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10-Stories of Retail and Apartments Proposed for Blighted Lincoln Park Corner

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Slated for Clybourn and Ashland, the project raised traffic concerns among some neighbors

A new 10-story, mixed-use development proposed for 2300 N. Clybourn made its public debut yesterday evening at a meeting hosted by Sheffield Neighborhood Association and 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins. The project, which was presented to residents by architect Marc Amstadter and attorney Sara Barnes, is seeking a zoning change from C1-3 to C1-5 to construct a 105-foot-tall structure containing 85 rental units.

The masonry, glass, and precast concrete design will contain 9,800 square feet of ground floor retail and roughly 13 dwelling units per typical level, consisting of 3 two-bedrooms, 5 one-bedrooms, and 5 studios. Due to its distance from mass transit, a 1:1 dwelling to parking ratio is required under the Chicago ordinance. The development also plans to provide parking for 85 bicycles and an additional automobile 18 spaces reserved for retail use, bringing the total number of garage spaces to 103. Vehicular access and loading will take place off of Clybourn.

The site, which is bordered on two sides by a Salvation Army parking lot, has been unoccupied since a defunct Kinko's closed its doors over three years ago. Despite a background in manufacturing and not real estate development, property owner Arie Zweig says that he his family plan to hold onto the site for many years to come and will maintain a prominent stake in its future management.

While some attendees of last night’s meeting admitted that an empty, blighted corner was doing little to improve the quality of the neighborhood, the majority of the comments were focused on the already congested traffic situation on Clybourn, Ashland, and Fullerton. Alderman Hopkins said he could commiserate with residents regarding the poor traffic near the building site, but he also reminded the audience how much the neighborhood has changed over the past years.

"We are victims of our own success in this neighborhood and now we have to work with the infrastructure we have," explained the elected official, who has yet to take a position on the requested zoning change. The development team concluded the meeting saying they would take neighbors’ concerns into consideration before reconvening with the Alderman at a future date.