You read that right— Smithfield Properties' meaty apartment proposal for Chicago & LaSalle is sailing through the public vetting process with nary a voice in opposition. So reports the Chicago Architecture Blog after attending a development meeting at the neighboring Moody Bible Institute Monday night. The 35-story, 295-unit tower won the blessing of the Chicago Plan Commission in May and now has Ald. Bob Fioretti and the neighborhood in pocket. Among reasons developer Bill Smith gave for supporting the project were job creation, and a brand new contribution to property tax rolls. Such a concentration of studio and on-bed apartments isn't always appreciated by local property owners, but in this case Smith stressed it's a sensible response to demand due to the great expense of owning anything on the Near North Side.
Another big deal is the low parking ratio: .39 spaces per unit or 115 in total. Most towers in the area have at least a .5 parking ratio. There are still developers out there building an absurd oversupply of parking, but there's also enough of this sort of voluntary reduction to indicate a trend in the making. The Berkelhamer Architects-designed glass tower will host the usual high-end rooftop amenities, and the shorter podium allows for a set of five two-bed townhomes, each with private access and a yard. Zoning is in place and the developer tapped a special city program dubbed "adopt-a-landmark" in order to tack on air rights. The building being "adopted", as previously reported, is the neighboring Bush Temple of Music. On with the show!
·"Missing Tooth in Chicago's Urban Fabric" Expected to be Quickly Filled by Chicago & LaSalle Skyscraper [CAB]
·33-Story Tower Planned for Chicago & LaSalle Makes Headway [Curbed Chicago]
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