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The building that housed Wing Hoe Restaurant would become a 50-unit apartment building. Credit: 2rz/Block Club Chicago

EDGEWATER — A developer is moving forward with plans to redevelop the former home of Wing Hoe Restaurant in Edgewater, reviving an effort unveiled in 2018.

Tempus Realty plans to redevelop the mansion-turned-restaurant at 5356 N. Sheridan Road into a 50-unit apartment building with 25 parking spaces, according to Ald. Harry Osterman’s (48th) office. If approved, the building would replace the longtime home of Wing Hoe, the neighborhood-favorite Chinese restaurant that closed in December after 49 years.

Tempus was involved in an earlier effort to redevelopment the Wing Hoe property, but that project stalled in 2019.

That year, Tempus and MCZ Development sought the city’s approval to turn the building into a 50-unit complex. The project was approved by the city’s Zoning Committee, but the Zoning Board of Appeals denied the developers’ request for a variance on the required rear property line setback, said Dan Luna, chief of staff to Osterman.

Tempus has since bought MCZ out of the development and is seeking approval of new plans for the site at Sheridan Road and Balmoral Avenue, Luna said.

The building that housed Wing Hoe Restaurant would become a 50-unit apartment building. Credit: 2rz Inc.

The project’s unit count will stay the same. Tempus has upped the parking count to 25 from the originally proposed 21. The earlier building was four stories, while the newly proposed one is five stories, renderings show.

No retail space is planned in the development.

Because the Zoning Board of Appeals denied the development’s earlier setback request, the project still requires city approval, Luna said. The development team held an initial meeting with neighbors last weekend.

A second meeting will be held for neighbors to weigh in on the project before Osterman decides whether to support it, Luna said.

The building that would be replaced by the development was built in 1913 as a lakefront adjacent mansion.

Wing Hoe opened in 1971 in the building. The restaurant’s lease on the property was up at the end of 2020. The owners decided to retire, they told Block Club.

For more on the revised development plans, click here.

A previous rendering of the Wing Hoe redevelopment project, first unveiled in 2019. Credit: Provided
The Wing Hoe Mansion, which has stood since 1913, will be demolished to make way for a new building. Credit: Jonathan Ballew/Block Club Chicago

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