WEST LOOP — More than 1,000 proposed West Loop apartments, an expansive church with an added apartment complex and the revival of a long-shuttered Bridgeport bar are one step closer to reality.
The City Council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards approved the projects on Tuesday on top of numerous other developments, landmark proposals and building additions across the city.
All projects still need final sign-off from the full City Council, which meets Wednesday.
The Council’s zoning committee is still without a permanent chair since Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) stepped down from the position late last year. Vice chair Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) has overseen zoning meetings since.
West Loop Residential
A site once identified for a life sciences building will instead feature two high-rises that will include more than 700 apartments.
The project at 400 N. Elizabeth St. was once expected to include over 500,000 square feet of laboratory, office and research space, 123 underground parking spaces, a fitness center and a ground-level cafe.
That plan has now been scrapped and replaced by a proposal to build two residential towers with 724 apartments, about 145 of which would be affordable.
The site will include 348 parking spaces, 724 bike parking spots, a 4,000-square-foot public park and a 2,500-square-foot public dog park, according to information shared with neighbors earlier this year.
Neighbors have had mixed reactions to the proposal, with about half of attendees at a February public meeting opposing the changes. Concerns included the impact on traffic in the area and the switch from life sciences to residential use.
But Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) praised the development at Tuesday’s zoning meeting, saying while some neighbors opposed it, the “majority” were behind it.
“This was supposed to be a life science building years ago. After COVID it didn’t happen. What happened now is several contractors got together and a developer, some of them are minority contractors, put in their money together and came up with this project. I think this is a great design,” Burnett said.
Also in the West Loop, prominent developer Sterling Bay secured approval to build a 29-story, 390-unit building at 370 N. Carpenter St. The project will include 78 affordable units, ground-floor retail and 22,000 square feet of open space, plus a $3.3 million Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus payment, according to the planning department.
The building will have about 150 parking spaces.
1,500-Seat Church Near United Center
A three-part, mixed-use development at 116-138 S. Paulina St. that includes a 1,500-seat worship hall for City Church Chicago was also approved by the zoning committee.
The first phase of the project will include the church and support facilities like retail space, a cafe and offices. The second phase would expand the development to include additional space for conference rooms, youth programs and other administrative uses, according to plans submitted to the city.
A third phase would include up to 76 residential units in a 12-story building. Fifteen of the units would be affordable.
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) said Tuesday he was in favor of the development when it went before the Plan Commission this spring.
“Fascinating design, great layout, it incorporates all of these community spaces that go far beyond just how the parishioners will use the space,” La Spata said.
Ald. Bill Conway (34th), whose ward borders the area, raised concerns Tuesday about parking near the facility, especially during church services when 1,500 parishioners will flock to the area.
Backers of the project said they plan to have parking agreements with nearby entities like the United Center, Rush Hospital and other groups to use their surface parking lots. The development is also a transit-oriented development located near the Ashland Avenue bus line and the Illinois Medical District Blue Line station.
Bridgeport Tavern Rehab
The site of a long-shuttered Bridgeport tavern could soon be a bar again.
The Redwood Lounge, 3200 S. Wallace St., has been closed for years. In 2009, it was one of numerous bars raided by the feds during an investigation into “mob-backed video poker machines” according to NBC Chicago.
An LLC called South Side Premier Properties is hoping to launch a new tavern at the location and has agreed to a Plan of Operation with Ald. Nicole Lee’s (11th) office. Few other details were shared about the owners or the proposed bar.
“We have a plan of operations that has a neighborhood tavern closing during the week at 11 p.m. and midnight on weekends,” Lee said Tuesday. “I think this is more than accommodating to the neighbors and I have every confidence that the owners, the new proprietors, are going to be great for the community.”
John B. Murphy Memorial Building Landmarking
A nearly century-old building owned for most of its existence by the American College of Surgeons and under renovation by a local museum is one step away from receiving official landmark status.
The John B. Murphy Memorial building, 50 E. Erie St., was unanimously granted landmark approval by the zoning committee on Tuesday.
The designation, if passed by the full Council, will include the exterior of the building as well as its interior auditorium.
The building was acquired in 2022 by the Driehaus Museum, according to city planner Matt Crawford, which is undertaking restorations of the property.
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) praised the landmark proposal, calling the building “one of the finest historic buildings on the Near North Side, both on the exterior and interior.”
The zoning committee on Tuesday also approved a 24-unit residential building in Lincoln Park, a sports and recreation facility in Jefferson Park and the conversion of a West Town office building into 32 residential units, among other projects.
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