FULTON MARKET — A prominent development firm is once again scrapping plans for an office building in Fulton Market and instead trying to build an apartment building in the booming neighborhood.
On Monday night, LG Development shared its revised plans for 210 N. Aberdeen St., where the firm aims to build a 19-story, 414-unit building that would span much of the block.
The apartment building is the third iteration of LG’s plans for the site, which started as twin office-and-hotel buildings before being pared down to a 24-story office building. But after coronavirus devastated the local office market and hotel industry, LG decided to switch its Aberdeen plan to a residential project, said Michael Ezgur, zoning attorney for LG Development.
The change of plans is possible because of a recent shift in city policy allowing residential development in Fulton Market north of Lake Street.
LG Development previously pivoted another Fulton Market project to pursue apartments instead. In April, LG announced publicly it would scrap an 11-story office building at 1150 W. Lake St. in favor of a 20-story apartment building.
Now, LG is trying to get the city’s approval to build apartments at Aberdeen and Lake streets.
The development would include an L-shaped building that would take over a lot at Lake and Aberdeen and span much of the mid-block and front on May Street. It will include more than 10,000 square feet of retail space, 102 parking spaces and a publicly accessible “bicycle cafe” that will have bike parking and bike repair stations, the development team said at a community meeting Monday. Renderings also show a rooftop pool.
The plan would require demolishing some buildings on the block, but LG Development is planning to save and restore the historical Arthur Harris Building at the site. Plans call for the former manufacturing building to be turned into commercial space, possibly a restaurant, LG Development said.
Half of the 414 apartments would be one-bedrooms, 30 percent studios and 20 percent two- and three-bedrooms, said LG founder Brian Goldberg. The project would include its required 20 percent affordable units on site and the company is working with the city to increased that commitment to 30 percent affordable, Goldberg said.
Comments from neighbors focused on the design of the project, with renderings by architecture firm NORR showing a steel and masonry facade. Those materials are in line with the city’s design guidelines for the West Loop, but neighbors said the guidelines are making buildings look too similar.
Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) said a lot of voices are weighing in on design at City Hall and in the ward.
“It’s a lot of hands in the pot dealing with design,” he said at the community meeting. “Hopefully we can find an equilibrium.”
The project still needs approval from City Council. If that process goes smoothly, LG could break ground on the project in 11 months, Goldberg said.
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