NORTH CENTER — As Lincoln Square neighbors blasted a local developer for not sharing details about a planned grocery store, a similar project further south also has been shrouded in secrecy, frustrating residents and the alderman.
Developer CRG wants to build a 45-foot-tall commercial building on the parking lot at three-way intersection at Irving Park Road, and Lincoln and Damen avenues.
Like in Lincoln Square, the redevelopment at 3950 N. Damen Ave also involves the overhaul of a Fifth Third Bank property and would involve having a commercial grocery store. The development would also include 153 parking spaces on-site.
And just as with the project at Lawrence and Western, the developer is refusing to say which company is involved with the grocery store, also citing a non-disclosure agreement.
“We’re not in a position to disclose that at this point in time,” said Jay Case, operating partner with CRG. “We’ve made that clear to the alderman. But we think we’ll be able to discuss that in the next 30 days.”
The developer will have to reveal that information publicly at some point, however.
To move forward, CRG needs the city to approve an amendment to the property’s planned development status, which includes the bank building on the southwest corner of Irving Park and Lincoln and the adjoining parking lot on Irving Park and Damen.
That requires a review before Ald. Matt Martin (47th), who will collect feedback from local neighborhood groups, as well as public hearings before the Chicago Plan Commission and City Council Committee on Zoning prior to a vote by the full City Council.
CRG presented a version of the proposal last month to the 47th ward’s zoning advisory council but without sharing information about the grocery store. In response, Martin’s office warned the developer the ward group “has looked disfavorably upon applicants with incomplete information” and that neighbors have a high interest in the proposal due to its significant location, according to details Martin shared on his website.
Martin is awaiting feedback from the Northcenter Neighborhood Association and the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce before making a decision on the project.
Case declined to answer further questions about the project.
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