A five-unit residential building with offices on the ground floor has been permitted for construction at 451 West North Avenue in the Old Town neighborhood. The permit was issued by the city on April 3 following the application submittal on August 21, 2024. A reported construction cost of $725,000 is indicated.
Updated renderings and plans have been revealed for the revised proposal of Old Town Canvas at 1610 N LaSalle Drive in Old Town. Located on the corner with W North Avenue, we recently covered the project’s long road towards Alderman approval after a multi-year process of community feedback and vocal NIMBY’s guarding their views.
Updated details have been revealed for the now approved Old Town Canvas at 1610 N LaSalle Drive in Old Town. Located on the intersection with W North Avenue, the proposed tower has been a major point of contention with the local community and Alderman Brian Hopkins. This all came to a head earlier this month when Hopkins denied the original proposal.
Chicago is known for its diverse neighborhoods, but it is also a city of 50 wards, each led by an alderperson with their own agenda. As 2025 begins, the city is grappling with budget issues, population growth, and rising crime perception, while aldermanic prerogative—where each alderman has veto power over development in their ward—adds another layer of hurdles to solving these challenges. We’ll examine this issue today through the lens of two major residential projects currently stuck in bureaucratic red tape, including Old Town Canvas, which was blocked by Alderman Brian Hopkins just yesterday.
Construction work is ongoing for a four-story with basement, five-unit residential development at 1646 North Orchard Street in the Old Town neighborhood. The City of Chicago issued a new construction permit for the property on June 24, 2024. Urban Edge Group is developing the new homes, as well as handling the general contractor duties. The building is topped out, and brickwork is being added to the exterior walls before window installation begins.
