Funding has been secured for the upcoming mixed-use development at 7 West Elm Street in the Gold Coast. Sitting on the corner with North State Street, the new high-rise will replace a two-story commercial structure which is currently being demolished. Efforts for the project are being led by developer Newcastle along with architecture firm Goettsch Partners.
Site context map of 7 W Elm St by Goettsch Partners
The current iteration of the project was revealed back in December 2025, after a previous iteration led by a different developer stalled. Said prior proposal called for a 345-foot-tall tower with an integrated parking garage and ground-floor retail. To keep in line with the previously approved zoning, the new plans downsized the tower with a new design scheme.
Rendering of 7 W Elm St by Goettsch Partners
The now 28-floor-tall structure will cap out at 312 feet in height and includes a four-story podium. While the ground floor will be fully activated with 24,000 square feet of retail space, the 132-vehicle parking garage above will be pronounced with a metal panel facade. The lower podium levels will be capped by a large outdoor space for residents.
Plans for 7 W Elm St by Goettsch Partners
The tower itself is made up of two interlocking square volumes, containing 304 residential units within. Of those, eight will be considered affordable, with the developer paying a fee for the remaining 23. Residents will have access to various amenities including a fitness center, pool deck, multiple terraces, and more.
Rendering of 7 W Elm St by Goettsch Partners
With a price tag of over $160 million, the developer has now secured a $162 million loan to kick off vertical construction later this fall, as foundation permits were also approved. General contractor W.E. O’Neil is set to perform the construction work, which is set to be completed in spring of 2028, with move-ins soon after.
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Great, about time! Now let’s get that high rise moving forward next to Mario’s!
What about that Fern Hill development up on North. Is that ever moving forward?
Even though that one has been fully approved, we should probably do another dozen or so community meetings for it….. just to be safe.
That save old town website is genuinely hilarious. Imagine if those people directed their energy towards something actually productive.
The Fern Hill development is moving forward. Whole Foods will take over the Treasure Island space. Unclear if Walgreens will share space with them temporarily or move elsewhere.
The LA Fitness is close, so Walgreens could move in there while the residential tower is being built. Fern Hill recently won a court case that was brought against the development and everything should be complete within 5 years (according to Hopkins).
5 years? That’s a shame. The market could turn and it never breaks ground thanks to the years wasted with community engagement.
If community groups/HOA’s sue to stop projects and lose they should have to pay into a neighborhood opportunity fund to offset the lost time and money. They’d back off of these frivolous efforts if there was a punitive deterrent built into the system.
We need to reform this antiquated process and let planning professionals decide what developments support the city’s goals with new, much more permissive zoning laws to guide them.
A high-rise and grocery store ending up a 10+ year endeavor is an embarrassment for a “global city.” I’m sure the city loses billions in potential investments by turning off would be developers from either wanting to embark upon such a convoluted process or stopping those who may not have the resources to withstand it.
It will get built, there are just a lot of moving pieces. Five years sounds reasonable given the overall scope of work. Plus, they had to secure a grocer first before anything could start. Now that that is done; things should move pretty quickly.
5 years is not a reasonable amount of time for a proposal to get approval. We are in a housing shortage, a climate crisis, and losing political representation to red states. We don’t have 5 years every time a tower gets proposed in a high-demand, transit-served neighborhood
Considering the location this piece of land deserves a 50 to 60 floor development .
Considering the location those hideous metal screens are totally inappropriate
Considering the location if there must be parking out it underground .
There’s no way anything approaching 50 or 60 stories could get built in today’s Gold Coast. Three 400′ buildings have been denied in the area over the last decade including this location.
I agree that a wealthy neighborhood with so much history that’s known for luxury shopping and high-end dining should demand architecture that reflects that. A 700′ RAMSA tower here would be iconic. Even a LaGrange would be more suitable than this monstrosity.
It’s unfortunate that Newcastle pivoted from the previous version because it was a vastly superior design which met the street seamlessly. The city needs either
an underground parking mandate or active liner units on street facing sides of buildings.
it’s a shame that there is no greenery on the sunny sides of rhat huge parking fencing, to mitigate some heat and make the lower building look less brutal.
Please allow me to add my voice in opposition to the ham-handed podium. Yes, the ideal would be underground parking at this very high-value site. And, yes, a taller structure would be appropriate here, although 28 stories is definitely not nothing. This would certainly be a gain over the puny, long-empty commercial building that has not aged well at all. Dr. Thirty-Nine has often taken European friends and clients through this intersection, awkwardly explaining that most Americans buy their books online today, if they buy any at all….
Underground parking here is tricky. In the Gold Coast, dig down very far and you start getting water. Lots of it. Remember, you’re just a few feet above lake level here, and the underlying soil is sand, highly permeable to water. An underground garage would need continuous pumping to stay dry. Kinda risky.