LAKEVIEW — Italian restaurant Zia’s Lago Vista could become a five-story apartment building if a developer’s plans to knock the building down and rebuild are approved.
The restaurant’s owners hope to sell the land to Mavrek Development, which is requesting a zoning change for the site at 3817–19 N. Ashland Ave. that would allow the firm to construct the 48-unit apartment building in the restaurant’s place.
The building would have 31 one-bedroom units, 13 two-bedroom units and four three-bedroom apartments, according to the developers’ proposal, which is listed on Ald. Matt Martin’s (47th) website.
The one-bedroom apartments will be rented for $965 to $1,800 a month, two bedrooms for $1,300 to $2,800, and three-bedroom units for $1,400 to $3,300, developers said.
Ten of the units, including one three-bedroom apartment, will be priced affordably, which is more than double the number required by the city’s affordable housing ordinance.
Representatives from the firm previously presented their plans during a Jan. 12 community meeting hosted by Martin’s office that was covered by Streetsblog Chicago.
Because the location is about a half-mile from the Irving Park Brown Line station and the Ashland Avenue bus corridor, the proposal meets the city’s transit-oriented development ordinance, exempting the building from standard on-site parking requirements, developers said.
The development would have 24 car parking spots and 36 spaces for bicycle parking, developers said.
Zia’s, an Italian restaurant which has been surviving the pandemic with expanded heated patio service, is the sister restaurant of Zia’s Trattoria in Edison Park. Owners did not immediately return a call for comment.
Representatives from Mavrek previously presented plans for the development during a January community meeting, hosted by Martin’s office. The project has not yet been approved by the alderman.
Jake Wittich is a Report for America corps member covering Lakeview, Lincoln Park and LGBTQ communities across the city for Block Club Chicago.
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