Although it was approved by the Committee on Zoning last year for renovation of its dwelling units, an 1888 building at 950 West Willow Street in Lincoln Park will instead be demolished and replaced. A demolition permit was issued on June 15 for the three-story structure, with Brophy Excavation named as the demo contractor at a reported cost of $29,000. The permit had been pending in the Chicago Data Portal since the first week of March.
Site context of 950 West Willow Street, via Google Maps
The administrative adjustment was granted in October to change the zoning from RT-4 Residential Two-Flat, Townhouse, and Multi-Unit District to RM5 Residential Multi-Unit District. But real estate records show that Landex Holding Company LLC purchased the property in January from the owner who had applied for the renovations for $750,000. They now have a pending permit in the Chicago Data Portal as of April 4 to erect a three-story plus basement, four-unit building designed by architect Charles Schwartz. There is to be a rooftop deck with an access stair enclosure and a roof canopy, plus rear porches connected by a steel egress stairway. Fargo Group LLC is named as the general contractor.
Three slab parking spaces will be added off the rear alley. The parcel sits in the middle of a miniature block formed by two perpendicular alleys beneath the passing Brown/Purple Line elevated tracks, West Willow Street, and North Sheffield Avenue. The permit does not specify if these will be rentals or for sale.
Nearby transit options, via Google Maps
Upon completion of new construction, residents of 950 West Willow will live about a quarter of a mile away from the North/Clybourn subway station at West North and North Clybourn Avenues. Route 8 Halsted Street and #72 North Avenue buses make stops adjacent to the Red Line station. The Armitage Brown Line platform is about two blocks to the north, as are stops for Route 73 buses.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Gotta love tearing down nice buildings to extract the most ROI from a builder’s-grade new build.
Chicago disappears a little bit each and every day
Yup. It seems like a search and destroy mission. New buildings can and should coexist with older buildings. There is room for both.
The existing building is in bad shape, with a true below-grade basement not suitable for a duplex down unit. Also the existing structure only uses about 1/3 of the lot depth (1/2 if you count the detached garage). In this case, and with the demand in the area, three new units built to modern energy codes are a win for the city.
If only it were possible to renovate and expand the existing building into three or more above ground units that would be a profitable compromise while preserving a little bit of Chicago’s past. Oh wait . . .
Am I the only one who thinks this type of permit switcheroo is a new workaround? Hard to deny a demo if it’s supposed to be a reno. Seems sus.
Yup. It seems like a search and destroy mission. New buildings can and should coexist with older buildings. There is room for both.