The owner of the Lakeshore Sport & Fitness in Lincoln Park is drawing up plans for a major redevelopment of its property. He will be expanding the club and adding a block of apartments that would rise 14 floors and make it the tallest building in that area.
An article in Crain's Chicago Business states that the site is located at 1320 W. Fullerton Avenue. Lakeshore representatives will present their plans for the property at a May 25th virtual meeting. This will be a key step in the process to obtain a zoning change for the project from the City Council.
Information on how many apartments are being planned is still not available, but a building of that size could encompass a lot, even with the health club on its lower floors. Due to its size, the proposal could face resistance from neighborhood residents over its density and impact on traffic in the area.
LOOKING FOR PROJECTS IN THE CHICAGO AREA?
Apartments are the option of choice for many developers. Though the pandemic and civil unrest have hurt the demand for high-rise rental housing downtown last year, neighborhood landlords have fared better. With the pandemic fears lessening and the economy improving, the outlook for the North Side apartment is positive.
The project will include the following:
- Residential apartments
- 14 story building
- Rooftop amenities
- Expanded facilities for Lakeshore Sport & Fitness
Alderman Brian Hopkins was short on further details on the project and is reserving judgment on the proposal until he gets more information. It is a City Hall custom that the City Council typically will not consider a zoning change for a proposed development unless the alderman representing the neighborhood signs off on it first.
Most of the buildings in the neighborhood do not exceed five stories so this will definitely stand out. Several tall towers rise on the eastern edge of Lincoln Park, the tallest being Eugenie Terrace at 44 stories, and two 19 story apartment towers have recently been completed on the former Children's Memorial Hospital site, at Fullerton, Lincoln Avenue and Halsted Street. But heights taper off further west along Fullerton.
Lakeshore representatives have already presented their proposal to the Sheffield Neighborhood Association. They are a neighborhood group with an influential voice on development issues. SNA president Brian Comer declined to discuss specifics until the May 25th meeting which he will attend.