GOLD COAST — A developer is proposing a luxury condominium tower near the Gold Coast’s Viagra Triangle offering 12 luxury units, room service, housekeeping, a pool and an Italian restaurant on the ground floor.
The site at 12. W. Maple St. is zoned for as many as 88 units, but the developer wants to put just a dozen units in the 22-story building. The homes would be 3,500 square feet apiece except for the 8,000-square-foot penthouse
Neighbors saw a presentation of the proposal Tuesday night at a public meeting at the nearby Newberry Library. The developer needs a zoning change from the city — and some pre-sales — to get started.
The proposed high rise could join recent developments in the area — the Viceroy Hotel, the No. 9 on Walton, the Sinclair.
Real estate developer and entrepreneur David Pisor, a fellow Gold Coast resident, said in addition to the restaurant, the building would also have a private club available to residents.
But in order to kickstart the project, the developers need to sell six units and get zoning approval for the building’s height of 330 feet (341 feet including columns at the top of the building). The building has not begun selling the units yet, Pisor said during the meeting.
The building’s amenities include room laundry and dry cleaning services and a house car for the building, Pisor said.
Though Pisor said during the meeting that the price range for each unit would start at about $1,350 per square foot, he noted in a follow-up email that the prices had not been determined. If the square footage prices match what was presented, that would mean the condos would start at $4.7 million and the penthouse $10.8 million.
“I have been a developer in the Gold Coast for the past 20 years, this boutique, high-end property will be a perfect fit for the neighborhood,” Pisor said in an email. “It is rare to find a building in Chicago with so few homes at such large scale. The incredible amenities, including room service and housekeeping, will make this property quite unique.”
The current zoning allows up to 88 units, according to an announcement from Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd). Booth Hansen, the architecture firm behind the 30 W. Oak St. condominiums, Chestnut Row Homes and the 1100 N. State St. developments, is handling project.
Hopkins was not at the meeting due to inclement weather. John Geahan, his director of community relations, came in the alderman’s place to collect community feedback but declined to comment on the development after the meeting.
If Hopkins’ gives his approval, the project will have to go before the city’s zoning board for review.
If approved, the project would take about 18 months to complete, Pisor said. The existing businesses at 12 W. Maple St., including the Merlo on Maple restaurant, Core Power Yoga studio and the Bella Bianca bridal couture shop, will be relocating, he said. He also confirmed that the proposed project could not commence without zoning approval.
Residents attending the meeting raised questions about the height of the building, possible shadows over the nearby Mariano Park, deliveries to the first-floor Italian restaurant and traffic slowdowns outside the proposed restaurant.
Similarly to how deliveries are currently done, delivery trucks will park on State Street in the mornings and bring the goods in crates across the street, Pisor said during the meeting.
The building will have at least 36 parking spaces allotted for residents. There won’t be a dedicated bump out for cars to make designated drop-offs; instead, there would be two parking spaces to make room for valet parking or rideshare drop-offs, Pisor said during the meeting.
“What’s happening is the ridesharing phenomenon is absolutely decimating the valet world,” Pisor said during the meeting in response to parking concerns. “The magnitude of the parking — I’m just saying, it won’t be felt.”
Neither Booth Hansen nor Pisor’s public relations representative released copies of the presentation given during public meeting Tuesday night.
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