The development boom underway in Logan Square has been a common theme for the majority of this year, however, not everyone in the northwest side neighborhood is on board with some of the projects planned for the area. And perhaps no other development (thus far) has been the source of such ire for Logan Square residents as the studio/SRO-esque project planned for California Avenue, near the California Blue Line station has. When developer Enrico Plati presented his plan for the dense five story, 66 rental unit project in April, there were so many attendees that the meeting had to be moved to the Haas Park fieldhouse gymnasium. More recently, the frustration from Logan Square residents has been exacerbated over an apparent closed door meeting between the developer and members of a community group.
After presenting the plan to a gymnasium full of mostly skeptical residents in April, Plati has recently chopped the number of units down from 66 to 56 apartments, but the five story height appears to be unchanged.
One more meeting regarding the development is scheduled to be held this evening at the Haas Park fieldhouse at 6:30pm. Expect to see a knock-down, drag-out fight, which could potentially set a precedent for the way future development plans are received and possibly halted by Logan Square residents.
Back in May, members of the community group Save Our Boulevards went door-to-door and passed out flyers regarding the development. And more recently, new flyers from an organization called Logan No to SRO have begun to appear in the neighborhood. The flyer states:
2340 N California Ave - Developer is in final stages of approval to build an SRO (single room occupancy). If approved by the Alderman, this project will allow 56 rental units in a five story building in the small car wash lot across from the post office at California/Milwaukee. The small lot and alley can't handle this extreme density. The units are 320 sq. ft. and the building has only 18 parking spaces. This will bring congestion on an already busy street, parking issues, transient residents who do not care for the neighborhood, and a tall building that is uncharacteristic of the area changing the sunny opening feeling of the street. This can be operated as an SRO and bring crime to the neighborhood!
The Zoning Committee that advises the Alderman recently issued a recommendation letter to the Alderman where these concerns [were] omitted. See it here.
Alderman Moreno favors this development. This is your chance to vote NO and voice your concerns!
What are your thoughts about the changes happening in Logan Square? Let us know.
·Battle Over Logan Square SRO Development Hits Critical Mass [Curbed Chicago]
·Logan Square SRO Studio Development Gets Public Introduction [Curbed Chicago]
·This High-Density Studio Development May Be Coming To Logan Square [Curbed Chicago]
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