A new chapter is unfolding in Chicago’s South Loop, as fresh details emerge for the next building in the long-planned Riverline development. The tower at 910 South Wells Street is advancing following site plan approval from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, marking significant momentum for a project that has been dormant for years. Led by CMK Companies, with Gensler serving as design architect, this second Riverline building is poised to bring hundreds of new homes, improved riverfront access, and renewed construction activity to the area.
The new 28-story tower will rise along the northern portion of the Riverline site, replacing part of an existing parking lot. The updated orientation shifts the tower’s massing east–west rather than the originally planned north–south alignment. This change allows a future northern tower to be added adjacent to Bertrand Goldberg’s River City, maximizing development potential and improving circulation between buildings.
Chicago Yimby reports that the approved site plan includes a new driveway system that will eventually link the parking garages of both towers and support loading and service access. The reconfiguration also makes room for a landscaped pedestrian promenade leading from Wells Street toward the river, enhancing walkability and public gathering space in an area transitioning from industrial use to residential community.
A defining feature of the development is an extension of the Chicago Riverwalk, continuing Riverline’s vision of opening waterfront space to the public. A pedestrian walkway with a water feature will extend west from the building’s entry drive, acting as a natural connection between the tower, the river, and the larger Riverline network of trails, seating areas, and landscaped parks.
The tower will be positioned at the southeast edge of the parcel, ensuring that the riverfront remains accessible and visually open. A river-view terrace will serve the residential amenity spaces on the ground floor, providing shared outdoor gathering areas for residents while also supporting pedestrian activity along the waterfront.
Rising 310 feet, the tower will feature a modern glass curtain wall with multi-toned reflective glass designed to capture changing light conditions along the river. The building rests on a three-story podium, which will be wrapped in an undulating metal screen, creating visual interest and reducing the perceived mass of the parking structure.
Key program elements include:
350 residential units, including studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms
70 affordable units, contributing to income diversity within the South Loop
137 parking spaces within the podium
3,300 sq ft of ground-floor retail fronting Wells Street
A recessed residential lobby adjoining a riverfront plaza
Indoor and outdoor amenity spaces for residents
The podium’s design carefully conceals vehicle storage while maintaining active street frontage and a welcoming pedestrian experience.
While final financing and permit approvals are pending, the next steps include utility coordination, excavation, and foundation work consistent with high-rise construction along the river. Foundations will likely require deep caissons to anchor the tower in Chicago’s river-adjacent soil conditions.
This building will begin after construction progresses further at 1010 South Wells, the first Riverline tower currently undergoing early foundation work. Coordinating the sequencing of both structures ensures shared access routes, construction staging areas, and long-term site infrastructure remain cohesive.
The Riverline tower will engage a broad workforce across multiple construction phases. Key trades involved will include:
Surveyors and Geotechnical Teams – site analysis, caisson layout, soil stabilization
Excavation Crews and Caisson Drill Operators – deep foundation drilling and earth removal
Concrete Formwork Carpenters and Rebar Installers – constructing structural cores, decks, and beams
Ironworkers and Steel Erectors – framing structural connections and mechanical supports
Curtain Wall Installers and Glaziers – applying the exterior glass façade
Electricians and Low-Voltage System Technicians – building power supply, lighting, and communication systems
Plumbers and Mechanical Pipefitters – installing water, waste, and fire suppression systems
HVAC Technicians and Sheet Metal Teams – integrating climate control and ventilation systems
Masons and Exterior Finish Installers – completing podium cladding and façade elements
Interior Carpenters, Drywall Crews, and Finishers – constructing unit interiors and shared amenity spaces
Landscape and Hardscape Contractors – building the riverwalk, terraces, pathways, and plantings
This array of skilled trades underscores the project’s scale and the employment impact Riverline continues to generate in the city’s construction sector.
After years of slowed progress, Riverline is gaining momentum. The 910 South Wells tower represents not only new housing supply in a high-demand neighborhood but also an investment in public realm enhancement, river activation, and urban revitalization.
When built, the development will reshape a transitional stretch of the riverfront into a connected, walkable, and architecturally cohesive extension of the South Loop — one that blends residential density with open space and community access.