LINCOLN SQUARE — A proposed plan to rehab the former home of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative in Lincoln Square into apartments and commercial space received key backing from the local alderman.
Owner Ralph DeAngelis and real estate company Glascott & Associates can move forward with renovating the vacant industrial building at 4642 N. Western Ave. after Ald. Matt Martin (47th) endorsed their plan last week.
Martin also approved their plan to tear down the one-story commercial building next door and replace it with a matching four-story building addition.
Once completed, the project will feature two commercial spaces and 23 residential apartments that will be a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units.
In addition to the two affordable units required by city rules, the project will also earmark an additional one-bedroom unit to lease to residents earning at or below 100 percent of the area median income, which would be $63,700 for one adult.
The project also will convert one of the commercial units into a live-work unit featuring a one-bedroom residential component, also for renters earning no more than 100 percent of the area median income.
Martin said in a community letter that the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Rockwell Organization (GRO), and the Heart of Lincoln Square Neighbors (HOLS) all have expressed their support for the project and emphasized the new housing needed to increase affordability in the area.
The Chicago Printmakers Collaborative moved from the 4642 N. Western Ave. address to its current location at 4912 N. Western Ave. in 2015.
The planned development neighbors Western Avenue Brown Line station and the project was granted transit oriented development status, allowing the builders to provide fewer parking spaces. A total of five parking spots will be available.
The developer has also committed to building a green roof, adding bike racks on the sidewalk and working with the chamber to explore installing a mural on the south-facing facade, according to Martin’s office.
Some neighbors expressed concerns about the prominent cell towers on the roof, “which are not aesthetically pleasing and are currently leased to cell providers,” Martin said.
When the lease on the largest cell tower runs out in 10 years, the developers have agreed to negotiate with the tower’s owner to reduce the size of the tower or significantly improve its appearance, Martin said.
“If the provider is unable to do so, the lease will not be renewed,” Martin said.
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