Upcoming 19-story West Loop hotel to break cover this week at public meeting

As prolific Chicago developer Sterling Bay wraps-up the Ace Hotel and continues working on McDonald’s new 600,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in the red-hot West Loop, the company is getting the ball rolling on a nearby high-rise hotel development. The 19-story project is proposed for the parking lot at the northeast corner of Washington and May—about one block west of Micky D’s—and is expected to contain around 200 extended stay guest rooms catering primarily to business travelers.

Designed by Chicago-based Eckenhoff Saunders Architects—the firm behind the glass and concrete Dana hotel in River North—the proposal also contains ground floor retail and off-street parking for 41 vehicles. The project will require a zoning bump from DX-3 to DX-5 to be constructed as proposed. A preliminary application filed with the City of Chicago in April included basic elevation drawings showing a building with a glass and brick exterior framed with two-story gridwork to give the appearance of fewer floors.

An updated version of the plan along with detailed renderings will be officially shown to neighbors at a meeting later this week. Hosted by Ald. Walter Burnett, Jr. (27th) and the West Loop Community Organization, the presentation has been set for Tuesday, July 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Catalyst Ranch (656 W. Randolph Street).

In addition to the aforementioned Ace and the extended stay proposal, the West Loop is experiencing a flurry of new hotel activity. Three weeks ago, developer Shapack Partners broke ground on a 12-story, 175-room project at the corner of Lake and Green. Designed by New York’s Morris Adjmi Architects with Chicago-based GREC acting as architect of record, the development will become the Chicago home of the London-based Hoxton boutique hotel brand.

Meanwhile at the corner of Randolph and Peoria, work creeps along on the long-discussed Nobu Hotel. The 11-story, 119-room project recently received yet another revised building permit to relocate both its construction crane and foundation caissons, reported blogger Daniel Schell of Building Up Chicago.

• High-rise hotel project near Chicago’s new McDonald’s HQ seeks zoning change [Curbed Chicago]
• Community meeting notice for July 18th [West Loop Community Organization]
• West Loop archives [Curbed Chicago]