Upcoming demolition on Belmont will clear way for new Lakeview TOD

An older three-story building that stands just feet from the busy Belmont station in Lakeview is about to bite the dust to make way for a new transit-oriented development proposed for the site. A permit issued this week clears the way for the property owner, GW Properties, to wreck and remove the building at 937 W. Belmont Avenue. The developer plans a six-story building with 33 apartments and 4,000 square feet of retail space.

Plans to redevelopment the site first surfaced last summer, as an online marketing flyer reveals renderings and floor plans for new development that would feature 11,000 square feet of leasable retail space spread over two floors while first floor retail tenants will also have access to an outdoor patio space that stretches the full length of the building.

However, the plan has since been buffed up to six stories and the programming has been changed to focus primarily on residential with only 4,000 square feet of retail space only on the first floor. The latest plan, revealed last November, offers a look at an updated design from NORR Architects. The new look features a facade that has the paneled grayscale tile effect which has been common of newer TODs along Milwaukee Avenue. The plan for a sprawling patio space remains, perhaps to help solve the issue of preserving an existing CTA easement.

And because of its proximity to the Belmont station, this development will feature no on-site parking. The plan is not expected to be impacted by the long-discussed CTA Belmont fly-over project which will see the demolition of 16 buildings.

• Demolition permit [Chicago Cityscape]
• Retail Broker Courts Tenants for Proposed Development Near Belmont CTA Stop [Curbed Chicago]
• Proposed TOD at Belmont Red Line stop gets new architect and updated design [Curbed Chicago]