Old Town’s Father and Son Plaza redevelopment returns with fewer units

The 11-story project would replace the now-closed North Avenue strip mall

By Jay Koziarz Jan 17, 2018, 11:56am CST

After more than a year of discussions and design tweaks, the mixed-use development proposal for Old Town’s Father and Son Plaza is back with further changes. The latest version of the plan for 633 W. North Avenue was presented earlier this month at a community meeting hosted by 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins, who rejected earlier 365-unit and 293-unit iterations over community concerns regarding height, density, and traffic.

As expected, the updated design from developer White Oak Realty Partners and FitzGerald Associates Architects further reduces the number of units to 261. The 11-story glass and brick building also includes 183 parking spaces, an amenity deck with an outdoor pool, streetscape improvements, and two retail bays offering a combined 30,000 square feet of commercial space. The plan will provide seven affordable rate units on-site as well as see the developer contribute roughly $2.4 million to Chicago’s affordable housing fund.

As of Tuesday, Alderman Hopkins has yet to take a public position on the updated design as he and his office continue to collect and evaluate community feedback. With the project listed on the draft agenda for this week’s meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see a vote on 633 W. North Avenue deferred to a later date.