Revised West Loop apartment proposal swaps brick facade for new glass

A new apartment building proposed for Chicago’s booming West Loop neighborhood was reintroduced to neighbors sporting a glassy, new look at a public meeting last night. Slated to replace a vacant lot and an older two-story brick building at the southeast corner of Peoria and Adams streets, the 17-story plan is two floors taller than what developers Crayton Advisors and White Oak Realty Partners had proposed for the site last summer.

While the revised plan also saw the number of rental units and parking spaces respectively trimmed down to 258 and 179, the most notable change came in the form of a new glassy exterior facing Mary Bartelme Park. The latest renderings provided by FitzGerland Associates Architects also show streetscape improvements and a corner sidewalk cafe included in the development’s 13,500 square feet of planned retail space.

Image courtesy of FitzGerald Associates Architects

As if on cue, many West Loop neighbors in attendance of last night’s meeting took immediate issue with the height of the proposal. One concerned local even went as far as saying the project would “completely destroy the look of the neighborhood,” reported DNAinfo Chicago.

The plan will need a zoning change from DS-3 to DX-7 to move forward with the developer paying just over $1 million into Chicago’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund in exchange for the requested bump in density. Local Alderman—and Chairman of the Chicago Committee on Zoning—Danny Solis was reportedly not present at last night’s presentation.

Image courtesy of FitzGerald Associates Architects

• West Loop Neighbors Say 17-Story Apartment Tower Near Park 'Too Tall' [DNAinfo]
• West Loop apartment plan for Adams and Peoria cuts units and parking, gets taller [Curbed Chicago]