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The city's Committee on Zoning approved plans for Sterling Bay's 18-story office tower, left, at 1000 W. Carroll Ave., and an 11-story office building at 345 N. Morgan St. Tuesday. Credit: Chicago Department of Planning and Development/ Twitter

This story was produced in collaboration with The Daily Line.

DOWNTOWN— Just weeks after receiving approval from the city’s Plan Commission, Sterling Bay has cleared another hurdle in expanding its Fulton Market footprint with an 18-story office tower and an 11-story office building in the booming neighborhood.

The Committee on Zoning unanimously approved the prominent developer’s plan for a 288-foot-tall tower at 1000 W. Carroll Ave. and the 11-story office building with ground-floor retail at 345 N. Morgan St. Tuesday.

During the meeting, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) said the project had backing from three West Loop neighborhood groups after the developer made tweaks to the proposal. 

Burnett said Sterling Bay had also committed to hiring minority contracting firms as part of the project.

The 18-story building’s facade, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, will be constructed with glass and metal. The 11-story building is designed by Eckenhoff Saunders Architects.

RELATED: Sterling Bay’s West Loop Office Tower Push Continues With Two New Building Proposals

RELATED: Sterling Bay Gets Key Approval To Build 2 More Office Buildings In Fulton Market

During the Plan Commission meeting last month, Noah Szafraniec, a supervising zoning plan examiner with the Department of Planning and Development said Sterling Bay had agreed to pay “$750,000 towards a future Metra signal safety improvement project.”

The developer of the $216 million project will also pay an $888,370 Industrial Corridor convergence fee, according to the city’s Department of Planning and Development.

During the Plan Commission meeting, Burnett said the developer had agreed to charge affordable retail rents on “a certain amount of square footage in the building,” so that “mom-and-pop businesses” can continue to open as retail rents skyrocket. How much affordable retail space would be offered is not yet known.

RELATED: As Sterling Bay Plans 2 New Office Buildings, Alderman Asks For Affordable Retail Storefronts In Fulton Market

If approved, these will be the fourth and fifth office towers in the West Loop from Sterling Bay in under two years.

The developer is currently working on three office towers north of the proposed Thor Equities tower — a 20-story building at 330 N. Green St., a 19-story building at the old Coyne College parking lot, 333 N. Green St., and a 21-story building at 360 N. Green St.

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Twitter @alexnitkin

Pilsen, Little Village and West Loop reporterrnrnmauricio@blockclubchi.orgnnPilsen, Little Village and West Loop reporterrnrnmauricio@blockclubchi.org Twitter @MauricioPena