Chicago Plan Commission Approves 15-Story Tower at 609 W Randolph Street in West Loop Gate

The Chicago Plan Commission has approved a new 15-story office development at 609 W Randolph Street in West Loop Gate. The project site is on an interior lot along W Randolph Street between N Jefferson Street and N Des Plaines Street. The Clinton CTA station, serviced by the Green and Pink Lines, is a four-minute walk away from the site. The Ogilvie Transportation Center is only a three-minute walk away. Vista Property Group is in charge of the development.

View of 609 W Randolph Street. Rendering by Antunovich Associates

Rising 211 feet, the development will yield 1,770 square feet of retail space on the ground floor with office space on the uppers floors above. There will be no parking within the building. The fifteenth floor will hold tenant amenity space as well as an outdoor terrace. The site will be rezoned to a DX-7 district and then to a business planned development. The developer is paying nearly $1 million into the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund to increase the FAR from 7 to 11.5.

Site Plan for 609 W Randolph Street. Drawing by Antunovich Associates

The new tower will fill in a surface parking lot adjacent to an existing masonry office building at 601 W Randolph. This building will remain as part of the development. As part of the approval process, the project was reduced in height, the proposed school use was eliminated and the parking component was eliminated.

609 W Randolph Street Elevation. Rendering by Antunovich Associates

Designed by Antunovich Associates, the primary façade will be faced with brick in keeping with the neighborhood, while the complementary massing that is setback will have a metal paneled façade. The brick is predominantly on the north, west, and southern facades, with the east façade being more open with an increased amount of glass. The building will feature a granite base and follow a warehouse aesthetic.

Streetscape View of 609 W Randolph Street. Rendering by Antunovich Associates

Floor plans show floors two through four of 601 W Randolph Street and 609 W Randolph Street function independently from each other. The new building will have a new circulation core and entrance, separate from the existing masonry building. Plans for the upper office floors show that the floor plates increase once past the roof height of 601 W Randolph Street. The fifteenth floor holds the amenity terrace space and mechanical equipment, which will be screened to match the architecture of the building. There is no traditional mechanical penthouse.

Amenity Floor Plan for 609 W Randolph Street. Drawing by Antunovich Associates

The development will meet the Chicago Sustainable Policy requirements. The building will be WELL certified, exceed the energy code by 25 percent, have a green roof, and is in proximity to public transportation. The total project cost is estimated at $25 million, with Skender Construction in charge of the construction. An official timeline for the project has not been announced.

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