneway and Leona’s projects are the result of the residents adjacent to these properties that complained about the same things every NIMBY complains about new developments. We’re sadly no different from any other neighborhood in the city in this regard. And I still love Rogers Park!
Who in their right mind would develop anything in that area. There’s a open air drug market right in that area. For any development to happen the whole neighborhood needs to be made safe. Right now anyone in their right mind stays away from that area like it’s a crime scene waiting to happen.
People were saying the exact same negative things when I bought my first condo in central Rogers Park in 2006. And guess what? It was never as dangerous as these people imagined in their heads, and more residents contributed to making the area safer.
If the theory is new residences will bring back the Howard business district I have very low hopes. There are serious issues in the business district that no one seems to want to address.
Good comments
I am planning to mention this in my post, but also mention here. When 415 Premier Apartments was proposed I had high hopes for a nice surge of energy along that part of Howard Street. It did for about two years. Today, not much has changed – Much of Gateway Center’s Howard Street retail continues to be not just empty, but not even usable. The stretch along Paulina south of Howard has turned into a near nightmare.
Being developed on a stretch of Howard known for major issues is not a big selling point for future residents. As I mentioned above, 415 Premier Apartments had the promise of new excitement and residents looking to spend money in the area. Today, Westside Bakery is closed after only two years (and not sure how long OKAY Dispensary will last), and almost nothing has happened along any part of that section of Howard.
Another aspect is the lack of on-site parking – 8 spaces for 80 units, with many of the units for “families” (thinking more like roommates). The parking situation has become much worse in the area with cars now just being parked in outright illegal areas – all hoping they can leave early enough in the morning before tickets arrive.
Yes, there is parking garage “nearby”, but one visit would pretty much all you need to know this is not a place to park a car. Worse, trying to walk from the garage to this building is not fun at any time of day.
Sadly, this will just continue to keep this area pretty much what it is today – rundown.
You don’t move somewhere with scant parking needing to park. It’s right next to the red line. This argument is so tired. The best way to rehab that area of Howard is to make it more densely populated.
Robert Taylor homes was built as highly densely populated, how did that work out?
Your proof point that more housing on Howard Street is a bad idea is to refer to a failed and racist public housing project that isolated 27,000 struggling individuals, families and children into 28 high-rises designed for 11,000 residents? Wow!
Yet people do move in, especially if they visit the apartment mid-day with things look open. As for the Red Line, great if you work along the Red Line (and never plan to change jobs), but what about everyone else? It is the truly privileged who can pick and choose the location for their jobs. Finally, we can “densely” populate, but does that bring in the people who have the disposable income to spend in the area in high enough amounts that will support service/retail? We got the one tower in Evanston (on the other side of Howard Street terminal, north side of the street) and nothing changed.
I hope the little Post Office will be a part of this plan. It is a hidden gem!